Wednesday, September 15, 2010

September Bloom Day





September is one of my favorite months in general, and in the garden. The hardy cyclamen likes September too. This is the second one to bloom. The third bulb is MIA.


The 'Spring Fling' petunia has been cut back hard at least three times this summer. In its second year, it has grown to gargantuan proportions, especially considering it only gets three hours of sun each day at most. Maybe I'll overwinter it again to see what happens.


Helenium, a/k/a sneezeweed is a native started from seed this spring from Monica's seed swap. It's growing happily in the swale way in back.


The first formerly-known-as-aster to bloom is this teeny tiny one from Gail. When it really gets going it'll be a cloud of beautiful airiness. Late last September, during a visit to Mom's, all the asters, and many other plants were chewed to ground by something, I think rabbits.


These are August blooms, too late for August Bloom Day. We found a sweet spot on the patio where the brug gets lots of sun.


I love the foliage of the variegated brugs, but still was determined to find a spot where ours would bloom more than once a season. In its new spot since mid-August, it bloomed for the first time this year in late August, and already has its next set of buds.


Love double impatiens in hanging baskets! This color is salsa. We've been eating a lot of salsa lately with all the beautiful tomatoes growing in the veggie beds.


Calamint is still going strong. I'm not sure who loves them more - the bees or me.


'Blue Hill' Salvia is blooming even more prolifically than last month.

Not many coneflowers left - the goldfinches have pulled off most of the petals. Only a few on the other side of the garden escaped their notice.

Rudbeckia 'Herbstsonne' has been blooming since July,

as have the agastaches. Strong winds early this month pretty much flattened them though. Normally they stand nice and tall.


Hummingbirds visit the hanging fuchsia several times a day.



I love the soft color of Sedum 'Matrona.' Last year they didn't flop, this year they did. They're pretty anyway.




Smooth blue aster has escaped the bunnies (so far) in its protective cage. Everything that got eaten last fall is caged. The fences are easier than spraying something stinky all the time. They disappear from a distance (kind of.)


More double impatiens - I like them with 'Diamond Frost' euphorbia - like roses and baby's breath for shade.


Pink Dragon Wing begonias bloom non-stop spring to frost, and are easily overwintered indoors. We have the reds too. Ever notice how foliage colors are slightly different with different colors of the same plant? The reds have ever-so-slightly darker foliage. The double impatiens are like that too.


We have the nicest farmers' market in a neighboring town. This bouquet came from the booth of neighborhood organic backyard kitchen gardeners. They sell home-grown veggies, herbs, and cut flowers, and hand-crafted organic homemade teas, soaps, lotions, lip balms, even insect repellent and dog shampoo, and more. I try to visit the market early, before the kitchen gardeners' flowers, and the farmer's eggs in another booth sell out. Our own town's farmers' market is nice too, while much smaller. I shop at both as often as I can.

We still have pink and white phlox, 'Happy Returns' daylilies, sambac jasmine, 'Rozanne' geraniums, all sorts of heucheras, lots of single impatiens and wax begonias, purple oxalis, Susans, and a few other odds 'n ends.


Last but not least, Japanese anemones, almost forgotten a second time. They're blooming for the first time ever. They've been blooming since early August. Our second attempt at these, I thought our garden might be too dry for them since the first ones withered and died their first summer. These started life here as tiny transplants from a client's garden, and haven't seemed to mind the dry shade. They took three years to bloom, and were worth the wait.

I hope you're enjoying the cooler weather of September. Here it's been a welcome relief after a very hot summer. I won't say long hot summer though - time seems to go by far too fast anymore, no matter what the weather.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day is celebrated on the 15th of each month by bloggers around the world. To see what's blooming right now in gardens everywhere, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Happy Bloom Day!

26 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:49 AM

    Good to know on the asters and bunnies. I planted many asters this year for butterfly landing pads, and was trying to attract butterflies not bunnies. I guess I will have to see if either find them.

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  2. Gosh, how big your impatients are! Mine are only tiny once. I've got some in white and also filled, but the slugs love them... and they look now rather pity.
    Your garden just looks great!
    Kind regards
    Alex

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  3. Lovely blooms, Linda! The double impatiens and blue salvia are favorites of mine, too. I'm amazed that your Rudbeckia is still blooming--'Herbststonne' must be quite a trooper. But I'm most amazed that you still have the petunia from Spring Fling; you really are a master at overwintering plants, Linda. Even the petunias I purchased this spring have given up from the heat and drought this summer.

    I haven't had much time to blog lately, so I just read your last post--congratulations on the wedding! Everything looked so beautiful.

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  4. I confess I admire your shade as much as these beautiful blooms. What a gorgeous garden.

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  5. September is one of my favorite months too. Your blooms are still very plentiful and pretty.

    Love that Japanese Anemone. I have only seen those in catalogs.

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  6. aloha,

    i love what a beautiful garden you have presented to us this september, you have alot of blooms today, it looks like your brug is very happy with all those blooms :)

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  7. I keep reading on US blogs 'formerly Asters' have you had some renaming going on? They look like asters to me!

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  8. I love those sedums! Your garden is looking really nice! I have hesitated about Japanese anemones because my conditions are so dry.

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  9. Anonymous9:05 PM

    Beautiful collection of blooms. I bought one of those cyclamen tubers at the Flower Show but couldn't remember if they were hardy to our Zone so I potted it up. I got one tiny little bloom on it. I should check and see if it is doing anything special now.

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  10. Hope the bunnies leave your asters alone GWGT.

    I'm sure the slugs would be after mine if they were in the ground Alex. I think it helps having them in pots and hanging baskets. Our garden's too dry for impatiens right in the ground.

