Monday, October 15, 2012

October Blooms: Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.




Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day! Today, I wandered into the garden, curious if I would find enough blooms to participate in Bloom Day, hosted by May Dreams Gardens. Our garden is in transition, with a few summer blooms remaining, and not many fall flowering plants grace our garden.

(Note to self: need more fall blooming perennials and shrubs. Note to Peter: don't have a heart attack.)

It's pansy time in South Carolina, yet I've been too busy transitioning the kitchen gardens to bother with the pansies just yet. After a solid six hours of working in the potager and the large kitchen garden today, though, I may treat myself to a pansy splurge tomorrow. 

I love pansies.

But, sadly, there are no pansies to share for Bloom Day. Instead, I discovered several unexpected surprises:


Verbena bonariensis, or tall verbena. I appreciate how this plant adds a splash of airy color and height to the front perennial bed. 


Phlox paniculata, 'Bright Eyes,' often sports powdery mildew during the summer. Somehow, we avoided that nasty disease this summer--I didn't see even a trace of mildew on the plant. The blooms have slowed, but they still add a much needed burst of color along the front walk.




Geranium, 'Rozanne,' appreciates our cooler fall temperatures. Dormant for much of the summer, it's now adding a bright burst of blue to the perennial bed.



Thank goodness for lantana. Without 'Miss Huff,' our garden would lack color, hummingbirds, and butterflies in the late summer/early fall. It's truly a garden workhorse.


The Japanese anemones continue to bloom, although sadly, they're nearing their end. Sniff. They've provided an amazing, cheerful border for almost two months now. What will I do without them?




Surprise! One bloom remains on the native hibiscus in the front garden...

 
...and one bloom on the 'Blushing Bride' hydrangea. 




The camellias, however, are putting on their finery...

Each bush is filled with buds, soon ready to burst with color.



A few blooms remain on the barberry...

...and a single bud waits to open on the tea rose my mother gave to me more than 17 years ago.




A few blooms also remain on the butterfly bushes, but not many. In fact, the butterfly bushes need a good pruning. They look rather pitiful.




The gaura still hangs in there, offering a few airy blooms.

 

Oreo, of course, climbed in my lap while photographing the gaura. She's a bit ticked at me, because I kept removing her from my lap. All day. It's really not easy to dig holes with a cat in your lap.

 

Swamp sunflower, my most recent impulse buy. Honestly, how could I turn away from such a burst of cheerfulness? Oh, right...I have very little sun. This cutie will reside by the big greenhouse, where there is a bit of decent sun.


Mexican sage, also an impulse buy, will probably reside in the front perennial bed. Although, it's so pretty next to the swamp sunflowers that I might rethink my original intent. Hmmm.

 
Toad lilies, though, were not an impulse buy. I have several toad lilies growing in the front bed by the office. At the Hatcher Gardens' Plant Sale, I found several more to add throughout our shady gardens. I think they're becoming one of my favorite plants.


The Encore azaleas add a much needed splash of color in the garden by the pool. Honestly, it's pretty drab back there right now.
 


The hydrangeas, so full of blooms a few weeks ago, are turning papery.

Interestingly, many of the edibles continue to produce pretty blooms, including herbs.






Even a few blooms reappeared on the 'Provence' lavender.



I'm sure you're tired of me singing the praises of Fraise des Boise, but honestly--look at that cute little bloom! Plus, we're still finding sweet berries, a lovely treat when digging in the garden. How can you not love this plant?



Although I grow far too many hot pepper plants, 'Chinese 5 Color' pepper will always find a place in our gardens. The tiny purple flowers turn into cream, red, purple, orange, and yellow peppers--all on one plant. Even if you don't like hot peppers, you will love the beauty of this plant.

The last nasturtium, uncovered today when pulling up the hot pepper plants to make room for garlic...


...and our last cucumber blooms. I contemplated clearing the cucumber bed today, but it's still producing, although slowly. Still, in two weeks we should have our first frost. I decided to wait until then to clear the bed. After all, cucumbers are one of the few vegetables the kids will eat without a fuss. We need to make them last as long as possible.

Too soon, most of the blooms will be gone. It's definitely time to add the pansies.

Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

XO ~

Julie


19 comments:

  1. What a nice collection of autumn flowers, beautiful! I especially liked the Phlox paniculata, think I need to add it to my ever-growing plant wish-list. And I know what you mean about the cat, my cat comes running as soon as I sit down on my gardening stool, expecting to be allowed to jump up onto my lap - never mind what I am doing :-)

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  2. So many lovely fall flowers. How fun to discover the nasturtium. I'm afraid there is not much left here as we had a hard freeze a couple days ago. I'll have to take a walkabout with the camera when it gets light outside

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    1. Deanne, I always love surprises in the garden--well, except for the vole holes I just found in the kitchen garden. Not a happy surprise. Still, I'm enjoying the last blooms. The first freeze always makes me a little sad. Looking forward to seeing what you find in your garden!

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  3. We have so many of the same blooms, I felt like I could be walking through my garden :) My camelia haven't started to bloom just yet. I think you will really enjoy the swamp sunflower. They get very tall but they cheer up the fall gardening with all their sunshine. My azaleas have been blooming since August...crazy, but the butterflies sure are happy about it!

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    1. Karin, when I went to a local plant sale, I could see the swamp sunflowers from the road--they are just what our garden needed, a nice burst of cheerful color. Our azaleas, too, started early and are now going crazy. And--I have daffodils already 4 inches out of the ground. I'm not happy about that! Crazy, crazy weather.

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  4. I absolutely adore camellias - mine have not started blooming yet, so I really enjoyed seeing yours. I'm going to have to look into toad lilies. I don't do well with shady areas and appreciate the suggestion. I also loved seeing your sweet cat bloom! :)

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    1. I love camellias, too--these were one of my first purchases when we moved and before I knew much about gardening, so I'm delighted they're doing well! ;-) Do you grow hellebores? They have been the biggest success for our shady gardens. Beautiful winter flowers, evergreen foliage, and they spread well by seed after a few years. I bought 5 when we moved here 13 years ago, and now I have hundreds. Highly recommend!

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  5. wow, lots of great blooms Julie. I have Mexican Sage and am really happy that I do!! Great punch of purple in the fall garden.
    Had a vole (or something) eat my toadlilies from underneath...leaving a few leaves and a hole. :-(

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    1. Voles...ugh. I just found several vole holes in the kitchen gardens. Oreo and Sammy are not doing their job! Have you tried lining the hole with sharp gravel or perlite before planting? I have to do this with bulbs or basically any perennial to avoid vole damage. The voles don't like the sharp base. It seems to work.

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  6. Lovely blossoms. You just reminded me to go and check to see if my toad lilies are blooming yet. You and I have several plants in common. We also have cats in common! Happy Bloom Day!

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    1. Thank you! My cats are about to be put on a diet, because they are shirking their vole control duty! ;-) They're very sweet--foundlings from the neighborhood that our girlie began secretly feeding. And thus, we now have two cats. (But I'm glad we do!) Happy Bloom Day!

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  7. You still have plenty blooming, and they look great! I always go out there to my garden for GBBD not expecting to find much, and end up being pleasantly surprised. I need to get more Toad lilies, they are great plants for shade, and I love their delicate little flowers.

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    1. Alison, I've really become enamored with toad lilies. They're so easy and unpretentious. I have several placed in front of the office, and I love seeing their interesting blooms. This might become a new obsession.
      Happy Bloom Day!

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  8. Your blooms are wonderful. I love the photo of the Rozanne Geranium and Toad Lilly and of course Miss Oreo (so cute!) Your gardens are so full of life for this time of year. Lovely!

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    1. Thanks, Lee. The past two Bloom Days, I've been surprised by what I found in the garden. I'm lucky to live in SC, because there will always be something blooming, even if it's just pansies. Still, I love pansies! Happy Bloom Day!

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  9. Lovely post, and so many plants I love too...Geranium 'Rozanne' is a real workhorse, isn't she! I've really grown to love the Japanese Anemones...not only are they beautiful, but so tough!

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    1. You're so right--those anemones are tough! And, I love how well they've filled out the entire bed by the driveway. I started with five plants, and after two years--the bed is full. Now, I think I might need a few other varieties...! Happy Bloom Day!

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  10. You have so much blooming yet, Julie! I love the phlox, so aptly named. I've been planting bulbs the last few days and have also had a feline helper; I just wish I could teach her to dig:)

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