I'm a day ahead of the official schedule for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day but I've been busy in the garden and had to fit my post in when I had the time to work on it. My garden is in its late-summer doldrums, worsened perhaps due to two recent heatwaves and a two-week outdoor watering ban, but I realize my climate is still kinder than many so you may feel the floral display is greater than I perceive it to be. Temperatures have plummeted in the past week but daytime highs remain in the mid-60sF to low-70sF, perfect for tackling garden chores that have been on hold much too long.
I'll start with the plants providing the brightest splashes of color right now.
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Dahlias, clockwise from the upper left: 'Catching Fire', 'Lavender Ruffles', 'Enchantress', Fairway Spur', 'Summer's End', and 'Karma Prospero'
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Felicia aethopica 'Tight & Tidy'
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The ever dependable large-flowered Grevilleas 'Superb' and 'Peaches & Cream'
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Pelargonium peltatums (aka ivy geraniums), refreshed by a little rain and cooler temperatures
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Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum'
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The vast majority of zinnias have already succumbed to mildew (which really means I just couldn't stand the appearance of their foliage and have pulled them up). These 4, clockwise from the upper left, are still somewhat presentable: Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Deep Red', 'Benary's Giant Carmine Rose', 'Benary's Giant Purple', and 'Queen Red Lime'
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Ripening fruit doesn't count as flowers but it does provide color at this time of year. The 2 persimmon trees (Diospyros kaki 'Fuyu' and 'Hachiya') are bearing more heavily than ever before despite our drought conditions.
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What would a Bloom Day be if there weren't a few surprises? Here are mine:
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An Agapanthus blooming in October is just plain weird
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I had a difficult time determining the identity of the 5 bulbs whose foliage showed up in the middle of my backyard border. I finally found record of planting 5 Amarine belladiva 'Emanuelle' (a cross between Nerine and Amaryllis belladonna) in April 2021, which is clearly what this is. The first bloom is just opening now.
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I cut this Argyranthemum frutescens 'White Butterfly' back hard about 6 weeks ago in lieu of pulling it up altogether but I was still surprised when it began to come back
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Yucca 'Bright Star' blooms on its own schedule. This bloom spike popped up during the last heatwave and is already spent.
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A hedge of Xylosma congestum shrubs surrounds our garden on 3 sides. I've seen sporadic blooms on a small scale before but this month the entire section of the hedge running alongside the street is in bloom. The area is covered in bees.
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A few other plants are getting an early start on their fall displays.
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Barleria obtusa (aka bush violet) usually blooms in November but the shrubs in the back garden are already getting started
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All the Australian fuchsias have started to bloom. The flowers are hard to photograph even at the height of bloom. From left to right are Correa 'Dusky Bells', 'Ivory Bells', and 'Wyn's Wonder'.
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As usual, I'll close with the best of the rest organized by color in collages.
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| Clockwise from the upper left: berries of Auranticarpa rhombifolium (like tiny pumpkins) and a self-seeded Cotoneaster, Echeveria compressicaulis, Cuphea 'Vermillionaire', Gaillardia 'Spintop Copper Sun', Lantana 'Irene', and noID orange Lantana |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: fresh blooms of Achillea 'Moonshine', noID Gaillardia, Grindelia camporum, Nemesia 'Banana Split', Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Lantana 'Lucky White', Zephyranthes candida, and noID Angelonia |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: noID Angelonia, noID Duranta repens, D. 'Sapphire Showers', Salvia rosmarinus officianalis, noID Scaevola, and Trichostema 'Midnight Magic'. I still can't get over the fact that rosemary is now classified as a Salvia. |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Arbutus 'Marina', Cuphea 'Honeybells', C. 'Starfire Pink', Polygala fruticosa (with yellow spider), Osteospermum 'Berry White', Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky', and Leucadendron salignum 'Blush' |
That's it for October's Bloom Day. I'm babying a handful of dahlias and zinnias but it's almost certain that all these plants will be gone well before November's Bloom Day. I'm looking forward to getting started on my cool season cutting garden, sowing seeds and planting plugs, but there probably won't be much to see there until early next year.
To see what's blooming in other parts of the US and various locations around the world, check in with Carol of May Dreams Gardens on October 15th.
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material © 2012-2022
by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Crazy agapanthus! It's good to know I'm not the only one messing with the official Bloomday day... sometimes it just makes sense to stick to your own schedule.
