Fall's Fading Blooms.

Today felt like autumn. A gray dreariness hung low in the sky. I waited for a bit of sun to peek through the clouds before I headed out to the garden with my camera for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by May Dreams Gardens. At 6 p.m., though, I decided that waiting any longer would mean that I'd need a flashlight to photograph the flowers. So out into the grayness I went, hoping to find a few blooms to share.

My bargain tropical hibiscus continue to add a splash of color to the front garden. At the low, low price of $5 for two, lovely huge hibiscus, how could I pass them up? Granted, I have greenhouses to tuck them into for the winter, otherwise they wouldn't be very happy in our zone 7b frosty temperatures. I love a good flowering bargain!

Yes, I'm once again singing the praises of fraise des bois. The plants are still covered in their darling little blooms, and even better--they're producing another nice showing of their incredibly sweet fruit. What's not to love about these little edible beauties? They are darling in a pot, plus they make a lovely, non-creeping boarder in shady beds. Truly, they will always be one of my favorite plants.

The Japanese anemones put on quite a show for the past month. Now, they're slowly winding down, with a few dozen blooms remaining. It's definitely time to thin and transplant these beauties.

If it's fall, then you know it's time for pansies and violas--hooray! Just as I'm beginning to feel blue about the lack of blooms in the garden, the cheerfulness of pansies erases my grumpiness. The violas found their home in the potager this weekend, but the many, many flats of pansies are anxiously awaiting the blister on my palm to heal so that they, too, can get tucked into their new garden home.

One of the best things about photographing the garden is that you never know what you might find, like this katydid hiding in the hardy hibiscus...

...or the praying mantis egg case on the lemon tree. We're anxiously awaiting our new beneficial arrivals to the garden.

Also surprising are the camellias. Years ago, I planted half a dozen camellias along the south side of the house, an area we rarely pass on our way to the forest or the kitchen garden. It's a shame, because the camellias are spectacular right now. We need to add something to the area to make it a destination instead of an after-thought. The blooms shouldn't be missed, but often I do.

 

I'm not typically a mum fan, but somehow it doesn't seem like fall without a few bursts of bright cheerfulness. The tired garden certainly benefits from the mums' overwhelming sunniness.

The microclimate by the pool garden continues to encourage blooms. The tea olives smell divine...

...the Encore azaleas provide a great burst of showy color...

...and the peach Drift roses burst with new blooms. 
 

The containers by the pool continue to send out new blooms. I keep searching for seeds from my favorite heirloom, snail flower. At $1 per seed, I'm hoping to harvest a few seeds for next year. Nothing yet, but I'm crossing my fingers.

The mandevilla seems to enjoy the cooler temperatures, which seems counter-intuitive to its nature. Soon, I'll be keeping a close eye on the weather for freeze warnings to make certain these babies and my other warm-natured plants are safely nestled into the greenhouses before it becomes too chilly.

Ah, the crazy viburnum. How can you not love a plant that blooms...and blooms...and blooms some more? What an incredible workhorse of a plant. We've trimmed and pruned, and still this shrub is heavy with blooms.
 

Talking about workhorses...holy marigolds! What began as a few plants tucked into the kitchen garden beds to repel pests turned into a sea of orange and red as the weather cooled. The butterflies and bees adore the blooms. I've never been a fan of marigolds, but how can you argue with a profusion of blooms like that? I may need to show marigolds more respect!
 

The herbs provide blooms for several pollinators. Tiny wasps and bees enjoy the basil flowers. Our basil struggled this summer. I think the enormous amounts of rain caused it to suffer from a fungus, although it's looking better now that it's cooler. Again, for a heat loving plant, I'm perplexed.

While I've cleared most of the kitchen garden beds for fall crops, I left the scarlet runner beans. The multicolored blooms add a bit of color to the beds, and the vines continue to produce.

For the first time, I found small red morning glory, a native wildflower, in the clearing near the river. 

I also don't recall finding goldenrod in previous years. This year, however, we have several patches of it, which I love.
 

