Thursday, October 15, 2020

Bloom Day - October 2020

Last month on Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day we'd just put our worst heatwave of the season behind us but California and a good part of the Pacific Northwest were dealing with catastrophic wildfires and truly terrible air quality.  We've had more heatwaves since, including this week, and our air quality has been up and down but at least things are better than in mid-September.  We enjoyed a brief flirtation with fall last week and I'm hoping that, when the current heatwave passes, cooler temperatures will stick around for the long haul.

This month I'll start my bloom review with the newest arrivals.

These Anemone hupehensis (Japanese anemones) came with the garden but it still startles me when they return despite our generally dry conditions.  The pink variety in the front garden has yet to appear but I'm not about to count them out.

I invested in a flower-less one gallon container of Barleria obtusa (bush violet) at the local botanic garden's fall plant sale in 2014 and the plant now occupies several areas in my garden.  If I hadn't been vigilant, it probably would've taken over by now.  It certainly keeps trying but I can forgive a lot for those blue blooms.

The Australian fuchsias (Correa) are off to their usual slow, measured start.  From left to right are: Correa 'Ivory Bells', 'Sister Dawn', and 'Wyn's Wonder'Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre' is covered in buds but appears to be waiting out the heatwave before it flowers.

This Hibiscus trionum (flower-of-an-hour) is a recent gift from a friend.  I grew it previously but it died out, while she's blessed with more seedlings than she can use.  Like daylilies, the blooms don't last long.

Plumbago auriculata 'Imperial Blue' is a virtual weed in this climate and I've never planted it in the ground but I have two plants in pots that take off at this time of year.  I love the color of the flowers if not their stickiness.

Zauschneria californica (California fuchsia) is making a big splash this year, although it's battling for space with a Grevillea I'd forgotten was planted just behind it

I planted rain lilies (Zephyranthes candida) here in 2014 but never remember they're there until they appear each fall, rain or not

While the new blooms have added flashes of color here and there, the old summer stalwarts still dominate the stage.

The dahlias went crazy during the last heatwave.  I photographed these last weekend before the current heatwave set in.  The blooms are steadily decreasing in size and their foliage is getting grungy so I suspect this is their last Bloom Day appearance of the year.
Top row: Dahlias 'Belle of Barmera', 'Labyrinth', and 'Candlelight'
Middle row: 'Enchantress', 'Iceberg', and 'Sellwood Glory'
Bottom row: 'Loverboy', 'Mr Optimist', and 'Rip City'

This is one of 15 buds on Dahlia 'Gitts Crazy'.  I planted it in late April and it sprouted less than three weeks later.  As all the other dahlias are finishing up, it's only just now preparing to bloom.

The large-flowered Grevillea bloom all year but they're really floriferous right now.  The closeups in the top row are, left to right: Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', 'Peaches & Cream', and 'Superb'.  Photos of the last two shrubs are shown below.  When grooming the shrubs, I'm surrounded by a constant buzz of bees, none of which have ever stung me.

These Lantana are blooming especially well this year.  The orange and yellow varieties (left), planted in a half barrel container three years ago, may have gotten a boost from the fertilizer I've been adding to get another dahlia, planted late in the season, to bloom, but the variegated Lantana 'Samantha' (right) never received any fertilizer and it's going strong after being cut to the ground last winter.

I can always count on Pennisetum to put on a show starting in late summer.  On the left is Pennisetum 'Fireworks' and on the right is P. advena 'Rubrum'.

Salvia leucantha is also having a good year

This is probably the last hurrah for the Zinnia elegans this year too.  The foliage is developing a bad case of mildew due to the mixed influence of our damp morning marine layer and the continuing high temperatures.

The Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) that had burned out earlier this summer also staged a recovery, or two varieties did anyway.

I'm always happy to have them back

There were several other surprises as well.

A friend gave me this Iris germanica 'Autumn Circus' in late May.  I didn't expect any blooms until next year but I got this one earlier this month.  Another bud followed but it was incinerated by the last heatwave.

I planted Lessingia filaginifolia 'Silver Carpet' (carpet beach aster), a groundcover, in 2015.  It's persisted but I seldom notice it until it flowers, partly because Helichrysum petiolare 'Petite Licorice', a weed here, is constantly seeking to overwhelm it, as shown.

