October 15, 2019

Still Blooming in October

tithonia
Tithonia rotundifolia 'Goldfinger'

I was near certain most of the blooms in this post would be curled up and gone after our forecast of a hard frost or freeze a few nights ago. But Mother Frost decided to spare us for a few days. I felt compelled to participate in Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, because this likely will be the last one of the season for me, in my USDA hardiness zone 5a garden.

Sometimes when the surrounding area is hit with frost, we are spared because of the woods, our position on a hill, and the warmth of a nearby lake.

We did have some wicked winds with nasty windchills, though, but the only plants that were affected were most of the Coleus varieties in pots, and the Tithonias. The latter are still alive, though, and are blooming again.

canna
Canna indica 'South Pacific Orange'

I admit I covered the potted All-America Selections (AAS) winner, Canna 'South Pacific Orange.' It hadn't bloomed all summer (because of my shady garden), and since it was just about to bloom, I wanted to spare it. I won't protect it again, but with mild weather this week maybe it will put on a brilliant show on its way out.

ng impatiens
Impatiens hawkeri 'Sonic Light Pink'

I also covered the potted New Guinea Impatiens because...well, I just wanted to. Turns out, maybe I wouldn't have had to, but who knew?

pots n pumpkins
Fuchsia 'Dollar Princess' with friends

None of the Fuchsias were covered, but they're just fine, including 'Dollar Princess,' in two pots by the door with various Impatiens, gnarly Coleus, and Thuja occidentalis, which will serve as year-round centerpieces. For the holidays, I'll surround them with pine cones and other decorations.

fuchsia 1
Fuchsia 'Marinka'

'Marinka' just keeps blooming and budding. I'll probably bring a couple of these indoors to overwinter, because I love them so much.

fuchsia
Fuchsia triphylla 'Gartenmeister Bonstedt'

Standing Fuchsia 'Gartenmeister Bonstedt' is new for me. It has budded and bloomed continuously since early May when I bought it.

zinnia stems
Mixed Zinnia elegans

I cut a bunch of Zinnias because I thought they were my last; they're still waiting to go in a vase--I need to get my act together.

zinnia bud
Z. elegans

Turns out, more Zinnias will bloom this week.

calamintha
Calamintha nepeta

The tiny blooms of Calamintha nepeta are so precious and fragrant.

calamintha with bee
C. nepeta

The bees love them, too.

tagetes
Tagetes erecta 'Big Duck Gold'

This AAS winner, Marigold 'Big Duck Gold' keeps going strong, and has plenty of visitors.

tagetes with butterfly
T. erecta 'Big Duck Gold'

If you look closely, you'll see that the grasshoppper in the previous photo was joined by a painted lady butterfly; the blooms are so big they can share a perch.

conoclinium
Conoclinium coelestinum

Some of the Blue Mistflowers have gone to seed, but some are still blooming.

sedum
Sedum 'Autumn Joy' with C. coelestinum

In the side sunny garden, the Mistflower is trying to take over, and is crowding the Sedum a bit. I do like the color combination, though.

lantana
Lantana camara 'Bandana Rose'

The Lantanas were crowded out a bit, too, this year, but they're still blooming.

cuphea
Cuphea 'FloriGlory Diana'

Another AAS winner, Mexican Heather 'FloriGlory Diana,' is still blooming and setting buds. Although I have it in partial sun, it faces south and gets enough light to flower.

coreopsis
Coreopsis tripteris

Tall Tickseed is new for me this year...well, I should say it's new in its current spot. I found a volunteer in the sunny garden last season and moved it. I've been warned that it can be aggressive, so I put it in a confined area. I really like this bright, native plant, but I'll try to keep it from spreading too far.

cosmos
Cosmos bipinnatus 'Sensation Mix'

Finally, the elegant Cosmos flowers keep sharing their airy beauty. Wouldn't it be nice to live in a place where Cosmos always blooms?

How about you? What's blooming in your garden? I'm linking in with "Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day" over at May Dreams Gardens. Check it out!

****************

UPDATE on the monarchs from a previous post:
  • Jeffrey was indeed a male (there was discussion of renaming him Jennifer Lopez if a female, but no need). RELEASED
  • Gus was a female, so her full name is Augustina. RELEASED
  • Spike was a female and was set free in front of all the 4th and 5th graders at the school. RELEASED
  • The late bloomer, named "Youngblood" by the students, formed its chrysalis on Monday, 9/23. Female. RELEASED, 10/7--before the cold weather set in.

33 comments:

  1. My cosmos won't stop either, but I'm getting tired of them! I grew tall corepsis for the first time (the annual?), plains and tall red plains. So gorgeous. I have several perennial ones as well, which spread so much. I also ordered some seeds for Mahogany Midget!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tired of Cosmos? I can't imagine it. ;-) Your Coreopsis collection sounds lovely. Happy GBBD!

