Sunday, September 16, 2012

What's Bloomin' - September 2012

We've had a few gloriously wet, dreary days here in north central Texas.  Glorious and dreary may seem to be a contradiction in terms, but after a hot, dry Texas summer, a few days of wet and dreary is pretty glorious :-)


Here's a look at what's blooming in my garden this month.


Against the bold backdrop of 'King Humbert' Canna, my favorite perennial Salvia greggii is starting to put on its autumn show.  'Karley Rose' Fountain Grass adds wispy texture.


The bright red color of a volunteer Salvia coccinea pops against the sea of blue 'Henry Duelberg' Salvia.   I love free plants, especially when they grow in just the right spot :-)  These red tubular blooms are hummer magnets, too (sorry I'm not quick enough to get a picture).


And more Salvia greggii, violet this time.   
The 'Regal Mist' Muhly Grass (lower left) is just starting to plume.


More free plants, 
the annual Melampodium reseeds here and there in my garden
 and is always welcome.


Here the Melampodium popped up near 'Helen von Stein' Lamb's Ear.   In the upper left side is a tiny remnant of 'Autumn Fire' Sedum trying to bloom.   Try as I might, 'Autumn Joy/Fire' Sedum just does not grow well in my garden.


The lone rose in my garden ('Knock-Out') does seem to be happy in this spot. 
It anchors the corner by the driveway.


Below the 'Knock-Out' Rose, I grow 'Azure Skies' Heliotrope and Zexmenia.  These two plants don't photograph very well, but they are two of the toughest plants I have in my garden, blooming nonstop even in the hottest of summers.


Rudbeckia 'Triloba' brightens up a partially shady spot under my 'Fire Dragon' Shantung Maple tree.   Another bulletproof plant, Purple Heart, sprawls below.

Here are some wider shots of the front perennial beds.

Moving to the backyard...


Garlic Chives are blooming along the flagstone walk to the backyard.    I am planning to transplant some of these to areas where I am currently growing daylilies.   Since the foliage looks similar, I am hoping it will blend in with the daylily fans and will add some fall blooms to areas where the daylilies only bloom spring and summer.   I'll let you know how it works out next fall.


One of the mainstays of my shady backyard is native, fall-blooming Turk's Cap.   I have Spanish Bluebell bulbs planted below for spring color.   In other areas, I inter-plant with 'Texas Gold' Columbine for spring blooms.


'African Blue' Basil.  If you plant it, they will come.    Bees, that is.


Hummingbirds love the tubular blooms of the 'Black & Blue' Salvia (Salvia guaranitica)


Annual Pentas are ready for the butterflies


Even the unassuming Variegated Liriope is getting in on the fall show


Fresh raindrops still on its petals, the Rain Lily lives up to its name :-)


And as we leave the backyard, you can see that the Hyacinth Bean Vine has completely covered the new arbors we had built this spring.

I hope you have enjoyed this tour of September blooms in my garden.   

Want to see more blooms?  Visit May Dreams Gardens

Toni :-)


19 comments:

  1. Beautiful Gardens planted with great plants! I love my Salvia coccinea too. It`s the workhorse of my garden. Love the blog, I`ll be back again and again.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a difference a little rain in a warm climate makes. Your garden has beautiful layers and texture combinations, and the sweeps of the borders are so nice. I love the canna with the finer leaved plants below it. And what a graceful punctuation the new arbor and flowering vine add! Beautiful shots.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I want my garden to look like your garden someday. Seriously!!! I'm also planning on sowing garlic chives this week to add to my daylily beds. We must think alike! I couldn't find plants so I bought seeds. :o) i love the salvia with the grasses. Beautiful!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great minds think alike! I hope our little chive/daylily experiment works :-) Can't hurt to try, right? Keep me posted!

      Delete
  4. Oh sweet--your Hyacinth Bean vine puts mine to shame! Absolutely lovely. And the walkway to the backyard looks enchanting with the plants so healthy and full. Sigh...your garden looks wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You have such a lovely garden with bushes and shrubs tidily planted. Its every gardener's dream to achieve a garden as gorgeous as yours.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful garden. The canna is a great backdrop, I like the yellow and purple combination, and even the liriope looks spectacular!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great post.Beautiful house and garden.I really enjoy reading about your gardening experiences and looking at the photog’s. I like following others’ gardening/growing experiences.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think I really like your use of garlic chives. It is unexpected and very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Heliotrope. It looks lovely! I wonder where in North Texas did you find it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I got the heliotrope from a friend of mine -- she propagated it from her plant. I cannot say that I have ever found it at a nursery. It is such a great plant!!

      Delete
  10. Did your Fred Meyer Whites ever grow? Mine are popping up! So excited! I thought they had died. Please check out the Garden Love column on my blog. :o)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love your blog so much - I live not too far from you (Southlake), but I'm a beginner gardener... can you tell me what you are planting NOW for fall color, or what I should plant now that is a good perennial? elizhuffman at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elizabeth, refer to this previous post for a list of some of the best plants in my garden.

      http://signaturegardens.blogspot.com/2011/11/survivor-texas-garden-edition.html

      Delete
  12. Your garden is bursting with colors. Those flowers are beautifully blooming. I think its because of the rain. Thank God for the rain.
    Artificial grass

    ReplyDelete
  13. Apologies if this comment is inappropriate.

    Readership is the life blood of any Garden Blog!
    New aspiring Garden Bloggers need Readers especially!
    Can you help promote a possible solution for them?

    Blooming Blogs: http://www.bloomingblogs.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. they are all fantestic pictures and lookwise so beautiful

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have a severe case of spring fever. Your garden photos were very helpful, thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great to know the -- in depth from this blog.This will really help for my forward steps to be taken.Awnings Las Vegas

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.