Despite the fact that I managed to think it was Wednesday when it was actually Thursday, I do know it is has been a beautiful October so far. Yesterday, however, we had the first tremour of frost here on the mountain--not enough to be a killing frost, but enough to remind the plants in our gardens of what's coming. There is still a surprising amount of bloom happening in my garden. I decided to combine some of the blooms into collages because it's easier on my readers than putting up umpteen individual photos and making a loooonnggg post. Above, delicate blue nigella flower and foliage; the well named wallflower 'Pastel Patchwork'; Nepeta and tradescantia flowers; the still dazzling 'Sungold' buddleia.
The bees continue to be very glad about the asters and related flowers: top, 'Alma Potchske' and 'Purple Dome'; bottom, gallardia and a New England aster bathes in the sunlight.
Brilliant red cardinal flower serves up a huge punch of colour; the soft white flowers of eupatorium 'Chocolate', and the glassy berries of arrowwood viburnum 'Chicago Lustre'.
Oh, those echinaceas, rudbeckias, and more asters! A veritable rainbow: 'Secret Desire', 'Green Jewel' and 'Flamethrower' echinaceas; a bee feasting on a common rudbeckia; and the dainty flowers of aster 'Lady in Black'.
Lots of hot pink and magenta providing a little warmth against those cool mornings: a persicaria (name unknown); sedum 'October Daphne'; bee in 'Hansa' rugosa rose; a cluster of 'Martin Frobisher' Explorer roses, and one valiant annual poppy...
Now, to put the Skywatch in this post...unsettled weather in recent days has made for some spectacular skyscapes. Thunderstorms, hail, humidity, galeforce winds...such is the nature of October in the Annapolis Valley. Now, if I can just keep my days straightened out...
The bees continue to be very glad about the asters and related flowers: top, 'Alma Potchske' and 'Purple Dome'; bottom, gallardia and a New England aster bathes in the sunlight.
Brilliant red cardinal flower serves up a huge punch of colour; the soft white flowers of eupatorium 'Chocolate', and the glassy berries of arrowwood viburnum 'Chicago Lustre'.
Oh, those echinaceas, rudbeckias, and more asters! A veritable rainbow: 'Secret Desire', 'Green Jewel' and 'Flamethrower' echinaceas; a bee feasting on a common rudbeckia; and the dainty flowers of aster 'Lady in Black'.
Lots of hot pink and magenta providing a little warmth against those cool mornings: a persicaria (name unknown); sedum 'October Daphne'; bee in 'Hansa' rugosa rose; a cluster of 'Martin Frobisher' Explorer roses, and one valiant annual poppy...
Now, to put the Skywatch in this post...unsettled weather in recent days has made for some spectacular skyscapes. Thunderstorms, hail, humidity, galeforce winds...such is the nature of October in the Annapolis Valley. Now, if I can just keep my days straightened out...
What wonderful blooms you have in Autumn. Amazing!!! Love the collages.
ReplyDeleteYou have managed to get some sky blue in each collage. Beautiful. Happy GBBD on SWF.
ReplyDeleteFabulous blooms ... so many that are unfamiliar plants in my part of the world. I just adore the Nigella and the Wallflower 'Pastel Patchwork'. Your skyscapes are brilliant.
ReplyDeleteThe are all amazing, but i specifically choose the green flower and the dramtic clouds. So even my choice represents the titles :)
ReplyDeleteJodi girl : ) How are ya'!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing all of these gorgeous colourful plants ! My Chocolate has been really amazing this year and I hope even more next year .. it needed time to settle in .. to show off ? LOL .. Yes ! the sky has been showing off here too and I love it .. I want to watch it all the time (but then life comes knocking at the door and I have to stop day dreaming ? haha)
Hope all is well with you and I appreciate the input to my tree question !!
Joy : )
Your collages remind me how rich the flower colours of Autumn are. I'm always aware of richly coloured leaves but the flowers seem to be taking the same path.
