Monday, October 15, 2012

Bloomday, October 2012

I am a cheater and I freely admit it. Most of these pictures were taken last week, while I could still pretend it was summer. While there was blue sky behind the Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebrinus' blooms.

Which kind of matched the flowers on the Acnistus australis.

And the foliage on the Blue senecio, which is blooming!

I do promise that all of these flowers are still blooming today, on Bloomday, but I simply had to capture the warmth of the sun, before the sky turned grey. Here’s a little more “heat” in the form of Abutilon hybrid 'Fairy Coral Red'…

A very orange, but somewhat shy (facing the wall) Canna...

Grown as an annual in my zone 8 garden Anigozanthos (Kangaroo Paw), once again proved it was money well spent.

Dyckia choristaminea 'Frazzle Dazzle'

The bloom spike emerged so crispy I feared it was dead, but then the soft yellow petals proved otherwise.

Clematis tibetana var. vernayi (yay!)

Kniphofia hirsute

And a new to me Grevillea 'Neil Bell'.

A summer-ish flower, still going strong. Hibiscus syriacus 'Red Heart'…

A new bloom on the psychopathic Hydrangea, which is making it’s final Bloomday appearance as it will be going bye-bye soon! (I’m suddenly very excited about this)…

Euphorbia 'Excalibur,’ reblooming…

Callistemon ‘Woodlander's Hardy Red’ with a random late bloom…

Eucomis pole-evansii, blown over by a strong wind but blooming on in a vase indoors.

Mahonia fortunei 'Curlyque' is blooming a little early I thought, but a quick check reveals it was also in flower for last October’s Bloomday.

What a sucker am I? Well I do love Astelia, but I bought this one at Cistus recently simply because I couldn’t get enough of that crazy bloom spike…

The little Orostachys iwarenge (Chinese dunce caps) are so cute with their soft blooms.

They've kind of lost their pronounced “dunce cap” shape but I don’t mind.

Finally the stereotypical blooms of fall… Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

Hakonechloa

And Chasmanthium latifolium (Northern sea oats), seed heads as flower stand-ins.
So that’s it for blooms here…what does everyone else have blooming in October? Visit May Dreams Gardens to see for yourself...

40 comments:

  1. Love the blues and oranges. Is the dyckia in a pot and how hardy is it?

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    1. It is in a container and reports are zone 8, "maybe" lower. Of course I've done it no favors by letting it set outside in the soaking rain over the last few days...

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  2. Oh, I need that clematis so badly!

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    1. And how fortunate that I saw several of them for sale at Cistus recently!

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  3. Now I understand why they call anigozanthes : kanguroo paws, I've never seen them open like on your picture ! Thanks ! I've learned something today !

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    1. Yay! Glad I could help. Aren't they just the cutest?

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  4. Hooray for Clematis tibetana blooms! I'd never seen Astelia or Orostachys iwarenge in bloom before - they're both way cool.

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    1. I thought the Orostachys iwarenge flowers would be more like a Sempervivum flower, but they opened so much more soft and pretty.

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  5. I had no idea Astelia even bloomed. What a crazy flower.

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    1. Isn't it!? Much better then the short kind of creepy one that I got on my Astelia westland a year ago.

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  6. I have some lantana,vinca, and salvia blooming right now but not much else. I like your blooms much better:)

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  7. Cheating...hahaha...believe me I considered it except much of what was blooming last week is black mush today.

    I'm going to have to google that Kangaroo Paw. What a beyond cool plant!

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    1. I love it! If I lived somewhere that they happily grew I'd have a hundred of them.

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  8. I'm a bit jealous, I have very few blooms here today.

    My white Buddelia still has a few blooms, my Russian Sage bloomed, the Catmint has a few left and that's it for the outdoor plants here.

    Inside, it's the red Anthurium and the white Peace Lily. Heh.

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    1. I really didn't think I had very many either. That's part of the joy of Bloomday though, it helps you realize just how wrong your perceived ideas can be!