Our heavy rains led to an amazing season for mushrooms. The shiitake logs are producing like mad. We ate delicious risotto ai funghi a few nights ago, and I'm frantically searching my cookbooks for more recipes that can include shiitakes. The mushroom logs are truly one of my greatest garden success stories. Growing mushrooms is so easy that I'm not sure why more people don't do it. Shiitakes and fraise des bois--I'm equally enamored. 

Tomorrow, I must finished planting the potager and work on the large kitchen garden. What are you planting in your fall garden? What's your favorite fall flower or vegetable?

Happy October Bloom Day to you!

XOXO ~

Julie

Fall's Fading Blooms--September Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

Ah, September. This morning truly felt like fall--slightly chilly, a bit overcast, less humidity. Perhaps the fact that I walked into at least half-a-dozen spider webs cemented that fall-feeling. As soon as the temperatures cool and the days begin to shorten, the spiders throw a convention at our house, inviting friends to spin their webs conveniently along the path I take to the big kitchen garden. 

Have you ever picked a spider web from your eye lashes? No? Well, let me assure you--it's an experience you'll never forget.

{Shiver.}

I might admit to a touch of arachnophobia, but don't tell anyone. I'll lose credibility as an organic gardener. In fact, this is the time of year that the neighbors think I'm looney. I'll walk through the gardens, waving a stick in front of my face, desperate to avoid repeating that web-in-the-eyelash experience.

I know, poor spiders. They work so hard building their webs, and then a wimpy gardening girl goes and swishes a stick through their home.

Last week, though, I fought my fear and battled a writing spider to save two swallowtail butterflies. Normally, I really admire writing spiders--they're not only creepily gorgeous, but their webs are works of art. This one, though, ticked me off. It built its web in my lantana, where dozens of butterflies converge for high energy sips of nectar. As I walked to the bus stop to meet Mikey, I saw two swallowtail butterflies struggling in the web.

No! My poor butterflies!

Taking an envelope from the mailbox, I scooped one butterfly free from the web, while the ginormous spider hung but an inch from my hand, wrapping up the second butterfly. The first flew free, but try as I might--I couldn't rescue the second.

 

And when I looked more closely, I found a butterfly graveyard in my lantana--dozens of butterfly wings lay on the lower leaves.

OK, it's nature, and I shouldn't intervene--but somehow, I just HAD to rescue the butterflies from that crafty spider. Finding so many butterfly victims made me sad.

But fall always tends to make me a tad melancholy. The faded blooms, the disappearance of summer produce, the kids back in school, and our hectic schedules...

Fortunately, our fall seedlings bring a sense of excitement and rejuvenation, just as the rest of the garden looks so tired.

 
As I walked through the garden today to play along with May Dreams Gardens' Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, I felt a little more peaceful about the impending arrival of fall. 

The snail flower vine, one of my favorite heirloom flowers, bloomed for the first time this season. I love this plant and its history.

The fraise ds bois continues to charm with its tiny blooms, and thankfully we're still enjoying its incredibly sweet fruit.

The soft pinks of the aged oakleaf hydrangea blooms will soon be complimented with the stunning red foliage. How can you not love oakleaf hydrangeas? 
 

The caryopteris still draws bees like mad... 

...and the few late 'Provence' lavender blooms are like bee-candy.

The toad lilies brighten our shady back garden, although I think they'd appreciate a bit more light. They're stretching and searching for the sun, trying to find it around the neighboring plants.

The dwarf gardenias surprised me this year. After an amazing show in the spring, they decided to host a repeat performance in September. Our front entrance way smells delicious. 

Fortunately, many plants loved by pollinators continue to produce and bloom in our gardens. Perennial hibiscus...

...phlox...

...buddelia...

...and even the marigolds in the kitchen garden are working hard this month. I'm hoping this Gulf Fritillary butterfly finds one of the 18 passionflower vines I planted this summer. I'd love to play host to Gulf Fritillary larva.

Although the nectar sources are still plentiful, I always supplement with feeders for the hummingbirds, especially as fall nears. 

