Daphne collina x cneorum

It seems appropriate for this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day to give due credit to this little dwarf Daphne which has bloomed on and off in the Alpine bed since April.  The flowers (like most Daphnes) are very fragrant and the plant has prospered in the Alpine bed despite my placing it in a spot between two rocks where it seemed to me most appropriate to its small size.  And it’s much bigger now, though still very pleasing.

Even the Winter Daphne which I moved into the sunshine this year after torturing it in the deep shade for several years seems to be enjoying its exposure to the elements.

Winter Daphne (Daphne odora)

It’s out by the front fence in some of the poorest soil on our hillside.  We shall see how it survives.  The Edgeworthia, its new neighbor, has put out some fat buds so maybe it’s not as bad a location as I imagined.

Our weather has flirted with frost but we haven’t really had a hard, killing frost yet.  That has let some of the hardier plants continue to flower.  Here are just a few of them.

Snapdragons

Chrysanthemum

Pineapple Sage

A few remaining Fall Crocus

Lantana

The Lantana is one of the feature plants that will tell me when it has gotten really cold, and I should take the citrus to the basement.

As we go back to the Alpine bed, another plant that has bloomed for a long time (essentially nine months) is the Erodium chrysanthum.

Erodium chrysanthum

It’s close relative, the alpine geranium, is also fond of flowering every day.

Alpine Geranium (Erodium reichardii ‘Roseum’)

What has been particularly surprising this fall is the Delphinium cashmerianum.

Delphinium cashmerianum

Delphinium cashmerianum full plant

Retreating finally into the greenhouse (which will be my refuge before long) I want to share the bright red flowers of the a little Aptenia that I grew from a cutting (thank you Marianne!)

Aptenia cordifolia ‘Red Apple’

And the tiny little flowers of Polyxena ensifolia which looks much bigger on the web.

Polyxena ensifolia

Perhaps mine will grow up some day…

Besides myriad Oxalis, there is also a pot of Cyclamen worthy of note.

Cyclamen hederifolium ‘Perlenteppich’

These are pure white with lovely leaves.

Finally I will finish up with the first Camellia of this season.  Beth picked it before I could photograph it in place, but it’s another reminder of what an extended Fall season we have had.

Camellia japonica