Just a few items for this GBBD since I’m a day late (as usual).  The blue monkshood shown above is sometimes called the autumn flowering monkshood because it comes to the very end of the season.  But wow, what a flower.  We’ve never grown it before because it is extremely poisonous but it has a long history of being grown in perennial gardens.

Also in the front yard I found the first of the fall blooming in Camellias.

This was planted last spring and I was surprised to see it in flower before any of the other sasanquas.

The first of the toad lillies are in flower now

Otherwise there are many of the carryovers from previous months still in bloom.

Out in the garden in raised beds the calendula continue with their wonderful flowering.

And with regard to raised beds I should mention that Josh and I installed a third raised bed for next year’s gardens.

And as we head out to the pasture there are late flowering sunflowers

as well as some of their smaller relatives

I do have to take note of the Dahlias still coming into the house

And the beautiful beautyberries by the driveway

Finally let me close with our new approach to harvesting chestnuts.

Just stomp on the spiny balls and wiggle the lovely chestnuts out…