Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for September 2024.
Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, the garden is slowly putting on its Autumn colors.
Emphasis on “slowly.” Though we occasionally feel a bit of a chill in the air early in the morning, the days are still hot, like summer!
Despite the heat, the asters still know it’s fall and are opening up for the bees and butterflies
And the tall sedums are showing their colors as well.
Colchicums have been blooming for several weeks now.
This particular clump is under the honeylocust, which is slowly shedding its leaflets. They’ll quickly disappear into the lawn, no raking needed. The colchicums will then just melt into the ground to rest for the winter.
Nearby, the hardy begonia, Begonia grandis, is still blooming.
I like how the backs of the leaves almost look like red flowers.
Nearby, we switch to yellow, offered up by Short’s goldenrod, Solidago shortii ‘Solar Cascade.’
This is one of the most interesting plants in my garden because it is endangered in the wild and was once thought to be extinct. Though found and propagated to be sold, it’s still a protected species in its natural environment. So how is it that I have it in my garden, you ask? You can read the story about how I got it in 2010 and then learn more about it from the Missouri Botanical Garden. Or just do a search for Short’s Goldenrod.
This is the first year I didn’t cut this goldenrod back in the spring to make it cascade a little less than it does and you can see it is quite cascading. It is also demonstrating how drought-resistant it is once it has been established, and it is well established in my garden.
That lawn does look dry, doesn’t it?
That’s because it is dry. We could use some rain, and not just a shower. We could use a couple of days of a slow, soaking rain. Maybe in a few weeks?
I’ll stop whining about the weather now and wrap this up with one more flower, the ever-blooming Geranium ‘Rozanne.
It truly blooms from June to frost.
(Yes, peaking out behind it in the upper right is a Buddleia, a smaller variety that has been quite well-behaved in my garden, and is a source of nectar for visiting butterflies. How astute of you to notice!)
Oh, wait. One more flower!
Verbena bonariensis ‘Vanity‘ has also been blooming most of the summer, attracting all kind of butterflies.
And that’s a brief look at my garden in mid-September for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day.
What’s blooming in your garden as we approach the end of the growing season?
Join in this long-standing meme/tradition and show us what’s blooming in your garden. It’s easy to do. Just post about your flowers on your blog, Instagram, or wherever you are online. Then return here and leave a link in the Mr. Linky widget so we can find you and a comment to let us know what you have to share.
“We can have flowers nearly every month of the year.” – Elizabeth Lawrence
Hi Carol – happy Fall! I see we have Sedums in common this month – mine have grown super tall like your goldenrod. I think I might try the Chelsea chop on them this year. It’s lovely to join in with GBBD again this month – I have a tale of a super resilient plant that’s looking very pretty just now 🙂
next year!
Your garden is beautiful while transiting into fall. I love the colors on your Colchicums, Rozanne Geraniums and Solidago as the seasons change. It has been very dry here as well with clear blue skies and cooler temperatures overall, except for yesterday, comfortable in the evenings, and there is still lots to see. Come see what’s blooming! Happy Bloom Day!
Hi Carol: I love your purple aster and that goldenrod! I’m surprised that your Colchicums are already blooming, mine haven’t peeked out of the ground yet, but then it’s been a lot warmer here in Virginia than where you are.
So many beautiful plants. Thanks so much for sharing. I know you also enjoy them, and they bring a smile to me as well.
Fall flowers are in full swing for you, and I am going to investigate your goldenrod links when I have some time. Beautiful colors on everything.
Lovely autumn blooms.
Carol and garden friends, looking for what is beautiful to discuss is a noble task! Thanks for the chance to see plants better!
Lovely flowers. I really need to plant some perennial geraniums in my garden. I have geranium maculatum but I’m afraid it might be in a spot that is too dry. I guess I’ll know if it returns next year!
Hi Carol, we too are being delighted by the colchicum. What a marvelous flower.
It has been so dry lately, and I keep needing to remind myself to get out there and water the new plants a friend gave me. This is the time of year when i forget and then they quickly expire. Everything looks good at your house! Love the first aster – such a good dark purple!
Thanks Carol! Hope you are making it through our mammoth Elizabeth Goudge this month 😉
My GBBD post is late this month but better late than never…I hope you get cooler temperatures and rain soon! I’m looking forward to both as well but, despite the current cool-down, we can expect the return of summer temperatures well through October, and I’ll count us lucky if we see rain prior to late November.