I should know by now that gardening life rarely leads us down a straight and narrow path. But a cooking show, and a healthy one at that? But that’s exactly where  my gardening friends, Carol Cowan, Carol Gardner and Lorraine Hunter and I wound up. Last week, W Network’s Healthy Gourmet, televised on the VIVA  channel, taped its finale segment on the grounds of the Toronto Botanical Garden. The four of us were featured guests of hosts Julie Daniluk, a nutritionist, and chef Ezra Title. The premise of the show is to demonstrate how we can eat healthier food without compromising on flavour.

Carol Cowan was the designated cook for the Gardening Gals because we all love her food — not to mention that in all of our households except Carol’s, our husbands do most of the cooking (bless their hearts).  Carol’s task was to cook a meal that we would all enjoy and then the hosts would show us how to make the meal healthier but just as tasty.

Of course, this being television, it was a set-up job. Carol was encouraged to make an artery-clogging, high-calorie meal that featured pork schnitzel, pan fried potatoes and her mum’s spinach casserole, which was loaded with high-fat, salty cheeses instead of the healthier ones she usually incorporates into the recipe. (Did I mention this is television?) When we sat down to eat, Julie and Ezra joined us, but I can’t say they enjoyed it as much as we did (well, Ezra did have two helpings of the spinach casserole). But I think Julie would have eaten dirt before trying the schnitzel (on screen or off). Ironically, when the scene ended, the crew were quick to gobble up the leftover schnitzel! (Where was my camera?!)

The episode took two days to shoot and the interminable behind-the-scenes waiting was thankfully relieved by sessions with Ann, the makeup artist, lessons on floral arrangements with  second assistant director Jason and walking and sitting in the beautiful grounds of the Toronto Botanical Garden where we watched the friendly crew set up lighting, sound and cameras.

Was it worth it? You be the judge. The show airs on VIVA on September 26. Watch it and tell me what you think. (Be kind, okay? It’s our first shot at celebrity.)

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How and when did we start thinking that back-to-school time signals the change in seasons from summer to fall? Technically, summer is with us until September 22, so there’s a whole lotta summer left to enjoy. If you’re one of the many who think that June is the peak of the gardening season, listen up and start making a list of plants to extend the season. Here’s what you can look forward to seeing in the late summer garden.

Pre-Fall Perennials
For weeks in August I watch the plump buds of Japanese anemones swell and colour before unfurling to reveal their elegant petals. Plant nothing more than these for the late summer garden and you’ll be happy. The China pink blossoms of ‘September Charm’ will indeed charm your sox off, and the pure white ‘Honorine Jobert’ is one of my favourites to brighten a shady woodland. Growing anywhere from 60 to 120 centimetres tall, these perennials prefer anything but blazing sun which tends to scorch their foliage and make the colours of the flowers look wishy-washy.

Another gift to the late summer garden is Chelone or turtlehead plant. Rosy pink flowers (look for the native one too, which has white flowers) poke up above the foliage like a turtle peaking out of its shell. Give this perennial moist soil and shade to part shade and it will clump up generously over time.

For sunny spots, there’s a host of plants that start blooming in early to mid-August, but continue to look great into September. Coneflowers have become stalwarts of the late summer garden, and many new cultivars are becoming available at the nurseries. Look for Orange and Mango Meadowbrite, the Rocky Top hybrids and ‘Ruby Giant’. Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan), Sedum (there’s more than ‘Autumn Joy’ – try the mahogany coloured ‘Bertram Anderson’, ‘Matrona’ or ‘Cloud Walker’), Stokes aster (Stokesia), and of course, ornamental grasses (take your pick – they all shine from late summer through winter).

Johnny-Come-Lately Annuals
By the end of the summer, many annuals are looking a bit past their prime, but not so Verbena bonariensis (contrary to the literal translation of the name, it’s anything but “good for nothing”). Tall, airy and majestic, this verbena bears little resemblance to its window box cousin. Tiny purple-mauve pincushion flowers wave in the sunshine, creating a see-through garden “scrim”.

Moonflowers. It takes the full summer for these annual vines to get up the energy to produce their stunning, silken white flowers, but it’s well worth the wait. The spiraled flowerbuds unfold into large fragrant moons of flowers that invite you to stop a while and enjoy the late summer evening.

End of Summer Shrubs & Vines
I was smitten by my first Caryopteris the moment I saw it in a flower arrangement in the Library of the Toronto Botanical Garden. From then on, it’s held pride of place in my late summer garden. This low-growing shrub (also called bluebeard) features clear, deep blue flowers that I love to see blooming against the golden leaves of my favourite, ‘Worcester Gold’. But there are many other worthy cultivars to select, including ‘Blue Mist’ and ‘Longwood Blue’. Any of these looks great growing alongside another shrubby plant, Perovskia or Russian sage. Looking like an out-of-control lavender, this misty mauve sub-shrub releases a pungent fragrance when you brush past it – bliss.

I don’t know where in the universe sweet autumn clematis starts to grow in the fall, but in my garden, it’s getting ready to show off its starry, creamy-white flowers just about now. A vigorous vine, Clematis terniflora, as its known in the nurseries, will cover a chain link fence, or gracefully amble over an arbour or pergola. This is a must-have vine for the late summer garden.

So, instead of saying goodbye to the summer, start saying hello to three more weeks of late summer beauty in the garden.