GBBD: October Bloom Day

Autumn.  Next to spring, my favorite time of year.  Typically, the cooler temperatures are a welcome relief from a long, hot summer, the air feels crisp rather than oppressively humid, and the green of the garden is replaced with golden hues.  Autumn arrived late this year, no matter what the calendar said, as temperatures in the 80's and even 90's remained until nearly the end of September.  When fall finally came, what I most appreciated, however, was the rain--after months of near-drought, we have finally had some significant rainfall the past few weeks.  My poor tired and thirsty plants have been gratefully soaking it all up.  What little time I've spent in the garden the last two months was spent dragging hoses around to keep everything alive, but as we all know, it's just not the same as a nice, gentle rainshower.

In fact, on this October Bloom Day, it is raining once again, so I may have to do with some photos I've taken the past week instead.

Most of my usual fall bloomers have already faded away.  'October Skies' asters were in full bloom by the end of September and now are just a memory.  The same with the Goldenrod and Turtleheads.  In many ways my fall garden has been a disappointment.  The most puzzling is that none of my New England Asters bloomed.  My butterfly garden has been full of these every other fall, to the point that I thought I should rip some of them out.  But this year the only asters to bloom in this area were Frost Asters, also known as Hairy Asters, which are more of a weedy native.  I have no idea what happened to the New Englands unless it was too dry for them.  This small area I call my Butterfly Garden is filled with mostly natives, and I must admit I usually forget to water it during dry periods.  Perhaps it's time to re-do this whole area.

Other disappointments this fall included no-show cosmos and the zinnias.  The zinnias did bloom and eventually they grew to their usual height, but the blooms were much smaller than usual.  I planted the same variety of seeds that I have for several years, so that can't be the reason.  I'm thinking the dry conditions may have affected them, too.

The pollinators still enjoyed the blooms, even if they were smaller than usual, fortunately.

Even if there aren't many blooms in my garden right now, there are other signs of fall. The Amsonia hubrichtii is just beginning to turn to the golden hue it acquires late in the season.

The Beautyberry next to it is full of berries right now.

So is the 'Cardinal Candy' Viburnum.  I've never noticed many birds flocking to this shrub, but I'll have to watch more closely later in the season.

One of my favorite "berries" are those of the Blackberry Lily.  It took me years to get one or two plants established in my garden, but now they have self-seeded and form a border in front of the Lily Bed.  I think I like their seedheads better than their blooms.

Fall color has been slow to arrive in our area; perhaps it has been fooled by the warm weather we've had--yesterday was another 85 degree day!  I've noticed only a few leaves changing, and I don't expect the intense colors of some falls because of how dry it has been all summer. The big maple in our front yard that usually has the most vibrant color has begun to change a little.  I took this photo a week ago, and you'll notice the color changes start at the top of the tree.  Slowly, the transformation will work its way down, and in a couple of weeks, the whole tree should be a blaze of orange.

The garden is really winding down, and there isn't much in the way of new blooms.  About the only new blooms I have are the Japanese Anemones.  This pink one--name forgotten--looks a bit tattered, and the white ones didn't grow as tall as usual this year--again probably because of the dry conditions.  But they are a welcome addition to the garden, just the same.

One plant that looks better than ever is the 'Senorita Rosalita' Cleome.  Ever since I started planting it directly in the ground instead of in a pot, it has been much happier.  The Knockout roses just peeking it out in the left of the photo have also put out a fresh flush of blooms.

The only other new blooms this month are a few fall annuals I've planted. Most of my containers are looking pretty sad right now, especially the petunias, but I don't get too carried away re-planting fall combos.  Fall can be such a short season here in Illinois, so it's not worth the time or money to create new containers.  But, of course, I have to have a few mums!

One container I did re-do somewhat with the addition of some smaller mums and some mini-pumpkins was this one by the old oak tree.  This is a new "container" this year:  this spring my husband noticed this old, broken wheelbarrow that my neighbor had set out for trash pick-up.  He thought I might want it for a planter, which of course I did!  There was even a little horse manure left in the bottom (my neighbor has horses), which I mixed up with the soil.  The funny thing about this, though, is that I planted quite a few Wave petunias, thinking they would look good draping over the sides.  But a few weeks after planting, they all died.  I thought my neglect in watering them had killed them, so I bought a few more petunias--now on clearance--and replanted.  But they all died, too!   Everything else--the 'Diamond Frost' Euphorbia, Gomphrena, and 'Victoria Blue' Salvias--did just fine, even with some neglect.  I have no idea why the petunias don't like this wheelbarrow, but I'm making a note to myself not to plant them in this next year.

