Thursday, October 15, 2009

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - October 2009

 
I love the light in fall, low and golden. October is a soft transition in Northern California, when just about anything can happen (like spring-blooming Cerinthe major doing a repeat performance).

Any significant frosts are months away, and I'm still picking tomatoes and peppers. Hopefully these bright blooms & fruits will cheer up my fellow bloggers who have already tucked their gardens in for the winter. Enjoy!   ~Click any photo to enlarge~


Loropetalum chinense 'Plum Delight' is putting out its new foliage along with its fringy flowers.
 

Rudbeckia 'Indian Summer' has been blooming since June; what a winner!


I think that I shall never see an orange as orange as a pomegranate flower; I never realized that the dwarf variety blooms just as the standard kind is ripening.


Limonium perezii might keep going through winter if it's mild; but a hard frost will melt it.


My Echeverias have quadrupled in size and will just continue to multiply...


Right up there with the Rudbeckia for favorite new plant of the year: Stachys 'Primrose Heron.' Just look at the texture on those leaves! The 'pinked' edges are killer!


This little dwarf Crassula may not survive the winter (or the attentions of the woolly thyme) but that cherry red color has been a lovely little accent all summer (this is only a couple of inches tall)


Still my vote for hardest working and easiest to care for combo in the garden: Lantana and 'Fragrant Frosty' scented geranium. They'll keep it up for at least another couple of months.


The Fuchsia is slowing down, but will retain a few blooms until Thanksgiving.


Lots of action in the vegetable garden; Marjoram flowers mix with Sage and Thyme.


Salvia elegans (Pineapple Sage) doesn't even start blooming until October; it's nice to have something fresh (and, evidently, tasty!)


Rosemary 'Majorca Pink' is a nice upright variety (~4 feet tall) with unusual pinkish blooms.


Almost too beautiful to pick! I have a gorgeous crop of pomegranates this year; wonder what I should do with them?


Lucky shot of the month! I was waiting patiently for the bee to lift off the Salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue' and had a surprise guest!


Another favorite new plant this year, Begonia fuschioides, which has been quietly blooming just like this in a shady corner of my courtyard since April.


Another nice plant friendship; Begonia richmondiensis and Coleus play nicely together.


Nicotiana sylvestris (aka 'The Monster') has been quite the overachiever this year, topping eight feet easily and producing enough seed for a monster invasion. The evening garden would not be complete without its lovely, lily-like scent.


And lastly, my happy and forgiving Plectranthus has put out its second flush of bloom (after a drive-by pinching!)

Thanks for joining me in my October garden, and also to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for her ongoing support of this lovely tradition. I suspect that we mild-climate gardeners are relied upon to keep things blooming through the winter; will do my best!

18 comments:

  1. Hey Laura, Lovely! Love you poms! H.

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  2. I MUST GET A STACHYS now! NOW!

    Love your pics! Thanks for visiting. :) Happy BLOOM DAY!

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  3. I was just in CA last week, and after much ensuing attitude adjustment I thought I had gotten over my California 'dreamin' - but then you have to post these awesome photos. Now I want to return!

    Thank you for the excellent reminder that not all is cold and gray.

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  4. Wow! That shot with the bee & hummingbird is too cool! Just love the diversity in your plant choices.

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  5. Lovely post, Laura. You and those hummingbird shots - you've got a knack for that!! And what's with your Cerinthe blooming again? I have a zillion seedlings coming up, but nothing large enough to bloom. Your garden must have some kind of 'magic' in it!! Can't wait to see your garden next month...

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  6. Ooooooh; so pretty. The pomegranates are perfect. And I love the dwarf Crassula blanketed by the thyme. I'm looking forward to your posts and others from my west coast friends for months to come. Thank you!

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  7. Not much going on around here bloom wise. The party is pretty much over. Already making plans for a new back garden...tore up the old one. Sooooo jealous of you west coast kids!

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  8. Great photos (as usual) plus a shot of inspiration just as I'm working on a planting plan. Like the mix of workhorses and more exotic plants in your garden - I think that's a very effective "best of both worlds" approach.

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  9. I can never get Cerinthe to flower past spring.

    I, ahem, want a piece of your Plecrtranthus. Happy Bloom Day!

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  10. Katie, did you click for a closeup of that Stachys? It could hypnotize you!

    Dan, let us know next time you're in the neighborhood; Rebecca and I could show you some wonderful private gardens OTHER than ours!

    Matt, total fluke; I heard him & clicked!

    Rebecca & Chuck; I contribute the off-season Cerinthe to our cooler summer and the rain we had last month; it probably got confused! Most are still seedlings.

    Lynn & Susan, I will strive to keep you in something beautiful every month, even if it's just bark & foliage!

    Susan; glad to be of service! Even the exotic-looking ones are workhorses (ok, work show-ponies) Of all of these the only one that won't be back next year is the Coleus, most of these plants I've had at least a couple of years.

    Chuck; you are welcome to a cutting of Plectranthus, it roots REALLY easy!

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  11. I'm thinking your garden is primping contently after the abundant rainfall!

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  12. I am so jealous of that Hummingbird shot! Great pictures once again!

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  13. Beautiful as always! Your new camera sure takes amazing pictures.

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  14. Great pics Laura,

    Complete agreement hear about the Stachys, love it. And always special to see a Hummer!

    Scott

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  15. Oooh, what a neat Crassula! I have one that is green in the center of the "leaves" and tinged with cherry red along the edges. I've never seen one like yours before.

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  16. Great, a couple plants I recognize! Obviously the black and blue is a winner for everyone. It is still looking good even for me.

    Looks beautiful. Looks like, unlike me, you'll have something to talk about in Nov!

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  17. The violet/purple orchids..are breathtaking! Perfect shot.

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  18. I wonder how your entire garden looks like..mix of different colours and different flowers of varied beauty! Perfect.

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