Dig This!

These pics were taken at Hutchinson Community College on the east side of campus near the pool.  The HCC Demonstration Gardens are maintained by Reno County Extension Master Gardeners.  There were some trees that were pretty damaged but most of the plants in the demo garden should be fine after a little bit of cleaning them up and trimming them back.        The ice really made for some neat pictures, especially with the roses and reblooming iris! Submitted by Pam Paulsen

The r ed tipped flower is pineapple sage. A fall bloomer ! The gardens do look nice at the end of the season as the warm sun casts light on the last vibrant  blooms of summer. Perhaps they just look better  b/c we cherish the last  warm days of fall! Photos submitted by bcrockford.

This just might be a picture of one of the last Monarch butterflies that arrived @ Hutchinson Community College's DEMO garden in mid October. The colorful plant is a tropical variety of milkweed called Asclepias curassavica or Scarlet Milkweed TROPICAL SUNSET. A n annual in our zone , this flower's seed can be purchased online for a reasonable price. Serious gardeners are trying to plant varieties that attract multiple types of butterflies. This is one. This butterfly is a Swallowtail enjoying the tiny petunias planted in a master gardener's home container. This prolific bloomer is a trailing petunia called Calibrachoa , also commonly called million bells. It is not winter hardy here in Kansas so is grown as an annual. It comes in a large range of colors and works very well in containers or hanging baskets. It can even be used as groundcover in smaller garden plots. Photos submitted by bcrockford.

Scarecrow's name is Festus Fun for the kids Impatiens Ornamental Kale, Salvia, and Coleus Begonias, Vinca, and Impatiens Tropical Plant, Annual Impatiens Geraniums, Mums Vinca, Geraniums Jewels of Opar, upper right Mums, Sedum, Impatiens, Jewels of Opar Coleus Mums Plectranthus, Impatiens, Big Leaf Begonia, Red Salvia, Ivy Leaf Geranium Impatiens Cockscomb Cockscomb, LambsEar, Perennial Oregano, Edamame  Impatiens and Marigolds, Shade Annuals under a Tiger Eye Sumac Tiger Eye Sumac in Fall Color