Frost is not the end, just the beginning of the end
We had our first frost on Monday, 26F (~-3C). And another frost this morning, 27F (also ~-3C). We often seem to skip the light frosts altogether and go straight for the hard stuff. Buh-bye, dahlias, cannas, and cosmos. But there are plenty of plants still blooming.
A good gardening friend gave me a piece of Salvia koyamae this fall. This salvia from Japan prefers shade.
Here’s a close-up of the flowers. It’s hardy to USDA zone 4.
Heterotheca villosa ‘Ruth Baumgardner’ grows to 4-5 ft (1.2-1.5m) in my garden and is blooming its head off right now, frost or no frost.
1.’Rosy Dawn’ 2. ‘The Giant’ 3. ‘Lilac Wonder’ 4. ‘Nancy Lindsay’ 5. ‘Poseidon’ 6. C. giganteum 7. C. speciosum 8. ‘Waterlily’ 9. ‘Zephyr’ 10. ‘Harlekijn’ 11. C. cilicicum 12. C. autumnale ‘Album’ 13. C. autumnale 14. ‘Glory of Heemstede’ 15. C. x byzantinum 16. C. x byzantinum ‘Album’ 17. C. x agrippinum 18. C. autumnale ‘Alboplenum’ 19. ‘Spartacus’ all blooming October 7, 2016.
This is the first bloom of my patch of Sheffield mums. They will bloom into November, depending on how cold the nights get.
This phlox was a deeper pink when it bloomed the first time in July and August.
All of my roses are blooming again. This is Flower Carpet Pink Supreme, which has more of a orange cast to its flowers with the cooler temps. It was a lot pinker earlier in the season.
And I have to put in a good word for the At Last™ rose from Proven Winners.
Some foxgloves are putting out a few new spires.
Actually, these forget-me-nots are blooming for the first time. I started them as seedlings and planted them out quite late–in July, I think. They somehow think they’ve been through winter and have started blooming. Are they in for a surprise!
And the cool weather annuals are making a comeback. I particularly like this combination of golden feverfew (somewhat perennial) and sweet alyssum.
Inspired by the words of Elizabeth Lawrence, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year,” Carol of May Dreams Gardens started Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. On the 15th of every month, garden bloggers from all over the world publish what is currently blooming in their gardens. Check it out at May Dreams Gardens.
We have no blooms because we are under water restrictions. I’ve lost all my perennials and I’m fairly sure they will not be returning next year. The local police are actually patrolling neighborhoods looking for water violations.
I am very sorry to hear that.
wow nice article you’ve got there. very informative.
great work!
I forgot to post on bloom day, but I loved seeing your garden. I have more than I thought after the frost, but enjoying them, and all the GBBD posts. I love your rose and have been surprised by my Lion’s Fairy Tale rose still in bloom.
Beautiful! I love the garden in Fall! I actually prefer Spring and Fall gardens to Summer. They somehow are just more interesting to me. It’s the tough guys out there now. I am patiently waiting for Monkshood to bloom. Also Turtlehead is still going strong. And of course, I am in love all over again with Panicum ‘Dallas Blues.’ We have had two frosts now as well, but today it is surprisingly warm and rainy. We could use that rain. The Autumn colors are extremely beautiful which surprises me after such a dry summer. I love that sweet little Salvia! And, once again I am so impressed by your Colchicum collection.
Oh dear – I have to confess that 12 of your Colchiums look identical to me, sorry.
But all your blooms look so fresh and Spring-like. I like your apricot rose and would appreciate it not being a D.A. one for a pleasant change. I wonder if we can get it from that grower of yours over here.
When they are all bunched together like that, a lot of the differences inside the flower go unseen. Also, the camera doesn’t distinguish between colors as well as the human eye does. But you would not be the first person to find that many colchicums don’t look different enough to make a difference. I am that way with snowdrops. The rose is marketed by Proven Winners here. I don’t know if they sell in Great Britain or not.
My twice-blooming dwarf lilac has one enormous stalk with a huge fragrant lilac. And my twin mandavillas sre still blooming furiously as are the impatiens which “died” during the summer heat. This is zone 5.
I think your impatiens had impatiens downy mildew disease. The timing and dying plants sounds right for it.
Yes, I believe you are a little warmer than my garden here, but you are seeing the same kind of effect: plants getting a second wind after the hot, dry summer.
Very creative and clever of you to cut back the penstemons, leaving a ruffled border in front of the penstemons, And nice of you to share your idea!
What you say is true! Despite our first frost this week, there are still quite a few blooms in my garden, too. It’s good–eases me into the idea of winter a little at a time. Happy Bloom Day!
Gosh, you do have quite a few amazing blooming plants considering how cold it was. Your Colchicum selection is impressive–love the nickname! 😉
I’ve never seen Colchicums. Lovely. I used to have pansies in the fall, but the rabbits are them all this spring. Drat.
You do indeed still have a lot of blooms!