Really, is there anything more lovely than watching hummingbirds? With three feeders outside the office window in the front gardens, I admit that I'm easily distracted, watching their swooping and hovering.

A happy fall event--plant sales! Soon, it will be time for my favorite plant sale at Hatcher Gardens. This sale, though, was too good to pass up: two tropical hibiscus for $5! Yes, it was at a big box store, but honestly--who cares? They're pretty, and they'll become organic, living in our gardens. (Of course, they'll spend the winter in the greenhouse.)
 

I'll also move the hanging baskets of fuchsia into the greenhouse, once the temperatures threaten to drop. In our area, our first freeze is expected near the end of October.

We've successfully overwintered the mandevilla for the past two years. But for now, it continues to bright the pool gardens.
 

The viburnum, which bloomed extravagantly all spring, is at it again--huge, lovely, cheerful blooms began appearing last week, and the bushes are filled with buds.

The Pee Gee hydrangea continues to show off, but it's slowly quieting down as the weather cools.

As some of the blooms wind down, our shiitakes are just beginning to pop. The amazingly wet summer, such a rarity in South Carolina, bodes well for a great mushroom harvest. The first shiitake of the fall rests on our counter, awaiting a chef's inspiration.

 
The poor, neglected herb garden is a tangle of blooms and scent. Tomorrow, I must, must harvest herbs to dry for the winter. I've been remiss in tending these babies, but they seem to like the lack of attention. The mints, of course, don't need much help--except the wisdom to keep them contained in pots. I love mint blossoms--they're so cheerful.

While a few scraggly tomato vines and pepper plants remain in the big kitchen garden and potager, the edible beds need to be cleaned up and readied for the fall veggies. However, the beans continue to produce like mad, much to the agony of the kids. (We've eaten a lot of beans recently.) Scarlet runner beans' blooms provide a darling addition to the vertical garden...

...while the purple blossoms of Rattlesnake pole beans also provide a bit of beauty.

I adore Asiatic dayflower, but I wish it would stay out of the kitchen garden beds. While I appreciate this adorable wildflower, it's quite invasive in our forest--and in our compost pile! Still, it IS awfully pretty.

While there are still quite a few blooms in our gardens, the true stars of the September garden are the Japanese anemones. What began as five plants purchased three years ago became a forest of bright pink and yellow cheerfulness. It's constantly bobbing and swaying, filled with pollinators feasting gluttonously.

Japanese anemones are truly the best part of our fall garden.

What's blooming in your garden? Will you plant a fall kitchen garden, or will you take a rest for the winter?

Happy Bloom Day!

XOXO ~

Julie

Finding the Blooms in July.

Today is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by May Dreams Gardens. Usually, my biggest problem for July's Bloom Day is the overbearing South Carolina drought. 

Not this year.

This year, my challenge is to find blooms in the garden that haven't melted away due to the enormous amounts of rain Upstate SC is experiencing. Did you hear the sad new about the South Carolina Botanical Garden? They recently installed the Natural Heritage Garden, an exhibit that included many rare and endangered plants, and the torrential rains caused horrific damage to the garden.  If you'd like to donate to help rebuild the garden, you can find information here.

Crazy, crazy weather.

Still, even with our daily deluge of rain, I found a few blooms to share with you.

Casa Blanca lilies...my favorite. I fear a vole snacked on many of the bulbs, because these are the only few that I've seen this year.

The large kitchen garden is a tumble of overgrowth and unripe tomatoes. Honestly, the foliage is lush and green, particularly in the herb garden at the front of the raised beds.

The flowering herbs are major pollinator havens.
 

But although the garden is green and bursting with vines, everything is late. I've yet to find one cucumber. Last July, we were already searching for recipes to use up our insane harvest of cucumbers.

Tonight, we ate the first beans harvested from our Three Sisters Garden. The corn definitely likes the rain, but the squash vines below melted. I planted more squash seeds, hoping for a fall harvest.

I can only hope that the veggie garden experiences a quick burst of productivity in the bit of sun that reached it today. Bruschetta is calling my name...but I need my heirloom tomatoes to ripen! 

