Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for September 2017.
As I almost always do before starting my bloom day post, I looked back at my post for the same month last year. Guess what I found when I did that this month?
Pretty much the same flowers blooming today, with the addition of a few new flowers I’ve recently planted. I don’t mind. I like the predictability of the garden, of knowing what’s going to be blooming at any given time.
I like to think that if you blindfolded me, whisked me away for an undetermined number of days, and then brought me back to my garden, I could tell you within a day or two what the date was in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden here in central Indiana just by looking at the flowers.
I’d look under the serviceberry trees and as soon as I saw the colchicums, pictured above, I would at least know it is September.
Then I’d look at the asters, just starting to bloom and know it was mid-September.
You get the idea.
The predictability, the sameness of the garden offers comfort at times like these when so many gardeners are faced with cleaning up or clearing out their gardens after a violent hurricane or wicked forest fire.
Here in my garden, one of those hurricanes, Irma, is now just a whimper of drizzle and so the blooms continue.
Here’s a quick look through the garden, in no particular order.
I love the pink blooms of the hardy begonia, Begonia grandis. And I like how it is self-sowing a bit.
You really can’t have a fall garden with out some tall sedums. They renamed this plant to Hylotelephium sp. I’m still going to call them Sedums.
It takes all summer to remember why I keep the variegated liriope in the garden. Love the flowers.
Of course fall in the garden means goldenrod. This particular one is Short’s Goldenrod, Solidago shortii ‘Solar Cascade’, introduced by the horticulturists at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. They discovered it in the wild after it was given up for extinct.
I like how the Boltonia doesn’t hide too much of the sculpture when it’s in bloom.
Mums. You bet. I don’t shun them. I have them scattered here and there in the garden, though sometimes they are hard to photograph. The green comes out weird.
Out in the Vegetable Garden Cathedral, the alyssum I planted way back in early March is still going strong, and is in fact blooming more than ever after resting during the hottest days of the summer.
The marigolds always take longer to start blooming than I think they should, but they make up for their late start with a fine fall showing.
The zinnias are happening still. They’ve been blooming for months.
I like how the Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ blooms turn pinkish in the fall.
These hostas are a nice bloom to see in the fall. Variety? I’m not sure but they might just be plain ol’ plantain lilies.
Out in the front garden, I’m glad I planted Geranium ‘Rozanne’ earlier this spring. They’ve been bloom ever since I did.
And finally, a hint of blue on a cloudy day from the hard for me to remember always have to look it up leadwort, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides.
And that’s a quick walk/run through my garden in mid-September.
What’s blooming in your garden on the 15th of the month? We would love to have you join in for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day and show us, whether it is your first time or your 128th time, which is how many posts I think you’ve done if you’ve joined in since the beginning, way back when.
It’s easy to participate. Just post on your blog about what’s blooming in your garden and then come back here and put a link in the Mr. Linky widget and leave a comment to tell us what you have for us to see.
And remember…
“We can have flowers nearly every month of the year.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence
Your gardens are looking great for September Carol and we have many of the same plants. I have been joining you for a long time (not quite 128 posts, but a long time) and enjoy every minute. I always look forward to Bloom Day and it has become a monthly ritual, one which I love. Thanks for hosting! P.S. Your book is wonderful. I just got done reading it and it felt like I was reading about myself…all so true and too funny!
The rhythm of the seasons is one of the many wonderful things about being in the garden, although there are always a few confused or maverick flowers blooming at the wrong time here. The Christmas hyacinths started flowering in July and they're still going strong. Chaenomeles is putting on a surprise show too.
'Limelight' has become my favourite Hydrangea. I love the way the flowers age. To think that I only gave it a second glance because fellow bloggers grew it! GBBD may be costly on the plant list, but the discovery of a new favourite plant is always a good thing! Thank you for hosting!
…and when i look at every post at GBBD, i normally look at which plant among us has wider range of adaptation. This means that we only have marigolds and zinnias as our common plant, as i am from the hot tropics. Now is our rainy season so we have more plants growing. Regarding your almost certain predictability of the plants blooming in a particular month, maybe that will change drastically in a few years, just like the stronger typhoons and the frequency of flooding. Climate change is the common culprit, but i guess not everyone agree.
I love the Boltonia coming through the sculpture, they set each other off. I can't get used to the new name for sedums either, they will always be Sedums for me and it's much easier to spell 🙂 Really enjoyed the walk around your garden, it's interesting to see what is flowering with you is flowering here in Scotland too. I love the predictability of the gardens, it's also that sense of anticipation waiting for something you love coming into flower after waiting all year.
