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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day September 2013


Can it be September already?   It can't be the last week of summer already; it seems like it just got here.   On the other hand, some of my plants are looking pretty overgrown, tired, and ready for a little slowing down.  Here are some of the blooms in my garden today.

The begonias are still going strong and will until frost  or until they get really tired and I cut them down and bring them for a few months.



Impatiens niamniamensis 'Congo Cockatoo'

Hydrangea 'Pistachio'

Hydrangea 'Bavaria' aged from blue with white edges to this lovely mauve color.  Yum!

Happy accident.  Rain made the dahlia collapse onto the hydrangea .  They make a pretty duo!

Lots of echiverias are  blooming their heads off right now. 



Brugmansia 'Charles Grimaldi'  

Some of the first asters (or whatever the taxonomists are calling it today) are starting to open.

 
 
'Fragrant Cloud' earns its place in my garden with a strong fragrance that wafts nicely.

There are some really nice, big and showy cannas blooming right now but instead, you get to see the more odd than pretty Water Canna (Thalia dealbata.) Not a true canna.
 
 The hardy fuchsias really shine at this time of the year!


This one that's now way over my head was a little innocent thing in a gallon pot last summer. 

Anenome season! 
 
Clerodendrum bungei  gets forgiven for traveling all over the garden because of the fragrance of it's nice late season flowers!

It wouldn't be a bloom day without my pal Abutilon megapotamicum.
 
Cyclamen


A nice, well-behaved perennial impatiens whose name I've forgotten does well in fairly deep shade.

Electric blue flowers of Salvia 'Blue Angel'
 
 
 I got a couple of clivia miniatas from Sally Priest at WeHop this spring, this one with variegated leaves.  I'd never grown them before and, since they have to be brought in in the winter and need to be pot bound to bloom,  they're still in their nursery pots hanging out in the timber bamboo grove.  Just a couple of days ago, I saw a flash and found  this sweet thing blooming.

Persicaria 'Golden Arrow' is the darndest plant.  I've planted it in dappled shade, which it should like but instead it leans over to get to the sun.  However, the parts that get more sun get scorched by it.  There's just no pleasing some people!  Wouldn't want to be without it!

I remember first seeing Colchicum at a now defunct  neighborhood nursery that had been a local institution since 1889 (Poole's.)  The large bulbs, sitting naked on the counter, were covered with these crocus-like flowers.  They must be put in the ground after flowering to put down roots or they'll not survive but it's a fun thing to amaze your friends by pulling one of these out of the ground just before bloom time and presenting them with a "magic" bulb that blooms with no soil.

I grow pelargoniums for their beautiful foliage which, when brushed against, emits a fragrance that screams summer to me.  Their continual bloom from the time they're planted until frost is an added bonus!


Eccremocarpus scaber

Another abutilon.
 
 New guinea impatiens.

Ceratostigma willmottianum 'Palmgold' 

What's blooming in your garden this month?  Join in the fun of Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, a global floral party hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens,  and share your blooms!
 
 


27 comments:

  1. Oh, the Cyclamen! Everything is wonderful.

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  2. What wonderful colour and pictures... I love the congo cockatoo and I actually purchased a Hydrangea Pistachio for my garden.

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    1. Thanks Kate! I hope you enjoy your P:istachio as much as I have mine. Silly thing blooms for at least a couple of months and has such interesting colours!

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  3. That 'congo cockatoo' is crazy! (In a cool way). I think my favorite thing about the Thalia dealbata blooms are the zig zag stems that remain after the flowers drop...

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    1. 'Congo cockatoo' is fun and easy plus Annie's has that cool variegated one now. Maybe one should live in the danger garden.

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  4. You still have so many flowers blooming! But then, your garden is more mature than mine, and you have way more plants. That Congo Cockatoo is fabulous.

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    1. When it gets a little larger, I'll root some cuttings for you and Loree if you want them.

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  5. What a great fall garden, Peter.

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    1. Thanks Denise. Things are starting that whole end of summer messiness that drives me a little crazy but that's what happens when one overplants herbaceous plants.

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  6. So many beautiful flowers. I love your begonias. I have poor luck with tuberous begonias here. They tend to get mites and mildew. I'll stop growing them for a few years then just have to give it one more try from time to time. Your pictures make me think I need to try them again. I love, love, love fuchsias this time of the year. They really do put on a show when the temps begin to cool off. Great post Peter

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    1. Thanks Deanne. I think that tuberous begonias like our cool summer nights. For the first time ever I had a couple get mildew this year but they were directly beneath a clematis that gets mold every year because I get neglectful with watering in that area.

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  7. Well, I'm seeing lots of things here that would add to late season interest. I'm always working toward that and falling flat. Seems like everyone is as taken with the 'Congo Cockatoo'. Unexpected to find such flamboyance coming from an Impatiens.













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    1. It's a very easy impatiens but needs to be grown as an annual or brought inside where it will continue to bloom for most of the winter until the whitefly nearly kills it by May when it goes outside again and something takes care of the whitefly.

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  8. Lots of lovely flowers, Peter. I like to see yours since many of those are not around any more for me. The Clerodendrum bungei is alluring, I will have to look into them. I'm starting an Impatiens from seed this fall or spring, I'll have to hope it will succeed where others have failed. Your Congo Cockatoo looks unreal!

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    1. If you want a Clerodendrum bungei, I have suckers that I'd be happy to give you. I've never tried digging and moving them as I'm usually just pulling them up to get rid of them.

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  9. Well you just have all kinds of stuff going on there Peter..what a nice variety of plants. A few years ago I threw away all my fuchsias because of the damn gall mite, and have been gradually and carefully introducing them back in. Some the hardy varieties seem to be much more resistant.I always enjoy seeing photos of yours.

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    1. Sorry to hear about your gall mite infestation, it must have been frustrating to have to get rid of all of your fuchsias! Too many plants, not enough design in my garden. Deanne needs to come out and use her design prowess to whip it into shape!

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  10. That's an impatien? Who knew! It does look like a crazy parrot. Great post!

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    1. It is and it's fun and easy as an indoor outdoor plant (as Shayne would say.) Glad you liked the post!

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  11. Great bloom showcase! I like your Echiveria blooms. Now why does your 'Congo Cockatoo' remind me of chili peppers? :-D

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    1. Thanks! Chili peppers - perfect! Love that thought as those flowers do bring quite a bit of warmth to the cooler months here when I drag it inside.

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  12. Gorgeous blooms! I'm always learning of new plants through your bloom day posts! Happy GBBD!

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    1. Thanks Jennifer! I sometimes worry about repeating myself (gee, this September looks a lot like last September) but I suppose that's the way the garden cycle works. Happy GBBD to you!

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  13. What a diverse collection of blooms! I fell in love with that Impatiens 'Congo Cockatoo' - I haven't tried growing impatiens at our "new" house but I may have to make an exception for this one.

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    1. You'll love it. Very easy and makes a nice house plant in the winter.

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  14. You've got such a unique collection of plants. I'm sort of embarrassed to say that it's the first time I'm seeing some of these. It must be such a proud moment to see them all in bloom.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.