Plants of the Week: October 13

Clematis ‘Lech Walesa’ is a Polish cultivar with pale blue-purple flower. Tepals are darker at the margins, while the interior is almost white. Wavy edges and recurving tips give the flower a frilly appearance. ‘Lech Walesa’ blooms abundantly and over a long period, starting in June and continuing through October. Photo credit: J.Coceano

Garden location: Dean Bond Rose Garden.

Fruits of the harlequin glorybower, Clerodendrum trichotomum, are beginning to open. Native to Japan and China, this species of Clerodendrum is often encountered as a multi-stemmed shrub or small tree reaching 10-20’ in height. Tubular, fragrant, white flowers give way to small, vivid blue fruits subtended by a fleshy red calyx. Coarse, ovate leaves bear a scent akin to peanut butter when crushed. The deciduous woody is somewhat unkempt in habit and has a penchant for suckering. Even so, the fruits possess some of the most spectacular coloration in the autumn garden. Photo credit: J.Coceano

Garden location: Old Tarble

Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ is an old garden hybrid discovered in France in 1858. Often sold as windflowers or Japanese anemones, A. ‘Honorine Jobert’ falls into a hybrid category which includes a large number of hybrid pink or white flowered cultivars that bloom from late summer into fall (August – October). Two- to three-foot tall stems produce numerous flowers comprised of 6-9 overlapping white petals. A word of caution in regards to siting plants: foliage may burn in hot, dry, sunny summer conditions. Photo credit: J. Coceano

Garden location: along Magill Walk