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  9. You've got a fine selection of blooms there! So many, almost rivals the the amount of blooms you've shown during the summer months :) I would say the most unique of the lot is a toss up between the Anigozanthos and the Orostachys, with the former looking extra exotic!

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    1. And a lot of them are left over from the summer months! I am loving the Orostachys and praying it does a little self-seeding.

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  10. How do you overwinter the kangaroo paw?
    I think I'm going to have to get a Orostachys iwarenge. Love the blooms!
    One last question: does Chasmanthium reseed like crazy for you as it does here?

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    1. I don't overwinter the Kangaroo Paw, it's $7.99 spent for simple summer joy. One year when I had one in a container I brought it indoors. Within a week it was covered in aphids. Nasty, to the compost it went. Last year (also in a container) I got lazy and just put the container in the garage, to keep it dry so it didn't freeze and crack. I didn't bother to dump the plant but also didn't consider that it would live, but it did. I planted that one right next to this one but all it ever produced was foliage.

      As for the Chasmanthium I've never had a single plant show up from seed. I've got 3 plants but they're all divisions from the one I brought here from Spokane.

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  11. Wow you are growing some seriously cool stuff.

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  12. The dunce caps are adorable, but I love the blues in 2nd and third photos. I've never seen Kangaroo Paws bloom. I tried one in my garden this year, but it died promptly. :(

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    1. I have a friend who planted her K. Paw out to early and it got nipped by frost and died. Of course she bought another.

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  13. Strange to see and hear people on the other side of the world growing and talking about Australias native plants, that kangaroo paw has a pretty colour. Have a nice week.

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    1. Oh Karen I love so many of your Australian plants! Especially my current obsession Adenanthos sericeus or Wolly Bush.

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  14. Beautiful! I used a few pictures from last week too, of plants that are still blooming. I love the sweet flowers on the dunce caps. Isn't it so annoying when flowers face away from you? The Grevillea that I bought this spring has lots of tiny tight little buds on it, I'm really hoping they are going to survive the winter and bloom profusely next year.

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    1. Alison perhaps that Grevillea will do even better than surviving the winter and instead bloom during the winter to brighten your days!

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  15. I also cheated. I knew both days of my weekend would be full, so I had to photograph last week. You are right about spending the money on Anigozanthos, definitely worth it.

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  16. The Dunce Caps are way too cute...love them...and YAY for your Clematis :-D

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    1. And they are so small you've certainly got room to tuck a couple in along your steps!

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  17. If I have to view one more Portland gardening blog I will immediately put my upstate NY house on the market and head out west....I am - I admit it - so envious. Our outdoor flower season here is just about over. Please tell me there is something you can't grow out there. Please. (At least, I now know I'm not the only cheater.)

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    1. There are a couple houses for sale in my neighborhood, how handy!

      Oh there is a lot we can't grow. The Kangaroo Paw for example, it won't winter over (usually, there have been the rare winters). But you're right, we're pretty darn lucky out here.

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  18. Like your miscanthus. Think we have the same canna (Wyoming?) Also want a kangaroo paw!

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    1. I went back and tried to find the name of that Canna but no luck. I hope you find a K. Paw of your own!

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  19. Blooms on your Senecio - wonderful! The indoor Eucomis bloom is gorgeous next to your fireplace tile. My Eucomis blooms all fell down too, but I haven't brought them in. And I see I need a Kangaroo Paw next year - it's clearly money well-spent on a lovely orangey-yellow flower - my favorite.

    Finally, buh-bye to the hydrangea - I'm looking forward to seeing the makeover!

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    1. Patricia has lucked into some very inexpensive K. Paws at Means, FYI. Although I don't think she's scored the orange color.

      I want to start tearing out the Hydrangea right now!!!

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  20. It all looks great! Nothing much left here after a hard freeze last Friday night so I'm going to have to 'cheat' too. LOL

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    1. I am feeling so lucky that we're still a few weeks away from our first freeze (hopefully, knock on wood). You guys are tough!

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