ReplyDeleteI stopped in my tracks when I saw that Agapanthus and asked: "what's wrong with this picture?" Maybe it was a response to the unexpected rain in September after lower-than-average flower production in early summer.
DeleteA lovely selection in every colour of the rainbow, Kris. Are the nemesias in the third-to-last image annuals or perennials in your climate? I admire all your beautiful dahlias - mine are just starting to shoot.
ReplyDeleteNemesias are sold as annuals here but that particular clump was planted sometime last year and had, for all practical purposes, disappeared by late spring. I'd say they're short-lived perennials here as long as they're in a spot that gets regular water as that particular barrel does.
DeleteBest wishes with the dahlias!
Thanks for the info re nemesias. I think they’d be short lived perennials here too.
Deleteinteresting Agapanthus in October. Like my Clivia in October. Atypical. That's weird putting Rosemary in Salvia, but "they" did a DNA analysis, so the science is pretty solid.
ReplyDeletehttps://khkeeler.blogspot.com/2018/08/what-happened-to-rosemary.html
Great array of flowers, as always. We got another 0.1" overnight--very slowly--a light drizzle for hours--it added up.
I'd only heard about the reclassification of rosemary recently but, when I looked into it, I noticed that the change was made in 2017. The news seems slow to spread but then we should be surprised as most people still don't distinguish between Geraniums and Pelargoniums and, as I recall, that distinction was made in the 19th century.
DeleteYou did much better than we did on the rain this round. We just got 0.02/inch overnight. There's some rumbling going on in the distance to the east at the moment, though, so maybe we'll get a little more before the day is done.
If this is late-summer doldrums, I'd take it. So many beautiful blooms! My garden is about to go to sleep. A few things are still blooming, but very cold weather is just around the corner. I'll visit your blog to warm up. ;-)
ReplyDeleteDo you grow the 'Rubrum' pennisetum year round there? I've always said that if someone could come up with a perennial version of that, they would be rich! Not familiar with Felicia but I like it a lot.
ReplyDeleteYes, all the Pennisetum I grow ('Rubrum', Skyrocket' and 'Fireworks') are perennials here. I generally cut them close to the ground in late winter and they reliably bounce back. The Felicia is also perennial here but I don't know if/how it would handle your winter cold. I ordered my plants from Annie's so their website can probably fill you in.
DeleteLovely colour still present. Envious of your persimmon crop. The dahlias got hit here the other night just enough to darken the foliage and damage the emerging buds. I will miss them but time to take them out so that I can get my Spring bulbs and lilies in. Pleasant temperatures make working at this time of year quite enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently planning to give my dahlias another week but many not last even that long, Elaine. Some buds were here were torched during our 2 almost back-to-back heatwaves but mildew isn't doing the plants any favors now. I expect I'll feel relief when I actually face up to digging the tubers up.
DeleteYour blooms are gorgeous as always and I especially love the dahlias! I gravitate towards the pink ones, but maybe I should try a purple one too as I could always use more pops of purple in the beds, especially in late summer and fall. I've not seen or heard of Australian fuchsias before, those are quite lovely too.
ReplyDeleteThe "purple" dahlias mostly lean in the pinky-lavender direction so I think you'd probably like them.
DeleteThe numbers may be less than your all-time high season, Kris, but still an abundance to me! Beautiful things to see all throughout your garden. We had a frost a week ago and it ended the cut flowers for me. There are still a few asters for the bees, but things are shutting down. At least the brilliant fall foliage is distracting me, along with all the raking! Eliza
ReplyDeleteFall foliage has got to be a great equalizer for the loss of those summer blooms, Eliza! Most of the leaves that drop here are a dull brown but at least they contribute to the compost pile.
DeleteNice to see you still have so many beautiful blooms for Mid-October. Here in Western Kentucky, we are awaiting a freeze warning for the next three nights. We have been busy moving our potted plants into our shop for the winter.
ReplyDeleteI don't envy you the process of moving all those plants twice annually, Judy. We may have drought but we don't have freezes ;)
DeleteVisiting your gardens are always a delight for the senses. It is wonderful seeing so many beautiful blooms this time of year and I am especially fond of your Dahlias and zinnias…so pretty!
ReplyDeleteThanks you, Lee! The compliment is appreciated, especially coming from a garden professional like you.
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