Garden Bloggers Bloom Day September 2018

Though not exactly few, the blooms in the garden this month are a bit far between. So here are my September blooms, gathered deceptively into one post. In real life, they are much more diffuse, with foliage carrying the bulk of the interest in the garden. No organization or particular order to these photos, just a quick recording of what's blooming in the garden this month.

First up, the indoor blooms. They help keep me sane (ok, slightly less crazy) during both the dark winter months and the scorching summer months, especially the last two years when those summer months have included wildfire smoke that kept me indoors except for short outdoor forays wearing a mask.

Streptocarpus 'Purple Panda'

Vanda Moonlight Firefly. Tucked in under a shelf, I smelled these blooms before I noticed they were open, though I had known it had several bloom spikes emerging for weeks.

Hoya 'Minibelle'

Tillandsia dyeriana, no true blooms yet, these are the bracts from which the white flowers emerge.

Tillandsia dyeriana has a rather tall spike.

 Moving outdoors...

A white Calluna vulgaris that grew from a volunteer seedling.

Eschscholzia californica 'Mikado Red' with Aster x frikartii 'Mönch', and Calluna vulgaris.

Zinnia 'Queen Lime Red' and 'Envy'.

Close-up with a favorite 'Queen Lime Red'

Bupleurum spinosum, a dwarf relative of the big shrub Bupleurum fruticosum, perfect for rock gardens. Technically, the blooms are past and you're looking at the bright tips of the seed capsules, but they're so pretty against the blue foliage, only slightly dimmer than the flowers were.

Aster x frikartii 'Mönch'

A very late bloom on Penstemon heterophyllus 'Electric Blue'. I've had trouble finding good spots for this plant. Unexpectedly, they seem to need a bit of summer water, and, as expected, don't appreciate hot weather in heavy soil. I'm glad this one seems to be happy.

Fuchsia 'Pat's Dream' isn't my favorite in terms of individual blooms, but it is the most floriferous of all my fuchsias, and earns its place in the garden. 

Close-up of 'Pat's Dream'

I like the flowers of Fuchsia 'Lady Boothby' better, but it's a tall plant that wants something to lean on or clamber through. I need to relocate mine.

Lapageria rosea has been blooming for the last 2 or 3 weeks. Interestingly, I've noticed on Instagram that it's blooming now in its native Chile, as well. Hm, fall blooming here, spring blooming there.

Leycesteria formosa has been blooming since July, it seems.

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides. Love that blue!

Reineckea carnea, added in spring.

Lavandula stoechas 'Bright Luxurios'

Who cares if it's sprawling into the path? I love Veronica (Parahebe) perfoliata for the flowers and the foliage!

Callistemon pityoides 'Excellent' blooming a second time, much more heavily than in spring on this young plant.

So many little brushes!

Still very open and spindly, though. Hard to photograph. I should relocate the bronze carex and plant something darker so the blooms show better. Note the pots. With fall rains beginning to make their return, I'm beginning to return to planting.

Grevillea x gaudichaudii is constantly covered in blooms from spring through fall. I even got a couple seeds this year!

Kniphofia caulescens surprised me with not 2 but 5 bloom spikes this year.

Gotta love those blooms, especially if you're a hummingbird (or a sunbird if you're in South Africa).

The California fuchsias have been blooming for a couple weeks now. I'll let Epilobium septentrionalis 'Wayne's Silver' represent them all, as it's my favorite by far of the ones currently in my garden.

Daboecia cantabrica has been blooming lightly all summer since I sheared it back after the initial spring bloom. It's really enjoying the cooler weather, producing even more blooms.

A late bloom of Erythranthe (Mimulus) cardinalis peaking through the foliage of Stachyurus praecox 'Sterling Silver'

Colchicum blooming in a shade bed. This would look even more striking if the black mondo grass wasn't being smothered by wild strawberries. I may have to intercede on its behalf.

Tricyrtis 'Blue Wonder' has formed a massive clump, about 3 feet wide.

Sadly, it's never been as blue as when I first got it. Still beautiful, though.

Fuchsia 'Delta Sarah' in all its stages.

I resent fuchsias for leaving big holes in the winter, but its hard to be mad at them when they look like this.

Cyclamen purpurascens, blooming as it has all summer.

Beesia rebloom!

Fuchsia 'Genii'

Linnaea borealis has been very happy this year, even reblooming lightly for the last month or so. The secret? Compost and LOTS of water.

Apologies for the blurry photo. Hosta 'The Shining' sent up a massive late bloom spike and I had to share, but I didn't notice until I was loading photos that this one wasn't quite in focus.

Fuchsia magellanica 'Purple Mountain'

Tricyrtis 'Empress'

Abutilon megapotamicum has also been very happy this year.

The flowers fade to peach and look amazing against the backdrop of the silver Pulmonaria leaves.

Gentiana asclepiadea

Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' is fading gracefully.

While Calceolaria arachnoidea is performing an encore.

Alstroemeria 'Glory of the Andes'

Heptacodium miconioides

Dasiphora fruticosa 'Summer Dawn'

Gillia capitata with Helianthus 'Black Beauty' in the background.

Helianthus 'Black Beauty'. It was worth growing these, even if they weren't ready in time for their original purpose.

I love the black-tipped styles on cream columns.

Phygelius 'African Queen' will stand for all the other cape fuchsias still blooming in the garden. I like these a little better than regular fuchsias. They bloomed much longer this year in my garden, recovering from the late February freeze in winter faster than the fuchsias, and are generally more evergreen.

Helianthus 'Strawberry Blonde' and Echinops ritro.

Echinacea 'Balsamenco' (Sombrero Flamenco Orange) was rather short this year from rabbit pruning and the dry spring, but still bloomed well with a bit of supplemental water.

After going semi-dormant during the hottest part of summer, a bit of rain has revived this Diplacus (Mimulus) aurantiacus hybrid enough to offer up a few blooms.

It wouldn't be GBBD without Daphne x transatlantica 'Blafra' (ETERNAL FRAGRANCE), blooming virtually all year unless it gets really cold.

 

The dahlias are all still blooming, of course, but I'll just share a photo of my favorite, 'American Dawn'.

Such a difficult set of colors to capture. The center is more distinctly purple and the petals more strongly orange and less pink, except for the tips and older petals.

And that's it! Many kinds of flowers, though most o them aren't yet making a big impact in the garden. As things continue to mature, certain plants will make a bigger impact, like the Dasiphora fruticosa 'Summer Dawn', which I've repeated throughout the sunny parts of the garden. Thanks to May Dreams Gardens for continuing to host Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. For more bloom day posts, click over to her website.