Monday, September 15, 2008

GBBD: Windblown September Blooms

It's time once again for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day sponsored the 15th of each month by Carol of May Dreams Gardens. This Bloom Day post almost didn't happen--at least for me. The weather this weekend made it difficult to get very many pictures, and I've spent the last two days in bed or on the couch nursing a bad cold and sinusitus. On top of that, this afternoon my computer mysteriously stopped working. So I apologize to all of you whose blogs I regularly visit--I will try to catch up on reading posts over the next few days.

But these are minor irritations that will soon be forgotten. After watching news reports the last few days of the devastation caused by Hurricane Ike along the Gulf Coast, I am so thankful to be alive, safe and dry. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who have lost their homes as a result of this latest awful storm.

It has been raining most of this past weekend, as you can see in the Stella daylilies above and in the Knockout rose, both of which have rebloomed this past week. According to my rain gauge, we've had about 4 inches of rain this weekend. This morning a heavy rain was accompanied by a strong wind, which knocked down two trees in town, knocking down powerlines as a result.

Good thing I took this photo of the clematis bloom on Friday, because I imagine the petals were blown off in the wind today. This is my weird, "two-fer" clematis. If you remember, it produced many blooms in May and early June that looked like a Nelly Moser. Since July it has produced an occasional lavendar bloom, with several appearing this past week. I've decided that those of you who suggested two plants were accidentally potted together were probably right. Now if I can only figure out the proper pruning next spring!

There are some coneflower blooms still hanging on, but most have dried up. In the past I would often cut these down to make the garden look neater, but this year I am going to leave them for awhile--the goldfinches love the seeds. While the coneflowers may be drying up, many other plants are still blooming--the nepeta, the salvias, baby's breath, Russian sage, galliardia, and most of my annuals.

I would show you more pictures, but I don't have access to most of my photos right now. Our power was out for nearly four hours today, and I was worried about the basement with no sump pump running, but thankfully it was dry. However, when the power was restored, my computer wouldn't re-start properly, so I had to resort to using my daughter's computer. It's slower, and there isn't a good photo editing program on it, so I wasn't able to crop these.

I do have a few new plants just putting on a show for the fall. Asters--unnamed, of course--are full of blooms and attracting lots of butterflies.

The sedum "Autumn Joy" has turned a lovely rosy hue; I think this is the best it's ever looked. When I took these last two pictures the garden was alive with butterflies--there were actually four of the painted ladies on this plant and another tiny guy you'll see in left center. Ironically, I had tried to photograph this small butterfly for a few days with no luck. I didn't even realize he was in the photo here until I downloaded it.

I think it's appropriate to end today with the butterflies, a universal symbol of hope and new life. The forecast here is for sunny days this week, and I hope that is true in the rest of the country. I hope that the hurricane victims are safe and can return to their homes soon. Let's hope the hurricane season is over!

30 comments:

  1. And I hope you are feeling better, as well. I appreciate the extraordinary efforts you made to post for bloom day. We had lots of wind here, too, and I'm about to go out and see how the garden came through it. You are right to end with butterflies, a simple of hope and rebirth!

    Thanks for joining in for bloom day!

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

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  2. Rose what a gorgeous picture with the sedum and butterflies ! .. We had rain most of the weekend too .. and we thought of the hurricane victims and how bad things have been this year with them. My husband would have to be on standby for deployment when he was in the army .. in comms ..in times of real need for them. So it hits home we are safe and sound here.
    I appreciate the meaning of the butterfly .. that was a very nice tough : )

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  3. That Autumn Joy is spectacular! The Stellas pretty nice too. It all looks great.

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  4. Good morning Rose. Good old Stella. She works harder than any other plant in the garden. I absolutely love her. Love your autumn joy photo too. Another great plant.

    That is kind of neat getting two clematis together. That way you can have a series of blooms. I planted two clematis together but one has about overwhelmed the other.
    Marnie

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  5. Rose,

    My sympathies..."the ick that is going around is bad!", That's a quote from my doctor, by the way! I hope the ick leaves you and that you will be up and about celebrating the day!

