Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for October 2018.
Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, fall has arrived, more or less on schedule. We are currently flirting with frost, though I haven’t seen frost yet, but the temps are getting lower and lower each night. It won’t be long now.
But it’s all good, and expected, at this time of year. The flowers are fading and most of the flowers gracing the garden now have been blooming for a while.
The asters are at their peak and are still attracting bees and butterflies, all in a big hurry. They know what’s coming.
Other blooms are what one would typically find around here in a fall garden.
Want to see?
The hardy begonias, Begonia grandis, are still going strong. People are surprised that there is a begonia hardy enough to survive the winters are here.
But there is.
Mums are just past peak. This one is ‘Pumpkin Igloo’.
I just let it grow and then flop over in the fall. I like them better that way, better than those perfectly rounded mums they sell at the garden centers this time of year.
The first autumn crocus showed up in time for bloom day.
Do you think the garden fairies knew to push it up by the 15th so I’d include it? I don’t expect others for a few more weeks.
I’m still trying to get the Japanese anemones to like it here.
I want more than a few blooms!
I’d like the anemones to bloom like this toad lily, Tricyrtis sp.
It’s loaded with blooms right now.
Out in the vegetable garden, the marigolds are hanging on.
And the alyssum is making a strong comeback.
And that’s my bloom day offering!
What’s blooming in your garden as we near the end of the growing season? We would love to have you join in for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day and show us. It’s easy to participate. Just post on your blog about the blooms in your garden on or around the 15th of the month and then come back here and leave a link in the Mr. Linky widget to tell us how to get to your blog and a comment to tell us what you’ve got to show us.
And always remember, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence.
Carol, I haven't been blogging for some time, and I'm glad to see that you're still hosting GBBD. Love your toad lilies. They are quite interesting lookig, and we don't have those here. Happy fall!
Happy to see your asters. Mine are done, but my Japanese anemones are having their best year. We should have our first frost before week's end, and I sorrow at the two mums we planted in the spring (had been gifts to my mother in law) that are covered in buds – but I don't think they will ever live to bloom.
Beautiful blooms ….we have to still wait for two months for mums to bloom,that anemone is startling, marigold and alyssum blooms around fences reminds me of our spring days.
Have a great week ahead.
Autumn seems to have arrived overnight here as well, with temperatures dropping so quickly. There are still a few blooms remaining in the garden and the leaves are just starting to change. The roses thankfully are still blooming away. Your garden still has a lot of blooms for fall and the alyssum are especially stunning! Thanks for hosting and enjoy the garden before it gets way to chilly. Also, congrats again on receiving the gold!
I'm pleased to see that your Tricyrtis is performing. The toad lilies are looking very sorry for themselves in my garden. I have found that anemones take a while to establish – an undivided 6 year-old clump is flowering its socks off here, while the blooms on the younger plants are a bit sparse. So much for dividing perennials every 3 years or so! As always, thank you for hosting
How nice of the garden fairies to push up the first autumn crocus of the season just in time for bloom day! There's still a lot of pretty going on in your garden even with talk of frost in the air. Thanks, as always, for hosting GBBD!
My own garden fairies aren't nearly as cooperative in getting the fall bloomers in line but there's still a lot going on here. Hey, it's Southern California – we may not get much rain but otherwise the weather is fine. Thanks for hosting, Carol!
"better than those perfectly rounded mums they sell at the garden centers this time of year"…yes! So much better…
My hardy begonia got planted in the middle of a corydalis. This reminds me that I need to try and move it. Beautiful blooms! Happy bloom day.
You are only a zone warmer than me, but your garden behaves quite differently. My asters are done, but the mums are just getting started. My toad lilies hardly bloomed at all, but my anemones are going gangbusters. (Anemones do take a couple of years to really get going.) That's one of the things I appreciate about Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day–the chance to compare with gardeners all over the world.
I love the alyssum! Are those full sun plants?
I'm also waiting for the first frost Carol. I love the pink hardy begonia which I have along with a white flowering. They are excellent for late flowering colour. I forget each year though that they are late to show and start to panic. Thanks for hosting 🙂
Your toad lilies are amazing and I love your pale pink begonia. Flowers at this time of year are so precious, coping with extremes of weather.
Your asters look great. Here they grow some years and not others. We have to depend on prairie grasess for color.
Sweet little autumn crocus! And I do love the toad lilies. I lost mine for some reason. I need to replace them.
Looks like our gardens are pretty parallel. I too have that floppy 'Pumpkin Igloo' – I just plan to cut it and use it in an arrangement as it doesn't lend much to my landscape.
Your tricyrtis are amazing! I think mine need more sun that they are getting, because I had only a few blooms this year. I'm happy to be back for Bloom Day after missing three months.
I love the begonias. I had no idea there were any that took that kind of cold!
Your anemone bloomed! Not a single flower on mine this year. I have anemone envy. Thanks, Carol, for hosting. P.x
Hi Carol, i can see some tropical plants now in your garden: begonia, mums and marigolds. They are all lovely there too.
I did not know there were hardy Begonias! I keep mine in pots, and bring them indoors in the winter, and our winters in MS are a lot milder than yours in IN. I must check with the garden centers here to see if they have any.
Thanks for hosting!
Hi Carol,
Japanese Anemone's are wonderful. I highly recommend 'Whirlwind', it's one of my favorites. I see that we share the toad lilies and asters as well.
You've got me thinking about getting asters. Begonias surviving the winter may be a good addition to my garden. Not much here but do have plans for next year.
I'm a bit late with my link as we've been on holiday. Happy to report my strawberries are still in flower!