I also love the dependable rhythm of the seasons. It's soothing, predictible, and gives me a time to enjoy the progression of flowers. Although, I have to admit, when I see my aster bloom my heart sinks a little, knowing frost will be in the air soon. Love your flowers, as always, and thank you again for hosting GBBD!
Thanks for hosting. We are going to get more warm dry weather so hopefully my late blooming hydrangeas will open up.
Phenology in practice!
I love seeing what's blooming in your garden each month. I'm always a little bit behind you here in NW Ohio.
Your garden's slightly ahead of me here in England this month Carol. The Colchicums and asters are still in bud, but will probably be in full bloom tomorrow! I've only just found some of the sedums have a new name – like you I'll still call them sedum 😉
Carol, you still have lots of loveliness happening in your gardens. I do as well, but the temps have been unseasonably hot this past week in Minnesota and things are drying out and looking tired. I'm looking forward to paying virtual visits to lots of gardens this GBBD. Have a great day!
You are so right about knowing the date by what's blooming in the garden. Those colchicum are gorgeous. Really need to add some fall bulbs to me garden. At the moment just watering as it is very dry.
I love feeling the kinship with other gardeners when we grow some of the same flowers – and the eagerness of adding flowers that some other gardener has shown off. The turning of the seasons – and the flowers of the new season. Wonderful.
Love your thoughts on the predictability of the garden! I looked back at a few September bloom day posts past and was thinking thatmaybe things should be changed a bit in my garden to jazz things up a bit but you're right, it's comforting to have so many old friends around. Still, next year zinnias and dahlias will have to find space! Thanks for hosting the flower extravaganza and happy GBBD!
I loved your statement: The predictability, the sameness of the garden offers comfort at times like these when so many gardeners are faced with cleaning up or clearing out their gardens after a violent hurricane or wicked forest fire.
It is so true and I yearn for predictability, which seems to be absent in my life but I enjoyed seeing it in your garden.
We have many similar flowers blooming today, Carol. Thank you so much for hosting. P. x
Thanks for hosting. I love taking part in this link up. Your garden looks beautiful.
A friend and I were recently discussing how hard it can be to find variegated Liriope, thanks for the reminder to be on the look out! Also I am amazed at your stated ability to pin down the time of the month by looking around your garden. Either your way more perceptive than I, or your garden is more variable.
I had the devil of a time photographing the flowers on my Lirope – you did a much better job! I looked back to my September 2016 post too and, while there are many plants blooming right on the mark, my garden seems less dependable than yours. I think the timing of our ubiquitous heatwaves messes with the bloom schedule in my garden. Thanks for hosting!
Hi, love your Liriope, Goldenrod and mums. Thanks for hosting. Not sure if I have done the linky right so here is link to my September bloom day just in case:
https://carrotsandcalendula.co.uk/2017/09/15/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-september-2017/
I'll add my echo to two recurring thoughts in the comments. I love how each plant blooms in turn, and being able to know which season it is by what's in bloom. And I also enjoy seeing what flowers we share (like colchicums) and learning from your garden what flowers I could grow in mine but don't yet–like boltonia. What a great idea you had to start this meme!
You have so much great color in your garden this month, Carol. We really need some of that Boltonia for the Northwest Territory at Longview Ranch. It would be the perfect late summer shape. *makes note to find next spring*
Hi Carol – Central Texas gardens are not as predictable as Indiana gardens but at least we can count on the School House lilies!
Glad Irma didn't do you much harm.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Asters! Why do I always forget about the asters! Next month…
Have a good Bloom Day weekend, all!
I didn't know they changed the name of sedums. I will always know them by Sedum. Mine aren't blooming. They are in bud but refuse to bloom without any rain. Happy GBBd.
Awsome tour of all the gorgeous flowers in your garden. My garden is not so predictable just like our weather.
Carol, there is comfort in the familiarity of the flowers of the fall season. And then always the challenge of finding something new amidst the familiar. For me it was the Atlantic Poppy. And then what will it be next year.
How interesting that your garden is predictable and comforting. Mine is the opposite this year, for so many reasons that I hope to write about this winter! I love the sea of Alyssum, and the Zinnias and the Boltonias. It was great to meet you at the GWA conference. Thanks for hosting, Carol!
Carol, This seems to be the time of year when my garden finally catches up with yours. We both have goldenrod and sedum in bloom and asters just beginning. I don't have any of those gorgeous colchicum, or the leadwort (beautiful!). -Jean
Happy Bloom Day, Carol! It feeds my soul to look at all these beautiful flowers, especially since my flowerbeds are just barely getting started in our new home here. Have a great month!