• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – October 2018

October 15, 2018 By Carol Michel 24 Comments

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.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: garden bloggers bloom day

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lady of LaMancha says

    October 15, 2018 at 8:08 am

    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!

    Reply
  2. Alana says

    October 15, 2018 at 11:14 am

    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.

    Reply
  3. Arun Goyal says

    October 15, 2018 at 12:03 pm

    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.

    Reply
  4. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening says

    October 15, 2018 at 1:44 pm

    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!

    Reply
  5. Sarah Shoesmith says

    October 15, 2018 at 1:58 pm

    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

    Reply
  6. outlawgardener says

    October 15, 2018 at 2:47 pm

    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!

    Reply
  7. Kris Peterson says

    October 15, 2018 at 3:56 pm

    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!

    Reply
  8. danger garden says

    October 15, 2018 at 4:14 pm

    "better than those perfectly rounded mums they sell at the garden centers this time of year"…yes! So much better…

    Reply
  9. Phillip Oliver says

    October 15, 2018 at 4:18 pm

    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.

    Reply
  10. Kathy says

    October 15, 2018 at 4:21 pm

    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.

    Reply
  11. Unknown says

    October 15, 2018 at 6:05 pm

    I love the alyssum! Are those full sun plants?

    Reply
  12. Anna says

    October 15, 2018 at 7:22 pm

    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 🙂

    Reply
  13. Pauline says

    October 15, 2018 at 7:34 pm

    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.

    Reply
  14. Brenda in South Dakota says

    October 15, 2018 at 8:49 pm

    Your asters look great. Here they grow some years and not others. We have to depend on prairie grasess for color.

    Reply
  15. Dorothy Borders says

    October 15, 2018 at 9:48 pm

    Sweet little autumn crocus! And I do love the toad lilies. I lost mine for some reason. I need to replace them.

    Reply
  16. WashingtonGardener says

    October 15, 2018 at 10:11 pm

    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.

    Reply
  17. MulchMaid says

    October 15, 2018 at 10:30 pm

    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.

    Reply
  18. Lisa says

    October 15, 2018 at 11:11 pm

    I love the begonias. I had no idea there were any that took that kind of cold!

    Reply
  19. Pam's English Garden says

    October 16, 2018 at 2:46 am

    Your anemone bloomed! Not a single flower on mine this year. I have anemone envy. Thanks, Carol, for hosting. P.x

    Reply
  20. Andrea says

    October 16, 2018 at 3:26 am

    Hi Carol, i can see some tropical plants now in your garden: begonia, mums and marigolds. They are all lovely there too.

    Reply
  21. Lea says

    October 16, 2018 at 2:04 pm

    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!

    Reply
  22. John says

    October 17, 2018 at 2:10 am

    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.

    Reply
  23. Pat says

    October 18, 2018 at 6:23 pm

    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.

    Reply
  24. VP says

    October 21, 2018 at 8:23 pm

    I'm a bit late with my link as we've been on holiday. Happy to report my strawberries are still in flower!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,065)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Sign up for my new substack newsletter

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT