After the storm

Just as Texans were packing up and heading out of many coastal towns, I was driving into Hurricane Harvey territory. Driving the 25-plus hours toward Austin, I had no idea what I was in for. I had no choice. My daughter and her dogs were visiting with us in New York, but she has a job that started this past week in Austin.

I'm not going to say it was the best cross-country trip I've ever made. Tedious hours behind the wheel, trying to rip through counties and towns as fast as I could while my muscles protested, locked into the "driving position" for 14 hours a day. Almost unbearable. Yet it was the unknown that made the trip most difficult. What would we encounter when we met up with the storm? Downpours so powerful that I'd have to pull off the highway? Flash floods that could swiftly carry our car away? Weather reporters were unsure; the hurricane appeared to be unpredictable.

As luck would have it, we appeared on the scene just after the deluge. Aside from downed trees and littered pathways (see a photo I took from Common's Ford in Austin, above), Travis County was pretty much spared. The poor people of Houston were not so lucky. All the horrible emergencies I'd conjured in my head have become reality for so many of them. The photos coming out of that region are harsh and heartbreaking.

Let's help the folks in the ravaged areas along the Texas coast. Go on redcross.org or call 1-800-HELP NOW. If it's easier to text a $10 donation, send a message to 90999 with a message saying "REDCROSS" and it will arrive to the charity via your phone company, but be aware: it takes longer to get the money to victims since it has to go through a third party.

However you choose to help, it will aid in getting fellow Americans back to safety, and normal lives.

Light up the night

Many flowers call it a day as soon as the sun sets, but evening is often the time we want to spend in our outdoor spaces. Cocktail parties, cookouts--or just cooling down after steamy summer temps--are enhanced by a bevy of beautiful blossoms. This is the time plants like the evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) like to shine.

This annual (or biennial, depending on local climate) boasts yellow flowers more than two inches wide that open at dusk. It flourishes from June through October in the Northeast, so it's a handy plant to have around this time of year, as many other flowers die down.

Evening primrose doesn't need much nurturing. It's been known to thrive in dry meadows, waste places and along roadsides, but don't let its humble abodes deter you. It looks magnificent when paired with purple petunias or red roses. Its sunny demeanor holds its own among the more noble blooms.

What's more, the entire plant is edible. Principally cultivated for its root, it can also be prepared as a tea or tincture to treat coughs related to colds. A salve made from the plant treats skin irritations, and traditionally, it was used as medicine for the urinary system, relieving bladder and urethra pain (though I don't recommend applying it in this fashion without checking with your doctor first).

Because the hardworking evening primrose produces brilliant yellow buds and lush foliage around the clock for a solid four months with little or no supervision, it deserves a spot in your flowerbeds.

Extend your blooming season

I find myself feeling wistful this time of year. It's something about seeing that last day lily bloom (above) that stirs up emotions of love and loss. As the garden settles down and the riot of blooms subsides, the idea of beauty and life as precious, fleeting entities covers me like a heavy mantle. I carry this weight as I wander the pathways of my gardens, trying not to sigh.

Fortunately, knowing this malaise will descend upon me this time of year, I've learned to prepare, and even divert my melancholy. Yes, it's important to acknowledge the facts: my day lilies are pretty much done for the season. They've gone the way of some of my favorites: the columbine, climbing rose, lupine and peony. But the growing season is far from over!

The Liatris, Rudbeckia and Echinacea have just started to shine. The hydrangeas are hanging in there, and I'm still getting a smattering of Shasta daisies. Soon my Montauk daisies and Anemone will emerge. Other fall must-haves are: Sedum (all varieties), the pretty panicles of Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium), Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus), bluebeard bush (Caryopteris clandonensis) and the magnificent Rose Mallow (AKA Hibiscus moscheutos). The one I planted last year has dozens of buds on it and each gorgeous crimson flower--the size of a dinner plate--is a work of art (below).

Another way to extend the flowering in outdoor spaces is to plant re-bloomers. Experts have been working hard at hybridizing for years, and over the past decade or so, many of our all-time favorites push forth blossoms from spring to the first frost. Among them: lilacs, azaleas and roses (I have them in white--seen in the background of the Rose Mallow photo--and hot pink, seen entwined with Rudbeckia, below).

With all the horticultural innovations available, there's no reason your garden (and mine!) can't look abundant right up through October!