    Thank you Rose! I do love those double impatiens - they seem to like it here.

    That petunia amazes me too. I've never grown petunias before. This one must be super easy, especially since it still looks nice so late in the season after such a hot summer. It never missed a beat.

    I'm still basking in the warm glow from the wedding. It was beautiful.

    Thank you Commonweader. I've become pretty partial to our garden too. At first getting used to so much shade was a big adjustment, but now I wouldn't trade it for full sun.

    Thank you Rosey!

    I'm really enjoying the anemones. I've been trying to get them to grow and bloom here for several years. Success is sweet!

    Thank you Noel! The brugmansia seems quite happy now, and I'm looking forward to the next set of blooms!


    They are definitely asters Helen. Unfortunately the powers that be, who decide botanical names, have decided to rename asters as a result of DNA technology. I'm revolting against all these name changes. They will always be asters to me.

    Thank you Rose! The anemones have done surprisingly well in our dry shade. You'd be pretty impressed they survived and became established if you saw how little they were when I planted them. I think they come true from seeds - I'll investigate. If they produce seeds I'd be happy to share.


    Thanks MBT!

    After the IGC show last year, i decided to buy my own d*mn anemones! I'm happy to see them bloom. Hope yours is churning out the blooms now.

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  11. The bunnies completely destroyed all my asters, Linda. Wraskily wabbits.

    Your blooms are lovely as the September weather we're enjoying ehre in Chicago.

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  12. My Asters flopped this year and now I am thinking that maybe the bunny’s got to them! They have not touched them in the 2 years I have had them but this year, I bet they are the culprits to their demise! Why didn’t I think of that one myself, Duh… Maybe they will make a come back. Your colors are looking nice…

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  13. So many!

    I can't decide whether or not I like asters. I'm trying them for a second time this year and the slugs are munching through them for a second time too. If the slugs wouldn't eat them them so quickly, maybe I'd have a chance to decide. Now I've seen the photos in this post, I'm beginning to think white ones would be just right - when I've only tried blue ones till now.

    Lucy

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  14. Linda, your blooms are lovely. I am glad to see someone post diamond frost. I have used this palnt many times in the past with great results, but this year, it took over the couple of containers I had it in and crowded out petunias and begonias both. It must have really liked the weather!

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  15. They do seem to like the asters Carolyn! I'm sorry they ate yours. Hopefully they'll come back next year - mine did.

    The weather is so wonderful - such a relief after that hot summer! Now if we could just get some rain. . . Glad you enjoyed the blooms.

    The smooth blue asters flop here too Skeeter, but they're so pretty I don't mind too much. The little white ones haven't flopped yet, and the big-leafed aster is nice and tall. Sorry the rabbits got to yours! I hope they come back like mine did.

    Sorry the slugs are eating your asters, Lucy. They don't seem to bother them here.

    I think you might like the little white ones. The ones we have have a really nice form, stay upright, and I love their subtleness.

    Thank you Beckie! I have seen diamond frost get huge! I have a couple in pots by themselves - they've been overwintered for a couple of years and have gotten really large. Here with less sun, they seem to grow fairly slowly - that helps when they're in mixed containers. They haven't seemed to take over in our shade, but still bloom really nicely.

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  16. Linda girl you have a thing for impatience don't you ! LOL .. I love the sun tolerant one with the deep burgundy leaves and pale flowers .. any time i have forgotten to water them and they look terrible ? they still come back to life for me so they are my miracle plant ! haha
    You have so many beautiful blooms still thriving : ) I love Diamond Frost euphorbia but they substituted it with another cultivar every where this year and it made a difference for sure !
    Yes to Autumn weather : ) yipppeee!!
    Joy

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  17. love all the flowers but especially the delicate cyclamen. A big thing here is potted cyclamen but they are bigger and not delicate like that one.

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  18. I do Joy (really, I'm a very patient person ;) I love DF euphorbia too. I saw that cultivar you're talking about everywhere here too - didn't try it because I overwintered all my DFs indoors - didn't need any more.

    Amen - yipppeee for cool weather!

    Thank you DGG!

    I fell in love with hardy cyclamen at a garden show last summer Catmint. So last fall I ordered three bulbs. They're so pretty, and the foliage just coming up is pretty too - also more delicate than the florists' cyclamen we find around here.

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  19. We're enjoying great fall weather already and I'm loving it.
    Japanese anemones are such a nice season ender, aren't they.

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  20. The faster I go the behinder I get! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! Wanted mostly to say Hey to you! See what you're up to and ask about about your beautiful grandbaby~ tell all! xxgail

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  21. Hey back atcha Gail! It's been a busy year, and busy summer! I'm enjoying a record year for the business, and definitely enjoying the new grandbaby. She is beautiful, and she's such a sweet, happy, smiling, healthy chubby little girl, basking in the love of her doting parents and extended family.

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  22. Anonymous3:35 PM

    What a beautiful garden you have! I am partial to brugmansias of course that stunner caught my eye instantly. I kept coming back!

    What variety is that? Thanks!

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  23. I love brugmansias too MoonGlow, especially the variegated ones. This one is 'Sunset.' The blooms start out white, and in a few days they turn the color of a soft orange sunset, hence the name.

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  24. Man, I'm behinderer than I thought in leaving comments!! I love the cyclamen--I've only had the indoor plant kind; have a local frind who has some hardy ones that i can see I'm going to have to talk her out of! :)

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  25. Hi Monica, the cyclamen are putting out leaves now, and still blooming. They're SO pretty!

    I have an indoor one too. The original one died last fall, but seedlings took over to keep the pot going.

    I'm hoping the hardy ones will self-sow. If they do I'm happy to share!

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