Thursday, October 16, 2008

October's Blooming!


There's still a fair amount of color in the garden, thanks to the unseasonably warm fall we're having. Over the weekend, we broke an old record high temperature. Sunday's previous record high was 83° and we reached 87°!

Though we had a couple of light frosts at the beginning of the month, we've yet to have anything that was damaging to any of the plants.
Some of the perennials have foliage that is turning yellow, but others seem as if they are laughing in the face of the approaching cold weather. I snapped some photos of many of the blooming beauties still present.

Each year, I save the seed from the marigolds for the next year. Right now, the bees are really enjoying them!


'Rhumba' mums are a gorgeous coral color.


Xeranthemum annuum was a new annual for me, and I will definitely grow them again next year. Once they started blooming, they've never stopped, even though I didn't do any deadheading.


Though the foliage doesn't look exactly healthy on this Spanish Flag annual vine ( Ipomoea lobata), the blooms are gorgeous and plentiful. I hope the frost holds off long enough for me to get seeds for next year.


'Clara Curtis' mums are in full bloom.


These are the Coreopsis 'Limerock Dream', which are the most beautiful color of Coreopsis I've ever seen. They're a tender perennial though, being only hardy to zone 7. I'm doing an experiment by planting them in a microclimate at the south of our family room, which is also protected from the west wind, making it at least a zone 6. I plan to also cut the bottoms out of some black plastic pots and put them around them and mulch them heavily to see if I can winter them over.


The white Cosmos are blooming like crazy and the bees are loving them.


Though it is troubled by powdery mildew, the Honeysuckle (Lonicera x brownii 'Dropmore Scarlet') is still producing some nice blooms.


I had great success with the Scotch Heather (Calluna vulgaris 'Robert Chapman') last year, so added another variety of Heather. No identifying tag on these though.


The Convolvulus I grew from seed struggled this year, unlike last year, but it managed to eke out a few small vibrant blooms. That's Echinacea 'Twilight' in the background.


Ornamental strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa 'Pink Panda') is growing by leaps and bounds and producing blossoms and berries, even now. And wow, do they ever taste good! Just like the wild ones I used to pick as a kid!


The Plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) has turned a beautiful shade of pink for fall, while blooming its true-blue flowers.


Another annual planted by seed - Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) - finally decided to bloom over the weekend, for the first time since planting the seed this spring!


It's easy to see why Sedum sieboldii is called October Daphne. This is really its time to shine.


This Calendula officinalis is one that I grow each year from the previous year's seed. Every year produces many different shades of yellow, orange, and a pinkish shaded one.


Knautia macedonica


One of my new Japanese Anemones - (Anemone x hybrida 'Party Dress')


I love this annual - Scarlet Tassel Flower (Emilia coccinea) - but hate the beetle that's shown here. They like to eat EVERYTHING. I can see that this annual will self-seed, because it's already doing that. This is continually-blooming annual that just gets better and better as summer and fall wear on - deadheaded or not!


This is my third attempt at growing Japanese Anemone 'Whirlwind'. It's done better than any of the previously planted ones, so maybe the third time's a charm?


The Delphinium elatum ('Magic Fountain') just keeps on going...


Endless Summer Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blushing Bride' was my best bloomer of the hydrangeas this summer. It truly was always in bloom, as was my original Endless Summer 'Bailmer'. This bloom just opened this week! You can see earlier blooms that have turned papery and pink on the same plant.


Other plants in bloom at the moment are:

  • Verbena bonariensis
  • African Daisies (Osteospermum)
  • Wave™ Petunias
  • Gaillardia (several different cultivars)
  • Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias currasavica)
  • Roses - 'Cinco de Mayo', 'Lavaglut', 'About Face', 'Memorial Day', several miniatures
  • Geum coccineum 'Cooky'
  • Morning Glories 'Chocolate' and 'Blue Star'
  • Seed dahlias
  • Oxalis deppei
  • Pelargonium 'Mr. Wren' and 'Red Happy Thoughts'
  • Chinese Forget-Me-Not (Cynoglossum amabile)
  • Lavender (Lavandula)
  • Zinnia angustifolia
  • Zinnia 'Profusion Apricot' and 'Profusion Fire'
  • Zinnia 'Chippendale'
  • Cosmos sulphureus
  • Corydalis 'Berry Exciting'
  • Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)
  • Annual Candytuft (Iberis umbellata)
  • Cleome (self-seeded plants from those grown two years ago!)
  • Bachelor's Button (Centaurea cyanus)
  • Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa)
  • German Catchfly (Viscaria oculata)
  • Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
  • Sweet Pea
  • Dianthus
  • Tropical Hibiscus
  • Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens 'Fragrant Delight')
  • Gazania
  • Love-in-a-Puff (Cardiospermum halicacabum)
  • Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella damascena)

Somehow, I have a feeling that next month the garden won't be as freely giving of its blooms. But for now, we'll enjoy the bounty!


18 comments:

TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe said...

It's fantastic, all those lovely flowers in October....I'm not at all jealous :-) / LOL Tyra

Anonymous said...

Hi Kylee, your bounty of blooms is incredible! They are so lovely and varied and so many! All are wonderful but I especially admire the lobata vine, never seeing it in someone's garden. But the color on Limerock dream is pure sugar candy to my eyes. I have spurned Limerock ruby as insignificant in bloom and not hardy, I will watch to see your luck with Dream, for it is too beautiful.

