Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day October 2019

Author: jw

Lycoris radiata

A total surprise for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day is this lovely Lycoris. It started blooming last week and I almost missed it because it’s been terribly dry and not very rewarding to check out the growing things. In general it’s been more a case of survival with less than a 1/4 inch of rain in September and only just now getting a few drops.

We can still count on the annual zinnias, marigolds, and cosmos, but we’re definitely on the light side for flowers right now.

The Nasturtium in Beth’s raised bed have been putting on quite a show.

Very happy Nasturtium

A couple of the perennials that reliably show up, even with drought are shown below.

Japanese anemone ‘Whirlwind’

Tricyrtis ‘Sinonome’

And a first time plant for us that may or not be perennial is the Cestrum.

Cestrum x ‘Orange Peel’

This flowers all during the growing season in our area. And it just keeps getting bigger.

There are also some lovely flowers still hanging on the Hydrangea by the back porch.

Hydrangea ‘Limelight’

One of the troughs that I inherited from a member of the Potomac Valley Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society has a delectable little Sedum growing in it.

Sedum cauticola (?)

I noticed in the alpine bed several flowers on one of the Daphnes, and that seems quite out of season.

Daphne collina x cneorum

Also in the alpine bed the Sculletaria continues to flower, as it has all year long.

Scutellaria resinosa

In the greenhouse itself, there is a marvelous little gloxinia-looking plant from Bolivia.

Seemannia nematanthodes

The color on this little beauty is really remarkable.

And just outside the greenhouse is a little Zephyranthes that has jumped ship into the alpine bed.

Zephyranthes sp. escapee

Speaking of escapees the grass in the orchard has all of a sudden become Japanese stiltgrass. This is an almost total takeover in one year. It’s quite beautiful, but definitely invasive.