GBBD – Colors of a September Garden

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Welcome to my Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day Post for September 2008. On the 15th of each month Carol at May Dreams Gardens encourages her fellow garden bloggers to show what’s blooming in their garden. Please stop by her site to see what else is blooming around the blogosphere!

We’ve made it through August and survived with the minuscule amounts of rain that August usually provides. Now that rains have resumed on a more frequent but still irregular basis quite a few things are blooming. Here’s a look at the herb garden and the basil going to seed. I’ve periodically pinched off the blooms but inevitably the determination of mother nature wins.


Near the herb garden is the Caryopteris x clandonensis. It’s the ‘Longwood Blue’ variety which are still small but will eventually grow to be rounded 3′-4′ shrubs full of blue blossoms. Blue Mist shrub is a great perennial for attracting pollinators to the garden!


In the front garden you’ll find the ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum peaking from behind a red chrysanthemum. The bees seem to really enjoy the ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum! In the foreground you can see the foliage of a hollyhock I started from seed this year. Hopefully next year it will shoot up some blooms.


The next small collection of photographs comes from out ‘Oranges and Lemons’ Gaillardia. It’s been a powerhouse bloomer this summer. Even though a significant number of blooms have gone to seed it is still producing multiple blooms to enjoy. It’s a butterfly magnet, not bad for a former discount plant!


Now for a look at the wilder side of our garden. On our northern edge of the property is a small naturalized area with mostly grasses. Within those grasses you can find a few blooming wildflowers. The goldenrod is blooming even stronger this week than last!


Other plants blooming but not pictured in this post: Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, Salvia longispicata x farinacea ‘Mystic Spires’, Impatiens, Coleus, Hostas, Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia), Chrysanthemums (red and yellow), Morning glory, Asters, and Zinnias.

23 thoughts on “GBBD – Colors of a September Garden”

  1. It all looks great! Especially the front garden with the sedum and mum. That is one big hollyhock too. My caryopteris died out. This is the second time I have lost one. I give up.

  2. Dave,

    I love how you’ve shown your bloom photos! By the way you have some great blooms going on this ‘fall’. I say that because it finally feels like fall! I want to hear more about starting the hollyhock from seed. I have had terrible luck, but I direct sowed them in the garden, hoping they would mimic seeds naturally falling to the soil. Enjoy the weather and have a good day!

    gail

  3. I’ve seen several posts with Caryopteris blooms, and I want one,again, but they die back to the ground here in the winter, and it is quite a chore to cut them back.

    It does look like you have all colors covered for fall. Thanks for joining in for bloom day again!

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

  4. I’ve seen several posts with Caryopteris blooms, and I want one,again, but they die back to the ground here in the winter, and it is quite a chore to cut them back.

    It does look like you have all colors covered for fall. Thanks for joining in for bloom day again!

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

  6. Wonderful blooms today Dave! I love your Blue Mist Shrub, that’s one that I need to add to my garden too. The wildflower meadow is wonderful as well. Great job of grouping the pictures in a collage.

  7. You have a lot of flowers blooming going into the Fall season. I love the Fall as there seems to be so many different colors. Great looking pics. I only have a couple blooming at this time. Cannas & yellow mums, morning glories volunteer from 2 yrs ago. Still kinda wet here.

  11. Tina,

    Thanks! The caryopteris we have I bought for $1.99 each a couple months ago. They are doing pretty good with almost no care. They do like the sun though. They root pretty easily I’ve heard!

  12. Gail,

    I’m glad you liked that format. I was playing with the downloadable version of Picasa 3 which is pretty neat for photos. Plus its all free! I don’t have any tricks with the hollyhock. I planted the seeds in peat pots and they grew. I planted about four of them but one died off from a fungus.

  13. Thanks Carol!

    Caryopteris is great for this time of year around here. I just got my Horticulture magazine in there and found an article about them in there. Ironic!

    Skeeter,

    Mums are all coming out everywhere up here! Asters as well. I need to do a post on them!

  14. PGL,

    Definitely get one for yourself! Or two, or three… I’ve seen pictures of rows of them like an allee and it looks fantastic. I’d love to do that somewhere here, I just need to find the right spot.

  15. Lola,

    I know what you mean about loving fall. Of course it’s good and bad. The colors are there, the foliage and the flowers, but soon to follow will be the dormant winter season. At least around here. Not in your neck of the woods!

  17. MMD,

    I agree it wouldn’t be fall without goldenrod! You are probably right on it being Solidago altissima although I don’t know the differences well enough to distinguish between it and a few other similar goldenrods. It might be that is aster ericoides, I wasn’t sure on that one either!

  22. DP,

    I believe it is a type of Mullein called Moth mullein. they are also called verbascum. I’m pretty sure that’s what it is but I need to do some more research to confirm it. It has multiple blooms on a stalk.

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