Fall means lots of chores in the garden before winter sets in, and I've been spending much more time outside the past few weeks, in between rain showers, than I have in a couple of months.  The big project ahead is pretty obvious from the picture.  I have tried to cut back on my bulb-planting the past few years, but I got a little carried away.  When my bulb orders came in, I realized I had ordered over 500 bulbs!  Not sure what I was thinking--well, yes, I do--I was enticed by all those pretty photos on the bulb company websites:)  I just hope I get them all in the ground before the snow flies!

The best part of my fall garden, however, really doesn't have much to do with flowers or foliage, other than indirectly.  On Friday the 13th, my husband, Mr. I-Don't-Garden, came in from mowing and said I really needed to come out to the garden.  There, to my astonishment, was a swarm of Monarch butterflies.  It was difficult to count them all as they floated from flower to flower, especially to the zinnias, but I think there must have been at least two dozen.  I've never seen so many Monarchs at one time!  It was truly a magical, almost spiritual experience, and I found myself repeating over and over "This is amazing!"

This had to be the highlight of my fall garden.  So even though most blooms are fading away and plants are getting ready for their winter's sleep, there is still something to delight in the garden.


Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is hosted the 15th of every month by author and garden fairy expert Carol of May Dreams Gardens.

October GBBD: Still Blooming!

For the last two weeks, I have awakened many mornings wondering, is this the day? What I have worried about, is this the day we will be hit by the first frost and all my pretty annuals will turn to mush?  Many years we've been hit by a frost before October's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, but fortunately not this year.  We've had a few cold nights, but so far we have escaped the kiss of death for tender plants.

The downside to this is that I keep putting off many of the fall chores on my long to-do list.  I have planted a few bulbs, but I need to pull out some annuals to make room for many of the rest.  But with the zinnias and cosmos still blooming alongside the asters, I can't bring myself to pull any of them out just yet.

Can you blame me for wanting to enjoy this beauty as long as I can?

Although I took this photo two weeks ago, there are still a few butterflies enjoying the 'Zowie Yellow Flame' zinnias, including a few late Monarchs making their way south.  

They're not the only ones enjoying the late-blooming annuals.  Frank and Coconut enjoy making the rounds of the garden with me in the morning and checking out how many cosmos are still blooming.  And no, I couldn't get them both to look at the camera--my only photo with Coconut facing forward also had Frank lifting his leg to "water" the cosmos:)

There are bulbs to plant in the lily bed border, but heat-loving lantana is occupying that space right now and is looking so good, despite the cooler temps.

One small chore accomplished--the Dragonwing begonia has been repotted to bring in for the winter.  This plant did so well in a container this year that I am going to do my best to save it for next year.

The nasturtiums apparently like the cooler weather--they've doubled in size in the last few weeks.  They're on the edge of the veggie garden and not in the way of any bulbs, so they can stay for as long as they last.  Another chore I haven't completed is cleaning up the veggie garden now that the tomatoes are done, but we've had so much rain lately I haven't been able to.

There are a few new blooms this October Bloom Day.  For a couple of years I bemoaned the fact that the Japanese Anemone I had planted must have died, but apparently I needed to be more patient.  It's had a few blooms the last year or two, but this year it has really come into its own, growing to nearly 5 feet tall with masses of blooms.  A newer pink Anemone has a couple of blooms, so I hope it will also take a growth spurt next year.

And the appropriately named 'October Skies' Asters are covered with masses of lavender-blue blooms.  They can be partially seen alongside the zinnias and cosmos in the first photo as well.

But most of the other perennials are ready for their long winter's sleep.  A few stray coneflowers have decided to bloom, however.

And this Rudbeckia is a virtual Energizer Bunny--it just keeps going and going.

The cooler weather has encouraged the Knockout roses to put out a fresh flush of blooms. 'Radsunny' looks better now than in the summer.

If you read my earlier post on Lessons Learned, you might remember that I was waiting to see what this plant was.  Earlier in the spring I thought it was some volunteer Amsonia and shared some starts with my good friend Beckie.  Fortunately, hers didn't make it:)  The Switchgrass behind the goldenrod, by the way, is Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah.'  I love the burgundy hues of this grass.

A surprise latecomer to the garden is this Cleome next to the 'Vanilla Strawberry' Hydrangea.

The hydrangeas are more typical of what is going on this October as most of the garden is putting on its fall color.  The 'Vanilla Strawberry' blooms have turned a deep pink, finally more Strawberry than Vanilla.

The blooms of the 'Limelight' Hydrangea, on the other hand, have turned a much softer shade of pink.

Fall is when grasses really shine.  The plumes of Miscanthus 'Morning Light' can be seen waving in the wind at the back of the Arbor Bed.