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to see that you still have some lovely blooms yet in your garden. Not so here. I posted mosaics too for the same reason.
ReplyDeleteNice clouds. The sky here has just turned a leaden grey, and has been depressing for a good few days. Still, I know that when it finally clears we'll have frost, so it can stay as it is for now!
ReplyDeleteI don't usually like double coneflowers, but 'Green Jewel' might make me change my mind.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, beautiful -- blooms, skies and all!
ReplyDeleteDear Jodi, Your garden is blooming in that moody, autumn way I so love. Sadly for us, September gave us a hard frost that put an end to most of the flowers. (Of course, now that October is stunningly mild, they all want to start again!) *sigh*
ReplyDeleteLovely post! Have a great weekend. :)
Fantastic photos to showcase your beautiful flowers!
ReplyDeleteYou really do have alot of colour in October Jodi. My Lady in Black is still in bud like alot of my asters but they are so new to the garden that I'm not expecting too much from them. I didn't think a red cardinal would survive your winter temperatures - its a lobelia isn't it?
ReplyDeleteThat eupatorium is on my wish list!
Wonderful blooms for mid October, great idea to put them all in mosaics. Love the skywatch mosaic. Take care and have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous collages Jodi! Lovely quilts of blooms and clouds. ;>)
ReplyDeleteThe asters, oh the asters, stand tall through several frosts, heavy rains and lots of wind. Yesterday I was in Boothbay, Maine at Maine Coastal Botanical Garden and I was jealous of the zonal opportunities for fall bloom. Several mountains in Vermont are carrying a foot of snow today but some of what I saw would do well in lower areas.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Dear Jodi, Your collages are a very effective way of showing off a large number of blooms ... I think they work because you do not put too many photos in each one, so every flower can be enjoyed. Lovely post! Pam x
ReplyDeleteThanks, everyone for your nice comments. Of course, today, we had galeforce winds and heavy rains, so I suspect pretty much everything is now mush. I didn't go out to look. That will keep til the morning...
ReplyDeleteRosie/Leavesinbloom, that red flower IS indeed a cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) which is hardy here, but is a short-lived perennial. I have a blue one as well, and one with deep purple-red foliage; sometimes they come back, sometimes they seed, sometimes they disappear. The most reliably hardy one for me is water lobelia, L. siphilitica, which I have in both blue and white flowers. They're all pretty fine.
Your close-ups are really nice... and so many different blooms! L
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blooms and such dramatic sky captures.
ReplyDeleteJodi - I really like your 'collage' idea; it still has the 'pop', but in a neat, concise format (and the photos are gorgeous besides).
ReplyDeleteCool post!
Really pretty blooms and I like your mosaics. I always look forward to them on Bloom Day. I had no idea there was a Sky Watch Friday Meme.I just posted Niagara Sky for a post today. Another blogger just let me know and I missed it by a day. Thanks for the link. I will see if I can be added. If not, bookmark for next time.
ReplyDeleteJodi, you never disappoint. Lovely blooms and magically displayed. Hold the frost at bay just a bit longer, please.
ReplyDeleteI love your photographic bouquets of flowers and skies! And I love the dramatic weather. Down on the other side of the continent our clouds just seem to blot out the sky...mild but not particularly dramatic.
ReplyDeleteWow, jodi! Amazing what you have blooming there! Nothing like that here, but lack of rain will do that. Gorgeous photos!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos, Jodi! I'm amazed at all that you still have blooming in your garden. Enjoy every moment of them while they last.
ReplyDelete'Green Jewel' is all kinds of amazing. What a beautiful color and bloom.
ReplyDeleteVery struck with the Green Jewel - it's new to me.
ReplyDeleteThe patchwork of collages is great. Very elegant.
Lucy
Gorgeous blooms...that Nigelaa is just dreamy!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous pictures - the collages are very effective. I'm impressed that you still have so many blooms! Thanks for sharing them and inspiring us.
ReplyDelete