I'm two days early for Bloom Day but hopefully you don't mind. Weather conditions here have been so variable, I've no idea what to expect from my garden the rest of this month but there are still a lot of flowers at the moment. The biggest show is in the cutting garden, where the dahlias continue to reign supreme. This may be my most prolific dahlia season yet, even if they took their time getting started.
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| Clockwise from the upper left, this group includes: Dahlias 'Breakout', 'Calin', 'La Luna', the noID variety that was sold as 'French Can Can' but isn't that, 'Romantique', and 'Summer's End' |
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| Top row: Dahlias 'Belle of Barmera' and 'Lady Darlene' Bottom row: Mutant and normal forms of Dahlia 'Fairway Spur' and D. 'Labyrinth' |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlias 'Enchantress', 'Iceberg', 'Lavender Ruffles', and 'Mikayla Miranda' |
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| Helianthus 'Sunbelievable Brown-Eyed Girl' deserves its name. My seed-grown sunflowers are already gone. |
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| Rudbeckia hirta 'Cherokee Sunset' has bountiful blooms too |
Cosmos and zinnias share space in the raised planters of the cutting garden with the dahlias but they're fading fast. Like the dahlias, their foliage is afflicted with powdery mildew, which is common this time of year when our morning marine layer often combines with wind and higher afternoon temperatures.
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| Cosmos bipinnatus in a range of colors |
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| Top row: Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Purple' and pink and yellow varieties from 'Candy Mix' Middle: noID varieties in gold, orange, and pink Bottom: Zinnias 'Queen Orange Lime' and 'Mazurkia' |
Outside the cutting garden there were some welcome surprises.
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| This Malayasian orchid (Medinilla myriantha) started blooming well over a month ago. It was a pale pink that gradually turned this delicious purple color with hot pink stems. |
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| Top row: I had to scour my records to identify Amarine belladiva 'Emanuelle' (left) and Lycoris springeri (right) Bottom: Hebe 'Grace Kelly' and Hippeastrum 'Luna' blooming off-schedule |
A few other plants are beginning their seasonal appearances.
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| Eriocapitella hupehensis (aka Japanese anemone) |
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| noID Liriope muscari |
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| The Osteospermums are gradually reawakening, although I've recently cut much of their scruffy summer foliage back. The plant on the left is a self-seeded variety that reminds me a little of O. 'Berry White' except that the undersides of the petals aren't pink. I think the plant on the right is O. '4D Violet Ice'. |
I can always rely on certain regulars.
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Gazanias 'Gold Flame', noID orange variety, 'Otomi', and 'White Flame' |
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| The unsinkable Grevillea 'Superb', which blooms all year long |
I've sorted the best of the rest into color-themed collages.
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| Top row: noID Angelonia, Pelargonium peltatum 'Blizzard Blue', and Polygala myrtifolia Middle: Calibrachoa 'Superbells Double Blue', Duranta repens 'Sapphire Showers', and Nemesia 'Sun Glow Bi-color' Bottom: Leucophyllum laevigatum, Salvia 'Mystic Spires', and Symphyotrichum chilense |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Achillea ptarmica, Angelonia 'Archangel White'. noID Dipladenia, Eustoma grandiflorum, noID Pentas, and Phyla nodiflora |
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| Top row: 2 pink-toned Catharanthus roseus and Cuphea 'Honeybells' Middle: Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', noID coral Dipladenia, and Fuchsia 'Windchimes White' Bottom: Gaillardia 'Spintop Copper Sun', Leucadendron 'Summer Red', and Pelargonium peltatum 'Burgundy' |
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| Top row: noID orange and yellow Calibrachoa and Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam' Middle: Cuphea 'Vermillionaire', Faucaria tigrina, and Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' Bottom: Lantana camara 'Irene', Melinus nerviglumis, and Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' |
That's my flower show for this month! For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens on October 15th, its traditional day of observation. In the meantime, best wishes for a pleasant weekend.
All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party