Stapelia grandiflora made another appearance.  Its bud, shown on the left, opened a couple of days after I discovered it.  I took the photo on the right before its characteristic odor began attracting flies.

This isn't quite a bloom yet but it's the first time I've ever seen a bloom stalk on Vriesea ospinae cv gruberi (now classified as Goudaea ospinae)

This Yucca 'Bright Star' bloomed earlier this year but it unexpectedly developed a side bloom I only just noticed last week

That brings me to the the usual color collages I end my Bloom Day posts with, featuring the best of the rest.

Clockwise from the upper left: Trichostemma 'Midnight Magic', Brachyscome 'Brasco Violet', Lavandula multifida, Plectranthus neochilus, Polygala myrtifolia, Oxalis triangularis, and Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud'

Clockwise from the upper left: Cuphea 'Honeybells', Rosa 'Pink Meidiland', Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Pentas lanceolata, noID rose, noID Phalaeonopsis, and Bauhinia x blakeana

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Sundance', Abelia grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', A. 'Kaleidoscope', Euryops chrysanthemoides, Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake', Oncostele 'Wildcat', noID self-seeded Osteospermum, and noID Phalaeonopsis

Clockwise from top left: Rosa 'Medallion', Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', noID Amaranthus, Cuphea 'Vermillionaire', Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', Pelargonium peltatum, Penstemon mexicali, and Rosa 'Joseph's Coat'

For more on what's blooming in other parts of the country and around the world, visit our bloom-fest host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.


All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

32 comments:

  1. I have had California fuchsia on my list for years, I really should do something about it. Japanese anemone is so pretty, that's another to put on my list!

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    1. I love Japanese anemones and had them in my former garden but, unlike the California fuchsia, I'd never have believed the anemones could grow in my current garden had they not appeared here on their own. I suspect they'd still like a lot more water than they get but then perhaps their constant state of thirst helps to keep them under control.

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  2. So many beautiful things in still in bloom (or maybe just starting). I admire your clump of Zauschneria. Surprisingly it is hardy in my climate and returns in my garden every year but nowhere near the size of yours. Still I brag about my 'hardy fuschia'.

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    1. I failed to record exactly when I planted that Zauschneria but my impression is that it took its sweet time getting to that size, Elaine.

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  3. Your garden hosts an amazing array of blooms. I really like the Grevillea, such a beautiful plant, as well as the Lisianthus--both are lovely.

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    1. Grevilleas and other Australian plants are luckily made for our Mediterranean climate, Tina. The Lisianthus can be finicky and I've yet to fully understand how to ensure their happiness here - they come on strong some years and take a quick hike in others.

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  4. This is a fun post with so many blooms, many that are new to me! I have had white and pink Japanese anemones in the ground of another home and they spread. Fortunately, they were in separate bed under a Magnolia tree. Although they were absolutely beautiful, I was afraid to plant them at my current home with such limited space.
    Last year, at SCBG I saw a large patch of Barleria but could not ID the species.
    I’ve learned from your blog that Lisianthus has an extended bloom period! I hope I can make room for it this coming year.
    I love the beauty of your Grevilleas and the fact that they attract hummingbirds and other pollinators, but I think they are too large for my garden.
    However, just last week, I took a photo of Correa ‘Kangaroo Island’ that I saw at IGC when they had all those plants from Annie’s. I was unfamiliar with the plant, but the flowers were relatively large compared to Cuphea and its leaves are variegated. I’ll consider purchasing it for the parkway garden.
    Like you, I’m looking forward to those cooler fall days projected in the next few days. I have some plants to get in the ground!
    I wish you happy autumn days!

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    1. Thanks Kay. I saw massive clumps of Japanese anemones at SCBG when I was there Friday but those I inherited here have never spread like that, probably because conditions are generally so dry. The Barleria is borderline invasive - I also saw huge clump of it at SCBG last week. I cut mine back and pull masses of it out each year to keep it (relatively) under control. I'll have to look for that Correa - most plants in that genus seem well-behaved.

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  5. We have several friends in California, one set are doing their best in a smoky garden. I was glad to see your Japanese anemones. Mine are pink and they are brave and everlasting here in Massachusettts.

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    1. A little extra water at the right time of year seems to be the ticket in getting the Japanese anemones to bloom here. My local botanic garden has masses of them but I think they water more often than I do ;)

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  6. You have such an amazing variety of flowers for October. The Stapelia grandiflora bloom is awesome! Your dahlias are really lovely!