Another lovely example of foliage is the Amsonia hubrichtii turning to gold behind the Beautyberry.

One example of colorful fall foliage I'd rather not have is this. Mr. Procrastinator got a little carried away this summer with the weed-killer around the outbuildings, but somehow he missed this poison ivy.

The leaves have just started to turn in our area in the last week or two.  This ash tree in my front yard is always the first to turn.  I'm not looking forward to the first frost and its effect on my garden, but I am looking forward to the fall color show transforming my front yard to a display of red and gold very soon.

What's still blooming in your garden?  For a look at what is blooming around the world, check out other Bloom Day posts at Carol's May Dreams Gardens.

September GBBD: Blooms, Bees, and Butterflies

It's time for another Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, the monthly round-up of what is blooming in your garden.  A few days ago, I wasn't sure I'd have much of anything blooming today.  It has been cold here. After a couple of days of rain, the temperatures plummeted, never reaching higher than the 50's and dropping into the low 40's each night.  We never had a frost, thankfully, but I was beginning to worry. 

The sun has returned, and yesterday we may have reached 70 degrees again, making it a good day to walk around the garden and see what is in bloom.  I was surprised to see that the 'Little Business' daylily was reblooming, albeit a single, small bloom.

 

In the expanded section of the shade garden, turtleheads have been blooming for a week or more.  This is a new plant here, planted this spring when we thinned them out in the Nursing Home Garden where I volunteer.  One of the benefits of volunteering--free plants!

 

Another new bloom this month--the Japanese Anemone.  It has taken awhile to get going, but it made the "leap" this year and is finally tall enough to be really noticed.  I have a second small Japanese Anemone nearby in the Arbor Bed, which looks like it will soon bloom, too.  I'll be darned, though, if I can remember where I got it or when I planted it!

 

 

 

A few other blooms are carryovers from last month, like the 'Limelight' Hydrangea, one of my favorites of late summer.  I'm trying to prune this to more of a tree form, and one branch is complying by standing up straight and tall, seeming to reach for the sky.

The Brown-eyed Susans, Rudbeckia triloba, continue to put on a show.  I've noticed the goldfinches like these almost as much as the purple coneflowers.

Another favorite of mine and the hummingbirds, 'Wendy's Wish' is doing well despite the crowded conditions I planted both of them in.

Some of the containers are still looking good, while others are beginning to look a bit tired.  The pots of coleus in front of the house are approaching shrub proportions.  A few years ago I bought too many coleus and stuck them in a couple of pots by themselves when I didn't know what else to do with them.  They looked so good by fall that I've done the same thing every year since.  The burgundy coleus really stands out, especially among all the green shrubbery.

 

Many of the annuals are still putting out new blooms, like this white cosmos.

And, of course, the zinnias, including my favorite 'Zowie Yellow Flame,' which will keep going until the first frost.

Signs of fall are definitely evident in the garden.  The few ornamental grasses I have are beginning to shine, like this Panicum 'Shenandoah,' which glows in the sunlight.

Miscanthus 'Morning Light' is also showing off its plumes.

 

The berries of the Beautyberry are just beginning to turn purple.

Meanwhile the seedpods of Blackberry Lily have opened up, revealing how it got its name. 

The vegetable garden is nearly done now, too.  The squash bugs finally got to the cucumbers and squash, and the green beans are finished.  The tomato plants are still producing more than we can eat fresh, but the blight is slowly taking them over.  But the volunteer cosmos and some marigolds in the veggie patch are looking good and hiding the slow decay beyond them.

And the Butterfly Garden is a mass of color right now with all the goldenrod and asters. 

 

 

But best of all, this little area of natives is really living up to its name right now.  I hadn't seen a single Painted Lady all summer, but today they were swarming everywhere. 

 

 

 

In fact, as I was taking photos yesterday, I became so entranced by all the activity throughout this garden and other areas, that I started following the butterflies and bees around and forgot all about focusing on what was blooming.

 

 

A bumble enjoying the cosmos.

 

And a lady beetle enjoying a pink one.

A marigold in the veggie patch.

  I don't use any chemicals in my garden--which is why the squash bugs eventually ran rampant over the squash and cucumbers.  But we had more than enough squash and cucumbers already, and it's a small price to pay for all the happy bees in the garden.

A bumble too busy enjoying the zinnias to notice he's not presenting his best side for the camera:)

And one last promotion of the 'Zowie' zinnias, a butterfly and bee favorite.

 

 Who knows what the next Bloom Day will bring.  An early frost could very well bring an end to many of these blooms, and the butterflies will have surely left by then.  So I'm going to enjoy every beautiful moment in the garden I can until then.

 

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is brought to you the 15th of each month by Carol of May Dreams Gardens.