Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - October '09

Blooms are sparse once again in our frosted October garden and
unfortunately, my hopes for a long, warm fall have not been realized. Wet, windy and cold days have followed one upon another, and the occasional sunshine has had very little warmth in it. Dreary to say the least, and snow is in the forecast for the next 4 days. Much too soon! It's a hard pill to swallow, but all is not lost, so let's have a look at what's left in the garden.....

Plenty of orange and brown....

But there are other colors in the Pink Garden. The large Spirea shrub is turning its lovely shade of dark red. There are a few snapdragons still blooming, and plenty of alyssum. The dainty Gaura continues to bloom, and the Dwarf Campanula (blue bell) has been blooming all summer. Only one blue flower is visible at the left front, but there are more out of the picture (Click for a bigger view). At the far end the large clump of....

....Obedient Plant or False Dragonhead (Physostegia Virginiana) is blooming bravely in spite of the fact that we've had 2 or 3 killing frosts this week.

Snapdragons are hardy little souls and will last a while yet, as will Alyssum. There's Heuchera "Key Lime Pie" tucked in amongst them.

The lilac pink flowered Lamium lives on, surrounded by the frost darkened foliage and dead blooms of Dahlias, as well as the lovely dark red Spirea.

There's more Alyssum in the Rose/Clematis Garden and a few other flowers still surviving....Pansies, a few Petunias and pink Verbenas.

"Homestead Purple" Verbena will withstand some pretty cold temperatures before it finally succumbs. And Gloriosa Daisies are tough too.

Hannah enjoys the pale sunshine on the now empty window box shelf between the "Queen Elizabeth" Rose and Clematis Carnaby. The rose blooms are looking sad, but Carnaby's few flowers are still pretty .

Hannah follows me around the corner to the container which brightens the old stone steps. It must be carried into the garage each night now.

Only a handful of Fairytale pumpkins and less than a dozen small gourds grew in our squash patch this summer. And 2 butternut squash. I suppose the ground was too cool and wet for most of the seeds to germinate. It was a sad year for the vegetable garden, but we did enjoy some fresh veggies.

The yellow Chrysanthemum brightens a corner of the Spring Garden.

In the New Rock Garden pansies are a little worse for wear, but still hanging on. There are a few snapdragons surviving here too.

A few self-sown Sunflowers are still colorful beside the bird feeder tray.

In the Lily Garden the Nicotiana are looking ragged, but still showing a little color. Gloriosas and snapdragons are holding their own.

Calendulas can survive a bit of cold. We'll see what's left of them after the expected snow showers. Morning Glories and Zinnias are well and truly zapped.

Cleome still shows a bit of color, and the Phlox over in the Driveway Garden are still offering a few blooms.

The Rock Garden annuals are mostly zapped....

But there are still Gloriosas, and the Verbena bonariensis has a little life left in it. The green plants on the left are Cerinthe Major (from seed shared by Kim of A Study in Contrasts) which unfortunately didn't have time to bloom. Kim, I'll try again next year and get them planted earlier!

Salvia farinacea is still looking lovely.

I planted Anemone de caen/Dutch Windflowers in a pot and this is probably the last pretty bloom.

These pink Tuberous Begonias are now on the covered side porch. The tubers will be stored in peet moss until late March and then started again indoors in trays. The Ivy will overwinter in the cellar under lights.

The side porch also now houses a lot of the Ivy Geraniums. They'll be moved upstairs to bedroom windows when the temperatures drop even more.

The two Abutilons have been brought inside as well. They do well as house plants.

Abutilon "Gold Dust" has such beautiful variegated leaves.

The Angelwing Begonia has lovely blooms at the moment.

I've brought in several Wax Begonias to overwinter as well. Molly likes to sit on the plant shelf and watch the birds at the feeders outside.

I move the Chrysanthemum around to add some color to different spots.

Sometimes by the back door....

Sometimes on the front porch.
Cleo was keeping me company this afternoon....braving the cold. It was a long underwear, winter jacket day. Brrr! Perhaps there's an Indian summer somewhere in our future before Old Man Winter really sets in. I keep hoping....

Happy Bloom day everyone!
Be sure to visit Carol of May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming in other gardens near and far.