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    1. The Stapelia has been a fun plant, even if it does attract a lot of flies. The dahlias turned summer, formerly something of a flower wasteland, around for me.

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  7. My goodness, such a lot of beautiful blooms! Your plumbago is much bluer than mine, although the color of mine gets deeper as the year progresses.

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    1. I adore the color of that Plumbago, Dorothy. I'd like to set my 2 plants free of their containers but I'm really afraid that they will run amok.

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  8. Love that Plumbago. So many pretties. Happy GBBD.

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    1. Thanks Lisa. I miss seeing photos from your garden!

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  9. As a kid, I'd pick off an individual Plumbago bloom and stick it to my earlobe, pretending I was wearing earrings. I felt very grown up. Different times...
    That Vriesea bloom stock is lovely already. I hope to see more photos after it opens.
    Your Stapelia grandiflora is magnificent. My indoor Stapelia has been blooming non stop for months, lucky for me, this variety is scent-less.

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    1. I frequently discover that I'm wearing Plumbago in my hair or on my clothes. I keep checking the Vriesea/Goudaea but it hasn't changed much if at all since I first noticed it - of course, as soon as I forget to check, I'll undoubtedly discover that the bloom is over and done...

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  10. So beautiful, especially those amazing dahlias! It's autumn here (and most definitely getting colder), so my garden is starting to wind down now, especially with all the rain.

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    1. I long for those cooler temperatures and rain, Nikki.

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  11. It must take you ages to photograph each flower and write these posts, Kris, but I sure do appreciate your efforts, as they're always gorgeous and drool-worthy. :) Hope your weather improves, surely this heat must end soon?

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    1. I usually take the photos in the course of 2-3 spins through the garden on different days, Eliza. Sorting out the decent photos from the crappy ones takes the most time but using collages to "round them up" is a time-saver. Believe it or not, I can identify all but a handful of plants using their proper names without looking them up - I consider that my brain exercise for the week.

      I'd hoped the heat was over with the prior event - it's really getting old now.

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  12. Kris your garden looks as beautiful as every other month in spite you have received heat waves conditions in this month.This White rain lily variety aka Zephyranthus Candida does blooms without rain when receive watering well .Stunning Dahilas and Zinnias.I wish to grow those pretty lisinathus so easily in out hot climatic region.I am envious to see stapelia blooming in your garden as I had been waiting for it to bloom from last 5 years .Rosa 'Medallion' looks stunning with sunlight falling over it .

    It would be my pleasure if you join my link up party related to Gardening here http://jaipurgardening.blogspot.com/2020/10/garden-affair-fruit-harvest.html

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    1. Thanks Arun. The odd thing about the rain lilies is that I never give that area any extra water but maybe the irrigation system hits just the right spot in this case.

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  13. So many flowers! Here's hoping your temperatures start to moderate soon. I have been thinking about the first time we met, in 2017 at Gail's, as those who predict the winter ahead have been drawing comparisons to that hideous winter. I don't know what I would have done then if I hadn't been able to escape to your sunny warm part of the world. The winter ahead already has me worried.

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    1. As you worry about the winter cold that may be ahead in your area up north, Loree, I'm starting to worry about whether La Nina will keep us dry during what should be our rainy season. Pandemic or not, however, you're always welcome to pay a visit here if you need to escape winter there.

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  14. I really like your various Fuchsias, and your Dahlias, of course. Wow, your garden is like paradise: so many amazing plants and beautiful blooms!

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  15. So many pretty blooms Kris. I swear, you have more flowers blooming in the downward days leading to winter, than I have at the peak of my gardens. And everything still looks so lush despite your heat and lack of rain.
    I love the white anemones against the silver foliage in the background. It really compliments them nicely. And, I love your purple salvia. It's a different variety than the one I grew this summer, but both are lovely, and the hummingbirds really loved it.

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    1. Those white Japanese anemones were inherited with the garden, Cindy, and I love them. My fingers are crossed that they survive the removal of the nearby mimosa tree and the grinding of its stump at the end of this month.

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  16. So many many blooms your warm climate offers. Beautiful gardens.

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    1. Thanks Yvonne. It's nice of you to stop by and to comment.

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