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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

GARDEN BLOGGERS' BLOOM DAY OCTOBER 2013

There are some plants that are the stars of the fall garden by virtue of their enjoying shorter days and cooler nights. Among these fall bloomers one of my favorites is the Philippine violet, Barleria christata. It has been a faithful return bloomer in my garden for many years. Dying back down to the ground in all but the mildest of winters it seems to harbor no pests staying green all summer long and then blooming throughout October. I was surprised to see a seedling in the sunken garden. Along the edge of the pathway I will be removing in when dormant and sharing with one of my gardening friends. My garden could not support more than one of these bushes.


Mexican marigold mint, Tagetes lucida, our substitute for tarragon is another late bloomer seen here in the potager.


Careful trimming earlier on in the season will give maintain a more rounded shape as it can get quite large.


My Japanese anemones are just beginning to bloom. They are not as prolific this year because of lack of rainfall.


The tree senna, Cassia corymbosa, is the fourth major bloomer in the fall, although a little battered by the rainfall this weekend. It is a fast growing, short-lived tree but always makes more seedlings than you care for. I usually select one to replace the old tree.


Clouds of golden-eye, Viguiera dentata outside my gate. Scatter the seeds after they ripen and they will come.


And pink clouds of ruby crystal grass, Melinis nerviglumis, inside the gate. My love affair with this grass may soon be over!
There are pink flowers in the back gardens too. Gomphrena 'firecracker'


And the sweetest smelling rose, Felica. She has been blooming non-stop for weeks.



Amaranth, here again for another year despite my having pulled out as many seedlings as I could find. This one was growing by the gate and is now 5' tall. I saw a hummingbird there one day which really surprised me. The flowers are so dry and papery you couldn't imagine there being any nectar.




and pink gaura which the bees adore.


There are lots more blooms out there but these are the stars of my fall garden. If you would like to share your fall bloomers then please join Carol at May Dreams for Garden Bloggers' Bloom day.

22 comments:

  1. Your cassia are blooming! Mine are very slow this year....no blooms yet...happy gbbd!

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  2. Lovely. Lovely. Is that amaranth or celosia? I ask because I am growing 'Cramer's Amazon.' Of course, they do seem closely related. Beautiful in your garden. How did it deal with the torrential rain this week?

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    1. You are right Dee. It is Celosia spicata. I'm not sure why I wrote amaranth because I have blogged about this plant for years. I think originally the Natural gardener gave e the seeds and said it was amaranth and that has stuck.

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  3. Beautiful.
    My Philippine Violet didn't make it back this year. It tried, but a couple of late freezes did it in. It's a beautiful plant, though. I may try one again.
    Happy Bloomday.

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    1. I was amazed that mine made it through that terrible freeze a fe years back. I do mound up leaves around it in the fall to keep the root alive.

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  4. Wonderful on the goldeneye identification. I have Viguiera stenoloba, the skeleton-leaf version, so I'll try yours. I was sorry to miss the Japanese anemones last week but seeing your garden on Bloom Day is a treat.

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    1. I'll save you some seeds Linda because that is all you will need.

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  5. Gorgeous!
    And that gomphrena-wow! Those really "pop"!

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    1. I can' t believe how this gomphrena is seeding all over the garden after the rain. it may become a bit of a pest!

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  6. Beautiful!
    I especially love all the pink!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
    Lea

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  7. Always gorgeous blooms in your garden. I just planted golden-eye this week. It was shared by a friend who has been going to the Wildflower Center plant sales for years.

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    1. It does make a lovely show along the roadsides at this time of the year, and it is pretty in the garden too.

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  8. I fell in love with that Barleria when I saw it in one of your posts last year and I've been looking for it ever since. The odd thing is that I could swear I had it once, many years ago, but I have no recollection where I got it (or what happened to it). In any case, you've got a lot of beautiful October bloomers. Happy GBBD!

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    1. This is usually the time of year to find it when it is in bloom. Mine has been with me for years. It would be a terrible shock to lose it. Hope you can find it.

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  9. I'm eagerly awaiting the first blooms on my Philippine violets. I have three, and they are not nearly as vigorous as yours. Perhaps not enough sun -- my perennial problem. BTW, your photos are simply excellent.

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  10. It is always a pleasure to visit your gardens. You have so many wonderful blooms for fall and I especially enjoyed the Philippine violet, pink gaura and Amaranth...so pretty!

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  11. Happy Bloom Day! This fall is turning out to be wonderful with the rain and flowers. Golden eye looks like it would be a good edition to my meadow. I'll look for it at the spring wildflower sale. I love the look of that celosia spicata. Do you think that would naturalize or do you think it would need supplemental irrigation?

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    1. Golden eye would be a great addition to your meadow for fall blooms. If you have any growing along your roadside you should stop by when the seeds ripen and collect some. They seed easily. The Celosia is up to you. It is not a native and is very aggressive.

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  12. Me oh my. Your blooms are so exuberant. The recent rains have really perked everything up in these parts though I am getting to the predictable "enough is enough" stage. Ha. I'm always dissatisfied apparently. Too little rain then too much rain. Never too many flowers though. Thanks so much for sharing yours!

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  13. Beautiful blooms. I am starting to acquire a few grasses. Your ruby crystal grass is one I'll be researching - it's beautiful!

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  14. I'm not seeing any blooms on my Philippine violet but it's planted in shade. Is yours in full sun? That might explain it.

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  15. Oh my goodness- what a LOVELY garden!

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