Dahlia in the house
Well it’s Bloom Day for September and the weather has been spectacular the past week. There are a great many annual flowers in the garden such as zinnias, cosmos, nasturtium, calendula, and daisies. I’ll just represent them all with the this big Dahlia that Beth brought into the house. And then maybe Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower) since it has grown to spectacular heights (at least 12 feet) this year.
Tithonia
Another annual that has grown on our porch this year is Plectranthus. It was overwintered in the greenhouse and then took a while to catch hold in the spring. But it now looks spectacular (and it makes a good cut flower in the house as well).
Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’
Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’ in detail
Another back porch item is the Princess Flower which continues its daily vivid flowers
Princess Flower (Tibouchina urvilleana)
At the front porch is the very green welcoming garden that Beth built with deep black rectangles.
Entrance Garden
And a particularly striking addition this year is a Carex with pink flowers that we brought back from Plant Delights this spring.
Carex scaposa
From the greenhouse comes a very striking hyacinth relative from Madeira.
Scilla madeirensis
A few other items struck me as I walked about the yard. There are marvelous peony seeds at this time of year.
Peony Seeds
The Pyracantha and Hyacinth have intertwined to create a lovely combination.
Intertwining of pyracantha (mojave) and hydrangea (limelight)
And a newly planted Arisaema consanguinum looks for all the world like a mother hen for the neighboring Cyclamen.
Arisaema consanguinum and cyclamen hederifolium
Then there are the still good-looking repeats from last month.
Cestrum x ‘Orange Peel’
Crepe myrtle white
And I discovered that the Clematis which I tried to remove at least two other times has sprung up again among the roses.
Clematis paniculata
This is a particularly beautiful and vigorous plant that is happy to take over your garden.
And if you go for a walk on the hillside you will see the Colchicum doing their fall explosion of color.
Colchicum ‘Giant’
The other thing that happens now are berries and other fruit.
Viburnum wrightii
Fig fruit ready for picking
Potomac Pears at harvest time.
And then I’ll close with one of the workers in the greenhouse that keeps the pests at bay.
Jumping Spider in greenhouse
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day September 2021
Dahlia ‘Bodacious’
We have a steady supply of flowers from the both the perennials and the picking garden for this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. The dahlia above has been flowering for most of the summer.
The Tithonia in the garden give some idea of the good growing weather that we have had.
Tithonia in the garden
I always enjoy seeing the black and blue sage coming back because it was never supposed to be hardy in our area. The bees enjoy it in particular.
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Bee on Salvia
Nearby the David Austin ‘Crocus Rose’ is making a comeback.
Crocus Rose
And right beside it the continually blooming Cestrum
Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’
I also enjoy that the Cyclamen comes up at this time of year both in the ground and in the greenhouse
Cyclamen hederifolium
Cyclamen graecum
Other flowers can be seen in the wildflower patches
Wildflower patch
Asters in wildflower patch
In the Alpine bed I discovered a Pulsatilla that is definitely blooming well out of season
Pulsatilla pratensis ‘bohemica’
Pulsatilla pratensis ‘bohemica’
In the greenhouse itself there is not only this striking Sinninglia species
Sinninglia sp.
But also a rather puzzling Buddleia which is coming up in nominally Gentianella pot.
Buddleia davidii
Elsewhere the berries in the yard are striking.
Blue Holly in berry
Viburnum wrightii
Viburnum wrightii
Finally to note once again that since we can’t survive on flowers alone, we have been bringing in lots of fruit.
Kieffer Pears (and a few liberty apples)
And for the first time Figs
Figs
I highly recommend homemade sourdough bread with brie, pear, and fig — yum…
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day October 2020
Colchicum autumnale ‘Pleniflorum’
I’ll lead off this GBBD posting with colchicum which has been spectacular this fall. They are hardy, reliable, and beautiful — the sort of qualities that beg for planting more. So I did…
It’s been all in all a marvelous fall here in Maryland. Mostly bright sunny fall days with just enough rain to keep everything going well. Altogether we are 8 inches ahead of the usual rainfall here. The annuals have continued to bloom and I noticed that the cosmos along the fence line have decided on a fall renewal of their blooms.
Cosmos fall rebirth
And the calendulas in the raised bed are bright and beautiful.
Calendula (Alpha from Johnny’s Seeds)
Under the cherry tree in the back yard a clump of cyclamen hederifolium is putting up flowers before the leaves are showing.
Cyclamen hederifolium
Japanese windflowers are spectacular as usual for this time of year.
Japanese anemone ‘Whirlwind’
And they are joined by various instances of toad lilies (such a strange name for exotically beautiful flowers).
Trycyrtis ‘Sinonome’
The canna lily that returned from last year is soldiering on in a very crowded garden bed.
Canna ‘Lemon Punch’
And month by month the cestrum continues a flowerful statement at the back gate.
Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’
I noticed that the beautyberry bush is covered with its distinctive purple berries right now.
Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
In the alpine bed by the greenhouse there is a rather striking little saxifrage from Japan.
Saxifraga fortunei ‘Beni Zakura’
In the greenhouse itself the oxalis are dominating the show.
Oxalis hirta ‘Gothenburg’
But there is also a rather special scilla that I brought into the house.
Scilla madeirensis
These are not easy to find, but they seem to be quite reliable bloomers.
While I was out in the vegetable garden I found many more dahlias still in bloom
Decorative Dahlia
and lots of monarch butterflies visiting the many tithonia.
Monarchs in the garden
In addition I found a very distinctive moth that I had never seen before.
Ailanthus Webworm Moth (Atteva aurea)
Of course, it’s important to note that at this time of year, one does not live on flowers alone.
Raspberries yielding fall crop
Raspberries in abundance
We have been bringing in bowl after bowl of raspberries for the last 6 weeks.
And finally to cap it off here is the apple pie that we made for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day…
An Apple Pie from the orchard
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day August 2019
Swallowtail on Tithonia
In the midst of hot days in August it is a reliable pleasure to see butterflies in great abundance throughout the garden. For this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day posting let me begin with some shots of the butterflies that are everywhere right now in Maryland.
Female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Ligularia
Clouded Sulphur on Tithonia
It’s also a good time of year to spot the Hummingbird or Clearwing Moth. They are very distinctive with almost invisible wings as the flit about the flowers.
Snowberry Clearwing Moth on Buddleia
Here are some of the standard flowers around the yard right now.
Hydrangea ‘Limelight’
Gentiana paradoxa
Allium ‘Millenium’
Sage ‘Black and Blue’
And of course the glads are still blooming in the cutting garden.
Gladiolia ‘Princess Margaret Rose’
New for us in the Cestrum that we added this year.
Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’
And a little more unusual is the diminutive Anemonopsis with it’s waxy flowers.
Anemonopsis macrophylla
We also take advantage of the August flowers in the house as well.
Sunflowers live inside too
And then from the greenhouse
Cyrtanthus elatus x montanus
Lastly let me note a seeding success with these hardy camellia seedlings started from seeds purchased from Camellia Forest.
Camellia oleifera seedlings
These should be interesting to grow outside in Maryland.
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day Sept 2018
Yellow Chysanthemums
Well, it’s been a strange time for flowers on this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. While we have dodged the hurricane bullet that hit the folks in the Carolinas, the weather has been unusual to say the least. To date we have had over 52 inches of rain compared to the normal of 29 inches through mid-September. On the one hand we have the traditional flowers for September like the mums shown above. And some remarkable Dahlias from the garden.
Dahlia ‘Winkie Colonel’
Dahlia ‘AC Ben’
But we have also had the Apples drop most of there leaves in July and August and they are now re-blooming.
Apple Blossom in September
Many other trees have dropped their leaves and the Azaleas out front are blooming again.
Azalea reblooming in September
Despite the strange weather there are still a set of interesting flowers to find around the yard, for example this Roscoea.
Roscoea purpurea ‘Spice Island’
And in the greenhouse the rather unusual large Scilla maderensis is flowering once again.
Scilla maderensis
Some other items of note include this six foot tall Canna that came from a friend this year.
Canna ‘Bengal Tiger’
The Knockout Roses are continuing to bloom.
Rose ‘Knockout Pink’
And the Perennial Pea is blooming once again despite our attempts to remove it.
Lathyrus latifolius
We have found that Phlox also reappears from long ago planting with or without our tending to it.
Self-seeded Phlox
And in the orchard the Blue Sage has been in continuous bloom since late spring.
Blue Sage (Salvia farinacea)
Some of our outside work is getting set aside because of several nests of Yellowjackets. They took up residence in one our large pots on the deck and also in the ground by one of the raised beds. These guys seem impervious to chemicals and according to the web can be quite dangerous (not something we want to test since I for one am allergic to wasp venom) and there are hundreds of them.
Yellow jacket wasp
Finally, let me note that this is time for packing up your seeds to send off to the various seed exchanges. By becoming a seed donor, you get first choice when you participate in the seed exchanges organizations. Check out the North American Rock Garden Society for example.
Packing up Seeds
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day September 2017
Anemone x hybrida ‘Whirlwind’
Well, it’s fall here in Maryland and some of the usual suspects are providing our flowers for Bloom Day. Japanese anemone are robust and reliable, as well as incredibly beautiful.
Anemone x hybrida ‘Whirlwind’
Some of the other regulars are in the following pictures.
Trycyrtis ‘Autumn Glow’
Alstroemeria ‘Sweet Laura’
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
St. John’s Wort ‘Hidcote’
In the wildflower patch, the wild asters are currently the star of the show, attracting insects of all sorts.
Wild Aster
In the cutting garden the standouts are the Tithonia.
Tithonia
Beth has shown they look really nice next to the Salvia ‘Black and Blue’. They are also quite tall so it’s easy to see them from underneath as well.