Frances

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Wow Kylee, what a plethora of flowers you have. Love those marigolds, they are still in full swing. And I'm very envious of your gorgeous blue delphinium.

Here we have unusually warm weather for October too and I'm making the most of it while it lasts.

Have a lovely weekend!

Rose said...

Oh my goodness, Kylee, I am going to have to add so many of these to my plant "wish list"! The sedum seiboldii is gorgeous, and the xeranthemum is a new one to me--I like anything that blooms all season. Everything in your garden is looking so lovely for this time of year.

F Cameron said...

Kylee, you have a wealth of blooms! The first photo loks like a fabulous potager! I've never heard of xeranthemum annum so I'll have to do a bit of research. That color goes with everything! The scarlet tassel flower is also so great. With my young garden (3rd year anniversary), I'm just now focusing on sowing annuals. I'm about to sow larkspur and poppies here in my zone for next year. Cameron

Jessica said...

beautiful!!!! I am so so jealous! The Cosmo is gorgeous---how tall does that get? I think I accidentally picked the wrong type this summer because mine got over 5ft!! Definitely not what I had in mind....

Ottawa Gardener said...

Gorgeous. I have always wanted to plant Spanish Flag but I'm afraid it wouldn't be worth it in the end with our normally short growing season. It is fantastic though. I also love, love, love that coreopsis.

Cindy Garber Iverson said...

Well, well, well... you're having the same weather as we are! Unbelievable!

Your shots in this post are great! I love the composition in them and how you've captured the beauty of each flower. You really are a photographer in a dental hygienist disguise. ;)

Cindy

Anonymous said...

Found your blog via Midwest Gardener and I love your pictures. I see you are still enjoying plenty of flowers as well. Beautiful fall season, isn't it? Andrea

Kristin said...

your gardens and your photography skills are amazing and inspirational!!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

You have great blooms for having had frosts already Kylee. I love the kind of mums you showed us, the ones like daisies.

Kylee Baumle said...

Tyra ~ I'm so glad you're not jealous! I'm not jealous of your greenhouse either! LOL! ;-)

Frances ~ This is the first time I've ever grown Spanish Flag and had to wait until late summer before it really started blooming well. It's climbing up a small maple tree and has reached about ten feet by now, with lots of blooms!
I had Limerock Ruby before and wasn't impressed either. But these blooms are a bit larger and hopefully they'll survive my little experiment! Keep your fingers crossed! (I only paid $4 each for two of them, so if I lose them, I won't be out much, but I don't want to lose them!)

Yolanda Elizabet ~ I used to hate the smell of marigolds, but now I love it! Funny how our tastes change as time goes on, isn't it? I hope you enjoy your weekend as well!

Rose ~ This is my third year for the Sedum sieboldii and I love how the stems all radiate out from a center crown. Most of the summer it's green with no flowers, then October comes and it turns into what you see here! The Xeranthemum took a little while before it got large enough to bloom, but wow, once it started, it went nuts!

Cameron ~ I started gardening the summer of 2005 and Max's Garden (the one most photographed on my blog) was created from grass three years ago this month, so I'm pretty well where you are, gardening wise! Good luck with your larkspur and poppies! I'm sure they'll do fine!

Jessica ~ These Cosmos are quite tall, too, nearing five feet as well. I've got some shorter ones - Cosmos sulphureus - but they're glow-in-the-dark orange and much smaller blooms.

Ottawa Gardener ~ The Spanish Flag did take most of the summer before it started blooming, much like other similar ones in the genus.
Isn't the color of that Coreopsis wonderful?

Cindy ~ Well we are back to something more resembling reality, but still pretty nice!
You are so sweet! I love photography, as you know, and I value your opinion, because you are a real master of it! Thank you!

Andrea ~ Welcome to Our Little Acre! Yes, it's one of the nicest falls ever, except that we could use more rain here. I'm going to pop over to see your garden later! :-)

Kristin ~ Thank you! They are what I enjoy doing! :-)

Lisa ~ The frosts were just light. Areas under trees weren't affected. We're well past the average first frost date, so each day without one is a bonus! These daisy-type mums do the best for me.

joey said...

Always a joy to visit, Kylee ... thank you for inviting us into your garden.

Unknown said...

Whew. I love all the fruit-punch colours of your blooms, Kylee, (isn't it nice how they colour coordinate with the changing foliage) but that Limerock Dream coreopsis made me pretty much speechless. Gorgeous indeed. My plumbago has also changed colour and I love how the foliage contrasts with those wonderful blue flowers.

Aiyana said...

You have such a wonderful variety of flowers! I just love the photo of the Convolvulus with the fall foliage in the background.
Aiyana

Kylee Baumle said...

Joey ~ It was my pleasure! Thank you for visiting! :-)

Jodi ~ Yes, these flowers and their foliage take on a whole new look, don't they? Halloween costumes for flowers??

Aiyana ~ Thanks! I just have a plant-buying/growing habit! LOL

tina said...

What a bunch of beautiful blooms! I love that tassel flower, beetle and all. I bet next month you'll still have a lot blooming too.

Barbara said...

I am overwhelmedd to see this great variety of flowers still blooming in your garden.It doesn't look like autumn, I mean, autumn as we have it here. And the picture of "Whirlwind" gives me the hope that my third go with this plant will finally be successful too! A gardener's hope never dies ;-) !!

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