What I understand only poorly but trust the garden to teach me is how my vision of beauty itself is part of the process, no less natural than a bee or a bud. ~Nancy Ross Hugo
As autumn takes hold and October moves along, the garden continues to bloom. But not as profusely as before. Each new bloom is a gift while those that linger are a miracle. So what has been reblooming and what is still blooming? I wanted to highlight some special blooms in this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day (GBBD) post as they are bravely facing frosts and not stopping.
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is hosted by Carol@May Dreams Gardens on the 15th of each month. I am also linking in with Judith@Lavender Cottage who hosts Mosaic Monday.
I adore my fall crocus or Colchicum. It looks stunning in the first rays of the morning sun with just a bit of dew still lingering on the petals.
I have several different ones all un-named now as I lost the tags, but still quite lovely. Some are almost covered over by an encroaching garden so I may need to find better spots for them.
Still blooming long are the native Helianthus. I have a late flowering variety that was coveted by lingering monarchs as they made their way South. My last monarch left a week ago. I bid it safe travels.
And when the monarchs aren’t hanging on to these blooms, the bees cover them.
Native asters, now renamed Symphyotrichum, are a big favorite in my fall garden with both pollinators and me. And monarchs gravitate to my New England asters first (pictured lower left), when they visit on their travels south. I have many varieties and cultivars. Some dwarf and some tall. Some light purple and pink (top of the post), white, darker purple and deep pink. They seem to surprise me every year by taking up new spots in the garden although I am going to try and divide some clumps and move them to grace other areas of the garden too. They are all over the meadow but I always want more there.
And the hardy geranium cultivars are blooming again….they will bloom right up until the first freeze which I hope is a long way off.
With the great shifts in the colors of the foliage in the garden, I wanted to highlight some of the standouts. I am linking in with Pam@Digging for her Foliage Follow Up on the 16th, and Christina@Creating my own garden of the Hesperides for her Garden Bloggers Foliage Day on the 22nd.
While many look to trees in the garden for colors, I love the foliage of shrubs and perennials. This is a native red twig dogwood showing off.
One of my favorite ornamental grasses that is also un-named possibly a switchgrass or Panicum.
I love when the plumes bloom and then the foliage changes into stunning autumn colors. I leave it up all winter as it is blown by wind and whipped by snow.
In A Vase On Monday
One of the best ways to show off your current blooms and foliage is by picking them and putting them in vases. As I do every Monday, I am taking flowers from my garden inside with me to savor all week. These vases have proved to be a wonderful, creative endeavor that I look forward to weekly. I am joining Cathy@Rambling in the Garden for her meme, In a Vase on Monday. And I am also linking in with Today’s Flowers hosted by Denise@An English Girl Rambles.
Even in fall I am finding things growing in the garden to create a lovely arrangement. This week ….
….when I went searching for something different besides helianthus and asters, I encountered a multitude of blooms especially in my front garden. Some I have used in other vases recently, but I couldn’t resist them again. This is a perfect vase to show what else is blooming in my garden right now.
I shot this vase in shade, indirect light inside, sunlight, and dappled shade. It looks stunning no matter the light. You can see 2 blooms of the dark burgundy dahlia that changes color in different light. And a couple of red knockout roses that have softened with a bit of pink. A coral pink fairy rose also was blooming profusely so I had to have that in the vase. And the Japanese anemones were still calling to me with their dusky pink color.
What was different this week was the monkshood that I thought would look too purple and clash in this vase….and boy was I wrong. I love the colors together. And so I also added some fading agastache with a similar purple color to the monkshood. Rounding out the vase was the incredible smelling Salvia Plumosa. The plume-like, deep rosy-lilac flowers are so big they flop over in the garden. I wondered how it would look with all the red, pink and purple colors, but it worked well in the vase as a base upon which the other blooms rested.
I thought when I started collecting flowers for this vase the colors might not work well together so I would probably make 2 vases. But after the first vase was finished, I was so pleased with it I didn’t need to make another. Although there are enough flowers and foliage in the garden now to make many vases which is amazing given our very cool weather.
What’s blooming in your garden that you are loving in mid October? Any surprise blooms?
Watching the growth and development of the plants is a constant source of joy and delight. You forget the cares and worries, and gather the new courage for the morrow. ~Benjamin Franklin Albaugh
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Next up on the blog:
Monday I hope to have another Vase post. And next Wednesday I will be highlighting another native plant.
I am also joining in I Heart Macro with Laura@Shine The Divine that happens every Saturday.
And I am linking in with Michelle@Rambling Woods for her Nature Notes meme. It is a great way to see what is happening in nature around the world every Tuesday.