Tithonia from underside
A similar color comes with the Atlantic Poppy which took forever to start blooming but now has a new flower every day.
Papaver atlanticum ‘Flore Pleno’
Inside the greenhouse we have blooming for the first time the Scilla maderensis. It seems to open just a few of the flower elements per day so that it’s never completely in flower for us.
Scilla maderensis
It is nevertheless interesting and exotic which goes a long way to getting space in the greenhouse.
Looking down on Scilla Maderensis
The first of the Oxalis are coming into bloom now.
Oxalis melanostica ‘Ken Aslet’
There are three species blooming now, but the rest will extend the blooming season into January at least.
It’s worth noting that one does not live by flowers alone. The garden fruits and vegetables have been abundant this year, pushing us to new recipes and uses for the crops…
Vegetable garden production
Kieffer Pears
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day September 2016
Nasturtium
It has been a generally hot and dry (read depressing) summer for our garden). In early August we awoke to find that we had drawn down the well with watering and so had to forego our normal watering plan. So my looks around the garden prior to Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day were fewer than they might otherwise have been. We did still water Beth’s new raised bed and the Nasturtiums and Calendulas have responded by blooming all summer long and into the Fall.
Calendula
Many of the other flowers in bloom are a testament to how well some species can survive in adversity.
Alstroemeria ‘Sweet Laura’
Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum)
Venturing out onto our ultra-dry hillside which never gets watered at all anymore, I found several champions of the survival school.
Buddleia
Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
Crepe Myrtle
Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’
Notice the spider on the Lemon Queen and it’s very adaptive coloration.
Spider on Lemon Queen
The butterflies are also very attracted to Lemon Queen.
butterfly on Lemon Queen
I also saw a lovely Monarch Butterfly on the Tithonia in the vegetable garden.
Monarch on Tithonia
One very noteworthy Fall-blooming flower is the Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’. I’m becoming more of a fan every year and it’s a good thing because it keeps spreading of its own volition.
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Another fall bloomer was a bit of a surprise. This Sweet Autumn Clematis was something I pulled out three years ago and I was surprised to see it return in two separate places this year.
Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora)
It’s a lovely flower but can get too aggressive if left to its own devices. I will probably try to transplant it to the woods.
In the alpine beds I have two erodiums that are returning to bloom right now.
Erodium chrysantha
Erodium
In the greenhouse I have just finished restarting all the oxalis. At the same time the Bulbine has come back into flower.
Bulbine frutescens
And one of the cyclamens has taken on a very distinctive flowering by simply spilling over the edge of the pot with a great many flowers and no leaves at all.
Cyclamen graecum
Lastly just to note that man (or woman) does not live by flowers alone. The raspberries are joining the apples as delectable fruits to be harvested this month.
raspberries ready for harvest again
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day July 2016
Orienpet Lily ‘Anastasia’
Well, if you had to pick a theme flower for this month’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day it would the lilies. Despite the dry weather we have been experiencing, they are exploding all over the yard, especially the hybrids between orientals and trumpets (aka orienpets). They are tall, fragrant, floriferous, and individually stunning.
Orienpet Lily ‘Anastasia’ single bloom
In the house they make quite a display too.
Orienpet Lily ‘Anastasia’ in the house
Here are some others of the lily orienpet persuasion.
Orienpet Lily ‘Scheherazade’
Orienpet Lily ‘Scheherazade’ single flower
Orienpet Lily ‘Pretty Woman’
Of course, even the old-fashioned orientals are pretty spectacular.
Oriental lily ‘Time Out’
Oriental Lily ‘Casablanca’
Oriental Lily ‘Muscadet’
And then a new one added to collection this year is Lilium henryii hybrid.
Lilium henryi hybrid ‘Madame Butterfly’
There are course still many annuals and some of the standard perennials, but one of the species that has asked for special recognition is the Crocosmia. These wonderful bulbs from the iris family are durable, productive and beautiful, year after year.
Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
Crocosmia × crocosmiflora ‘George Davison’
Another new plant for us is the popular anemone ‘Wild Swan’.
Anemone ‘Wild Swan’ front
It is especially characterized by the purple markings on the back of the petals.
Anemone ‘Wild Swan’ back
In the greenhouse we have several noteworthy arrivals. First a very unusual Pineapple Lily.
Eucomis vandermerwei
This is only found in the wild between 7000′ and 8000′ in South Africa. At some point I might experiment with growing it outside.
Also from South Africa is member of the Amaryllis family, Cyrtanthus elatus x montanus.
Cytanthus elatus x montanus
A little Cyclamen is flowering from seed planted in 2013.
Cyclamen hederifolium
And a welcome returnee is this rain lily.
Habranthus brachyandrus
One of the fun things for me is finding the unusual animals that populate the yard, if you take the time to notice them. Last week it was this wonderful dime-sized spider that caught my eye.
Jumping spider from the greenhouse