Everyone is confused. Typically, by July the gardenias are sleeping. Not this year--they continue to infuse the air with their delicious scent. 

In the newly planted pollinator garden, the monarda is a good example of too much rain. Don't you just want to hand it a towel? Poor thing.

The lemon balm, while usually just a bit of a nuisance, truly became a bully this summer due to all of the rain. Fortunately, its tiny blooms attract lovely little pollinators, so I'm giving it a warning. If it continues its ill behavior, there WILL be consequences.

The tall verbena is bent over, beaten by the rain. I'm too embarrassed to show you the full photo, because it proves that I'm a softie for trying anything to keep a few blooms in the garden, even when they need to be yanked out by the roots. I keep crossing my fingers that I'll walk out tomorrow morning, and it will be standing at attention, nice and straight.

I know. I'm pitiful.

'Rozanne' seems to have withstood the worst of the rain. 

But even the poor stargazers are too saturated to last long in bloom. 

Sigh. 

The blooms of the phlox also succumbed to the rain. Surprisingly, though, I haven't battled powdery mildew on the plant like I normally do.
 

Also, I'm typically battling black spot by now on the roses--but so far, not this year.

The buddleia seems to enjoy the gallons of water each day, thankfully. Our bees and butterflies congregated on the three bushes today, making me think I should keep the Epi-Pen a little closer while I took photos.

Fortunately, the bees were too busy with the flowers to bother with me. 

The beautiful daylilies I recently purchased revolted against their soggy new home. They're growing well, but they refuse to show their pretty faces. Yeesh, what prima donnas. These few daylilies planted last year were kind enough to add a bit of color to the perennial bed.

However, my trusty friends, the Japanese anemones, are preparing for an early show. They're full of buds, just about to burst any day. 
 

The little ice plant isn't loving all of the water, but it's a trooper and continues to produce a few cheerful blooms...
 

...and the gaura also tries to hang in there for me, withstanding the moisture and the attack of Japanese beetles. 

Have I ever mentioned how much I despise Japanese beetles?

Fortunately, the nasty beetles haven't damaged the lantanas throughout the garden. However, only the lantana in the mailbox garden is blooming. The others need Mr. Sun to shine down on them to encourage some color. Soon.

Now, we all know hydrangeas should enjoy water...right? For about a week, the hydrangeas looked magnificent. The Brides Blushed beautifully, the Twist & Shout partied hard in the garden, cute little Pee Gee beamed with blooms in the shade, and the oakleaf bushes drooped dramatic cones.

And then, the lovely flowers turned mushy.  

So. Depressing.

Thank goodness for the garden cheerleaders! Bright little Black-Eyed Susan vines add a touch of cheer in hanging baskets...

...while perky purple coneflowers refuse to melt under duress. 
 

I admit, I often curse rudbeckia. It's such a bully in the front perennial bed. The more I thin it, the more prevalent it becomes.

However, I'm rethinking my aversion to it. It's been a trooper during the summer storms, and I have to give it credit for the bright, lovely patch of cheer it's added to the entryway. 

Both Rose of Sharon bushes just began blooming--and they're heavy with buds. Thank goodness. I need some color in the back sitting area.

Mandevilla is so reliable. Honestly, I love this vine by the pool. Even the rain can't dampen its spirits.

The poor hardy hibiscus, though...it experienced a tough spring. First, the leaves served as a snack for every caterpillar and Japanese beetle in the garden until the leaves resemble lace. Then, the rain makes the blooms rather...sad. Normally, they're so perky and cheerful, but right now they just look so tired from the effort of opening.

  
My very happy surprise, however, is a new addition to the back garden by the pool: blackberry lily. A gift from my friend Janet's garden (aka The Queen of Seaford), these adorable little lilies produced blooms one week after transplanting them--and they just keep on going without complaint. I think they may be my new favorite plant! 

How's the weather in your garden? Wishing you rain (but not too much), pleasant days, and happy blooms!

XOXO ~

Julie