    I agree, the sedum looks wonderful...some years it just looks terrible, I can't seem to figure out what makes it happy!

    Thank you Rose, for putting everything into perspective...I have been complaining all morning that my server is erratic and there are people without electricity, water and homes.

    I love your photos they show how happy the butterflies are in your garden. Gail

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  6. Rose, I hope you feel better today. My husband who went back to Illinois ahead of me said his sinuses are really bothering him now. He said the local news said something about ragweed blooming there right now. My mom in Missouri has been suffering from sinusitis lately too. My allergies in the Midwest always seemed worse in the spring. Guess it's something else I'm sensitive to. I love all of your pics but especially the asters. I miss seeing them here in Florida. Too hot for them, I guess.

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  7. I'm glad you weathered Ike alright Rose, and hope your power and internet issues are squared away soon.

    I hope you'll soon be feeling better. That's one nasty bug going around.

    Your September blooms look beautiful, in spite of the awful weekend weather.

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  8. Hi, Rose--I'm glad you made it through Ike ok, and like everyone else, I share your concern for those whose lives have been disrupted by these storms. Your pictures and your flowers are lovely--it's nice to be able to celebrate the things that Nature gives us when it's behaving itself. Feel better soon, Cosmo

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  9. Your garden looks amazing considering this crazy weather, Rose. Stella's are like clydesdale horses, aren't they? Feel better soon (where is Beckie with the chicken soup)!

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  10. So you had the mighty wind too! (I saw it went through central Indiana.) At least you didn't get quite the deluge we got upstate. Your Asters are so pretty, especially with the butterfly accessories. I tend to get bees on my Sedums more than butterflies. Last week I had 4 different kinds of bees on one plant at the same time. But the butterflies show off the flowers so much better.

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  11. I'd say considering the weather your garden blooms look great. The sedum with butterflies is a beautiful picture-frameable.Mine garden is on the decline. Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well and of course it didn't help having the power off. We were lucky and ours stayed on. ut boy did it rain! We had almost 5". Let's see how the Idea Garden failed this week.

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  12. Hi Rose, sick, powerless, windblown and you still produce a beautiful post, we do appreciate the extra effort and agree that a little wireless internet wiggle that we have been experiencing also is a minor problem when compared to the fortunes of others. Hope you get things back to normal soon. What a woman!

    Frances at Fairegarden
    new url
    http://fairegarden.wordpress.com/

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  13. Hope you are feeling better and your power stays on. Loved your asters with those beautiful butterflies sitting on top.
    Lovely post. Let's hope hurricane Ike is done - and people can get back to their own lives soon.

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  14. So sorry you have been ill. Sinus problems are very uncomfortable and make you feel very low. Hope the worst is over.
    Gosh, dispite not being in the line of the hurricane it sounds like you had quite some stormy weather.
    Those butterfly shots are lovely. What a shame your computer isn't running propperly. They can be so frustrating.
    How are the holiday plans coming along?!

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  15. Your garden looks so happy with all that rain Rose. Ilove the pictures of the butterflies on the sedums etc.

    I hope your computer problems are worked out soon.

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  16. Rose, the colors appear all the more vibrant in the rain. I feel like I could almost smell them. Computer woes are no fun at all and on top of illness all the worse, poor you. I hope you are feeling better.

    Thanks for reminding me that it's GBBD again. I'll have to drop by Carol's even if I'm not contributing.

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  17. Carol, I don't think I made "extraordinary efforts" to produce this post, but thanks anyway. You know I enjoy this monthly look at everyone's blooms--I wouldn't miss it! Thanks for sponsoring it.

    Joy, I know you love sedums, too:) The butterflies were an added bonus when I went out to photograph them. I've been thinking of the Red Cross volunteers and all the first responders who have had to work so hard during this hurricane, too.

    Tina, Thanks! The sedum really is looking good this year.

    Marnie, Glad you like the Stellas. I know they're overused in commercial plantings, but they really are great performers. The clematis has been another one of those "surprises in the garden" for me this year.

    Gail, Thanks for diagnosing my "ick":) I'm doing much better today; at least being sick is a good excuse for spending more time sitting down at the computer and reading everyone's posts.