      Delete
  2. My goodness, you have lots still blooming. My garden doesn't look too bloomy. I think the drought really put things out sooner than normal. Even my sedums are dried up. UGH....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Drought is awful--I remember it from 2012. I got tired of all the rain we had this spring/summer/fall, but I do think it keeps the plants happy. Maybe it's helped them last a little longer.

      Delete
  3. Wow, Beth, your zone 5 garden is really defying the odds! Based on the incipient Canna bloom, the fuchsias and the impatiens, I might have guessed that you lived in a sub-tropical climate. I hope you manage to avoid frost awhile longer yet. Happy GBBD!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know frost (and winter) is just around the corner, but it's nice to have a little more time with some blooming plants. I don't know if the Canna will ever bloom, but it's been fun to watch it. Happy GBBD!

      Delete
  4. I have blue mistflower growing down by the barn - I forgot to include it!
    I do not have any luck growing fuchsia, and that makes me admire yours even more.
    Love to the pollinators!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love Blue Mistflower, and I'll go out of my way to help it survive the hungry bunnies. If I don't fence it, they eat it. The Fuchsias are all in pots and hanging baskets. They seem to like the conditions here--especially 'Marinka.'

      Delete
  5. This post made me smile. To think we are still blooming in the middle of October.
    Thank you for sharing your garden.
    Love, Carla

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know: It's fabulous. Have you had much frost up in Central WI?

      Delete
  6. Oh i love the color of your cosmos. As i said in my post we only have orange and yellow here in the country, so when i saw a red in my friend's garden in the south i asked for some. She got it from abroad. And that butterfly is so lovely too. By the way your zone 5 is very cold our equivalent is maybe more than zone 10 or hotter than that, yet zinnia thrives there. It has a wide range of adaptation. I love it but it easily gets mildews here, so i refrain from planting it even if the butterflies love it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Andrea! Yes, zone 5 is cold--very cold--but only in the winter. We really have the extremes here--very, very cold in the winter, and actually quite hot and long, sunny days in the summer. So, it's a shorter growing season, but things grow fast during the summer. I love all colors of Cosmos and Zinnias!

      Delete
  7. Beautiful blooms ,shot of butterfly on Tagetes is amazing.Happy bloggers blooms day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! It's always such a thrill to see butterflies. :)

      Delete
  8. So nice to have some floral color this morning, thanks :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are welcome, Hollis. This week, we are colder and things are really starting to go dormant and decompose for the winter. But the blooming in early autumn was nice while it lasted!

      Delete
  9. So much happening in your garden compared to mine. Only things still blooming are the toad lilies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I tried growing toad lilies, but they only lasted a couple of years. I think the rabbits ate them. I should try again.

      Delete
  10. Great photo of the unopened Zinnia bud!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Loree. I think I like the buds as much as the flowers!

      Delete
  11. Our Tithonia still has a few flowers, but mostly it is covered with seed heads, as I have stopped deadheading. I wish I had more Conoclinium. Where I have it the ferns tend to dominate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This week, the Tithonia are pretty much gone. We've had so much windy, cool weather, and they don't like that at all. :(

      Delete
  12. Thanks for mentioning the AAS winners. We appreciate the support.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are welcome. Thanks for the amazing plants and the information about them!

      Delete
  13. Lots of Cosmos grows 'wild' up North - apparently it arrived here with fodder for horses during the Anglo-Boer War.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, wild Cosmos--that would be wonderful! I know they're native wildflowers in Mexico. It would be so wonderful to have them blooming year-round. So many aspects of the plant to appreciate!

      Delete
  14. Flower pickins are getting slim here. The pollinators are moving in slo mo. I love you rphotos especially the tithonia backlit with sunshine and the soon to open zinna bud,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Becky. Things are really slowing down here this week. It's kind of strange to see the difference a week can make this time of year. Even though we haven't had a frost or freeze here yet, things are really starting to senesce.

      Delete
  15. Great that you still have so much blooming this time in October. Fall seems to be late all over the country. Makes me wonder how winter is going to unfold.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Apparently, we're in for another harsh one here in the north. I guess that's normal, but I'm not looking forward to it. ;-)

      Delete
  16. So many gorgeous blooms. I wish I could make Zinnias happy, they make me smile.

    ReplyDelete
  17. You have so many lovely blooms! I especially like your blue mistflower/sedum combination. I had this same combination in my own garden. The blue mistflower did very well, but the sedum was horribly affected by our extreme heat and drought in August and September. It looked so awful I pulled it out. I would have expected it do do better.

    ReplyDelete

DEAR ANONYMOUS VISITORS: Please include your FIRST NAME. We need to know you're a real person. Security updates mean your comments likely will NOT be published unless you include your name. Sorry. Also, comments with hyperlinks might not make it through the heightened security system.

Your comment might not appear right away (even though we love you). PlantPostings uses comment moderation, and we read every comment before we publish.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great gardening day!