Welcome, once again, to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day!
I walked around the garden on this beautiful, brisk, sunny morning to see what’s blooming in mid-October in my central Indiana garden.
I’m in USDA Hardiness Zone 6a. Usually, by now we’ve had a frosty morning or two, but so far this fall, we’ve only flirted with some frost that settled on a few rooftops a few nights ago.
The garden barely noticed it!
What’s blooming now?
First up, I have some bright yellow mums in front surrounded by the ever-blooming Geranium ‘Rozanne.’ I’m quite pleased with how that geranium has been blooming steadily since June, playing nicely with whatever other blooms come and go in the front garden. I want those mums to perennialize and come back next year.
Another late bloomer in front is Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, commonly called leadwort.
Those blue flowers and changing foliage color are certainly signs that this is late in the season.
In the back garden, the asters are finishing up, quicker than I’d like.
Some of the asters have already gone to seed, so I need to decide if I will let those seedheads stay and end up with more asters everywhere, or should I try to contain them a bit and stop the rampant self-sowing? I think I’ll go with rampant self-sowing for now since asters are generally easy to pull out where you don’t want them. Of course, I won’t be too quick to yank them because this time of year, I’m happy to have them scattered throughout the garden.
Nearby, the Japanese anemone is starting to bloom.
Oh, that is not a great picture, with a shadow of me, but you can see that one white anemone flower, can’t you? The wheelbarrow of impatiens also made it into the picture. They are still going strong!
Back in the Vegetable Garden Cathedral, the nasturtiums love these cooler days.
I sowed seeds for these in May. They always struggle through the hot summer, barely hanging on, but as soon as it cools down, they really get going and will go until a hard freeze knocks them back.
The zinnias and marigolds growing along the back fence are well past their prime.
But don’t tell them that. They are still putting out some flower buds as though this season could go on for quite a bit longer. “Never quit!” they say, “until you’re knocked down by frost.” As long as they are producing new flowers, I’ll cheer them on and try to do the same.
I’m also cheering on my favorite marigolds, the Signet marigolds, Tagetes tenuifolia.
I grew these marigolds from seeds I collected last year. I’ll collect more seeds this fall and grow even more of them!
If I didn’t show you a pansy, you’d wonder what was wrong with me!
I planted pansies and violas here and there for “fall into winter” color. Of course I did!
Finally, if you are still reading this, thank you for staying for the full tour. Here’s one last photo to show you.
Those of you who recognize these as little crocuses coming up might wonder if I slipped in a spring photo just to fool you. I assure you, I didn’t! These are the autumn crocuses, Crocus speciosus, waking up to ensure I’ll have some more blooms later in October, perhaps early November. It’s “spring” for them!
There are other flowers out there… tall sedums, a few tiny carnations, an even tinier bit of a creeping veronica, plus a couple of valiant violets with one or two blooms. Oh, and some roses. But I sense you are ready to move on, so I’ll wrap this up with an invitation to look around your own garden and share with me and others what you have blooming, by asking, as I do every month…
What’s blooming in your garden as we approach the end of this year’s growing season? Why don’t you join in for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day and show us?
It’s easy to participate. Just post on your blog, Substack, Instagram, or wherever you share online, about what’s blooming in your garden on or around the 15th of the month. Then come back here and leave a link in the Mr. Linky widget so we know how to find you on the internet and post a comment to tell us what you have to show us.
Go on now, I’ve enjoyed having you visit me and my garden, but I want to see your garden too! And if you don’t have a garden, head out to a park or public garden, get some fresh air, and see what they have in flower now.
“We can have flowers nearly every month of the year.” – Elizabeth Lawrence
It seems I had a long season with my hardy geranium this year, also. I’m a little surprised that your Japanese anemone is only now starting to bloom; you are normally ahead of me in the Southern Tier of New York and mine are starting to finish up. Like you, I love to have asters in my weary early fall garden. Have a happy GBBD!
We are at a very similar point in the bloom calendar this year, with our asters finishing up early with the heat and drought. I always let mine reseed, but this has caused a problem in my Cottage Garden so they are all getting removed in there, hopefully this fall during bulb planting. Our earlier pink Jap Anemone were finished weeks ago but ‘Honorine Jobert’ is just getting going, which is her allure for me and why I always suggest that one to others even though it is an old variety. Happy GBBD Carol! And I just saw that I missed you on Garden Masterclass in May when I was sick. So fun hearing about your discoveries in your interview!
Beautiful blooms, Carol! The gardens here in Madison are in a similar state; we are late with our first frost, too. All my annuals are still blooming strong. Thanks for hosting!
Fall is a wonderful time to venture out into the garden to see what is blooming and to appreciate nature, so thank you for encouraging all of us to do that. It looks like our gardens are pretty much in the same state for this time of year. We just got over our first nor’easter which started the leaves to change and now it is really starting to look fall-like. Happy GBBD!
Bloom Day post at: https://landscapedesignbylee.blogspot.com/2025/10/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-foliage.html
I wish Geranium ‘Rozanne’ did as well in my garden as it does in yours! It was fine in my former tiny garden just 15 miles from my current one but it hated conditions in my hotter, drier garden here. Not that I’m lacking in flowers from other sources, but I did love ‘Rozanne’.
Your mums and asters are lovely, Carol, leave those asters to seed themselves! I’m wondering which autumn flowering crocuses you have that are coming up? Maybe there’s yet hope for some bloom from my C. speciosus.
Mr. Linky doesn’t like my link to an Instagram post, so here it is: https://www.instagram.com/p/DP2bHxLjuZQ/?img_index=1 We had a hard freeze last Friday when it got down to 23°F (-5°C). There are still some colchicums blooming and many phlox have some flowers open. The first hard freeze is useful for getting an idea of where the warm spots are. If a plant is still blooming in one spot but is a brown, withered clump in another, that tells you that the flowering plant is in a warmer microclimate.
The marigolds are so cheery and lovely, what a great addition!
Hi Carol, I’ve never had the sense that your garden was 6A. You seem to be able to grow a lot of variety. — jw
Yes, 6a! There’s a lot we can grow here!
So many wonderful blooms, but I am partial to that sweet pansy.
I’m also quite partial to pansies, and violas! My favorites.
I especially love the first pic with the hardy geranium. It reminds me I really need to plant some! And I’m jealous your asters are still blooming, mine are long gone unfortunately.
I just posted a belated bloom day post, better late than never, right?
Yes, always better late than never! I’ll check it out!