Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day is a monthly blog post started by May Dreams Gardens over a decade ago where bloggers share what is blooming in their gardens on the 15th of each month. I love seeing ideas for flowers for each season.
Even though my garden is kind of a mess right now due to redoing the layout and transplanting some existing plants, I still have a few blooms to show off. The feature (first) image for this post is Azalea Kimono™ ‘Canzonetta’. I wasn’t expecting it to bloom until spring, so that was a pleasant surprise. I also have purchased some new plants, so that will extend the seasons that I have plants in bloom.
Encore azalea ‘Autumn Ruby’ Camellia ‘Sparkling Burgundy’
Those are two of my new purchases that would allow me to have blooms in fall (and hopefully early winter). I had seen some posts from my Instagram friends in Australia about Camellias. Since they are in the opposite season as me, I am able to get a sneak peek of plants that bloom in late winter, early spring. @ourgardenstory turned me on to Camellias. They are as pretty as (if not prettier than) roses, are evergreen, and don’t seem to have the major pest and disease issues that roses have.
If you want a tough-as-nails, long blooming plant, look no further than this coreopsis. I wish I could remember the name or find the tag, but this has been blooming FOREVER (said with Squints Palledorous voice). First bloomed in spring, and then came back in the summer and is still going strong now.
Another fairly easy to maintain plant with long lasting blooms is the dahlia. I have been so impressed by my dahlia this summer. It hasn’t stopped putting out blooms since June.
Some others that are still going are my crape myrtle, hardy lantana, and hardy hibiscus.
File this next one in the what the what column. My forsythia has put out a few random blooms. It just so happened at the same time, Gardening Know How posted about rhododendrons blooming in October. They said that this can happen when a dry summer is followed by a wet, warm autumn. Learned something new.
Apparently deadheading works because this foxglove is still hanging on. I’ll be curious to see if they come back next year. Not sure if they are perennial or biennial. The tags at Home Depot aren’t always the most helpful.
I am also in love with the beautiful foliage my garden has going on right now.
And, as you can see, my photography skills are just as much a work in progress as my garden is, but hopefully I am improving. Editing is a struggle as well. I’m probably spending way to much time on editing for a blog with such a low readership! Anyways, how’s your October? Any surprise blooms like the forsythia? Is it just me, or does it seem like we are completely skipping over fall? Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!
Shelly, I can’t grow plants like camelias and azaleas because my climate is too hot, dry and windy. I am trying heuchera for the first time this year, though. It is doing well on the north-eastern side of the house, but it’s not as pretty as yours!
I love heucheras! They do really well in my garden, which basically means they can deal with being ignored from time to time. This is my first time trying camellias, so we will see how they do!