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  18. W2W, I caught this virus or whatever it is from my daughter--just shows that even washing your hands frequently with anti-bacterial soap doesn't always keep the germs at bay! The asters have been a recent addition to the main flowerbed, and I'm so glad I planted them. They really add some colorful blooms when everything else seems to be fading.

    Linda, Things are getting back to normal, except for the computer. I spent an hour online with computer tech support, with the final comment being something about the "motherboard." That doesn't sound good, does it? And of course, the warranty has expired...

    Cosmo, I think we're fortunate here in the Midwest that we just get the benefits, for the most part, from the hurricanes. How has the weather been in your neighborhood? Are you getting caught up after your trip?

    Joey, I didn't show you the Russian sage or the coneflowers that have drooped over parts of the garden:) "Stellas are like Clydesdales"--I like that analogy! My husband fixed me soup--the only thing he can cook:)

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  19. MMD, No, we definitely didn't get quite as much rain as you did, thank goodness. The bees enjoy the sedum, too, but I've noticed more butterflies than bees here lately.

    Beckie, You can't believe how thankful I was that our basement didn't flood yesterday. With the power off--and no sump pump running--for 4 hours, that's all I could think about.

    Frances, You make me sound like Superwoman:) I wouldn't miss a bloom day post! Of course, I was lucky I hadn't deleted all the pictures from my camera yet. Sometimes it pays to procrastinate:)

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  20. Your blooms look gorgeous Rose. I love how full & lush your Sedum looks! And you might be right about the unknown Clematis being the same as mine. :) Looks like you went through alot to get this post out & I appreciate all the wonderful pictures you shared of your gorgeous flowers.

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  21. The Autumn Joy is beautiful, I have the same problem chasing butterflies in my garden. I never have any luck getting the pictures I want but sometimes I get freebies without realizing it.

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  22. I love that your clematis blooms twice a year! Mine look sad, sad, sad, now...but I found a morning glory lurking near one today.

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  23. Wendy, Fortunately the power failure was a temporary problem. The computer is another story, but it can be fixed. I've just read a couple posts from bloggers in Houston. Whatever problems I thought I had pale in comparison to what they are going through.

    Suburbia, I'm feeling better today, and the storm wasn't that bad, especially compared to other parts of the country. Mr. Procrastinator is procrastinating about discussing the holiday:)

    Lisa, Thanks. I know you understand how frustrating it is to be without a computer! I was able to hook up the internet cable to my daughter's computer, but my photos are all stored on my computer. Of course, I haven't backed them up--you'd think I would have learned that lesson by now:)

    Sarah, There is something about raindrops on flowers that make them more photogenic. Do visit Carol's and the other Bloom Day posts--it's always interesting to see what is blooming in different parts of the country and the world, too!

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  24. PG, Thanks for the kind comments--the hard part was trying to transfer photos to this slower computer. I always enjoy seeing everyone's blooms each month.

    Rusty, Thanks for stopping by. Often times my best photos happen with luck, not skill:)

    Kristy, Thanks for visiting! The clematis is a strange one, but I'm pretty sure there are actually two different plants that were potted together.

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  25. Oooh, I love the last photo especially of your blooming sedum with butterflies posing so nicely. I covet that plant!

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  26. You caught so many butterflies at once, Rose! I aim and click but they fly away fast. They're a beautiful symbol for hope and rebirth. The sedum is also beautiful but it means fall is on the way.

    I hope you're feeling better soon, Rose ... and also hope the computer didn't catch the same virus that you and your daughter shared ;-]

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  27. I agree! Let the hurricanes end. We have received some nice rainfall from them; however, those hit hard don't need anymore!

    Your gardens looks very alive, Rose. My coneflowers are looking finished also but I do leave the seeds for the goldies.

    Nice flutterbys!

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  28. Hope you're feeling better Rose. That Sedum Autumn Joy's one of my favourites at this time of the year too.

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  29. Hope you're feeling better. Admiring the gorgeous aster and sedum flowers must help!

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  30. I hope you don't mind but there's an award for you at mine :)

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