Sunday, October 17, 2010

Green Thumb Sunday, October 17, 2010

What's blooming today, you ask? Okay! I'll give you a little glimpse. ;-)

This is 'Fanfare' Gaillardia.
I really like it. I recently learned, from a nurseryman, that gaillardia are such prolific bloomers that they tend to bloom themselves to death. Consequently, they're treated more like an annual than a perennial... unless you're diligent about deadheading all the spent flower heads (and perhaps removing a bud from time-to-time!
Last Fall, I harvested some of the seeds and in January, I placed them outdoors in the miniature milk jug greenhouses. Do a little search here. You'll find several posts on this seed-sowing method! At any rate... check out the next two photos. As I might have suspected, the offspring did not return true to the hybrid. But that's okay. They're still Very Attractive! :-)

Offspring #1

Offspring #2

You've seen a lot of posts this Summer on the nasturtiums.
Here's one more photo of each of my plants. They are "going crazy" in this cooler weather!
:-)

Had I not been involved in The Grow Project,
I may have gotten rid of these plants long ago!

Yes, this is a close-up of the nasturtium in the Sunny Corner Bed, but you might notice a new baby has come to live out there. Aster 'Woods Purple' is another low-growing aster (12-16") that will neighbor 'Alert!'

In the shady backyard beds, hosta 'Red October' began blooming during the last two weeks of September and continues. (Mr. Shady's birthday is in October.)

Cimifuga racemosa is a definite late-bloomer! It's just now getting ready.

Ah, those anemones. Anemone japonica 'September Charms' just go on and on.

Forgive this blurry photo - it's Tricyrtis formonosa 'Autumn Glow.'
These are definitely the last blossoms... notice the nice leaf edgings.
This was a June 2010 gift from Iowa Boy.

Back in front of the house, two miniature roses are outdoing themselves.

An errant snapdragon.


The "Best 'til last!"

I completely forgot to plant my gladiola bulbs this Spring!
Instead, when I discovered them, I planted them in mid/late July...
and look what happened this morning! (Oct. 14, 2010)

Tah-dah!
:-)
Made my day!

Best wishes to you this day!

17 comments:

Randy Emmitt said...

Shady,

That pot filled with nasturtiums wow!! Looks like they like your clims better there than here. I can think of one nasturtium bloom I saw yesterday. The glad is really cool, I have no luck with them, need more sun I guess.

Dave@TheHomeGarden said...

Gaillardia offspring number one looks a lot like an offspring from an 'Oranges and Lemons' I have. It's not the same as the parent but is just as cool!

Northern Shade said...

Cimifuga racemosa looks lovely against the tree trunk background.

'September Charms' has very appealing flowers, but I always wonder if it will get much flowering time before the frosts here. Does it continue flowering after the frosts for you, or is that the end?

The little Tricyrtis is a nice gift. I still miss his blog.

Your 'Fall' glad is a good colour to go with the season.

Rebecca @ In The Garden said...

You still have such terrific blooms Shady! The little snapdragon is lovely, I don't think they can self seed here for some reason. The mini greenhouse is adorable. :)

Rose said...

Thanks for explaining the gaillardia, Shady--so that's why mine never return for another year! I've admired the 'Fanfare' in seed catalogs for some time; yours looks picture-perfect. And the nasturtiums look great--they obviously appreciate this cooler weather. Your surprise gladiola made me smile:)

Rosemary said...

Shady; Always impressed with your garden but to still have a glad flowering. Wowzer!The bright orange of the nasturtium certainly suits this time of year.... so envious over the lovely toadlily.. on my spring list.

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

I've never had nasturtiums last into August let alone October, wow! You sure have lots of pretty flowers still blooming there. I always forget just how much still blooms into October. I love the little greenhouse by your anemones.

Nutty Gnome said...

Gorgeous photos Shady - those glads are something else! :)

We had our first frost this morning, but my cosmos and bergonia (amongst others) are still flowering madly at the moment!

Chloe m said...

Dear Shady,

I am in awe that you still have such marvelous blooms for so late in the year. I enjoyed you glads. I have to go dig mine before it snows again.

Kathleen said...

I love that little greenhouse in your anemone photo too! So pretty. So are the anemones tho ~ I think I've lost my pink ones so now I'm going to have to replace them!
You really do have a lot going on at this date. The glad is fantastic! Mine were done months ago. I leave them in the ground now since I discovered (by accident) they overwinter just fine.
Happy belated bloom day Shady!

Anonymous said...

Nice flowers and especially the glad. I will remember this next time I forget to plant mine. Late doesn't necessarily mean never.

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hey! What a pretty new look to your blog! Love it. We had snow today. The bane of living at high elevations. So, it was delightful to see that smiling blanket flower. :))

ShySongbird said...

How lovely to see so much colour still in your garden and what a treat to have the Gladioli bulbs flower so late, it was worth forgetting to plant them at the usual time!

I too have the September Charm anemone and it never fails to delight, indeed I think it is just about the only bit of colour I have left in my garden. I do have an exact (also errant) copy of your snapdragon though! Everything looks very dull here and even more so today as we have had continuous rain all day :(

I also enjoyed seeing the progression of your flowering crabapple. I'm sure the birds will be enjoying the fruit soon too :)

ShySongbird said...

Whoops! I meant to say I hope Mr Shady has/had a Very Happy Birthday :)

Shady Gardener said...

Hi Shy!! Thanks for your nice long comments! :-) He did have a happy birthday... he took a nice trip with his mom to visit his sister in Portland, Oregon!

Jennifer Windsor said...

Hi!
These pics are absolutely magnificent with such cool colors of nature.
I came across your blog on internet and wondered why I haven't visited it before. I am a hobby gardener myself and love to see my plants grow and produce nice flowers.

I am an instant follower and bookmarked the blog instantly.
On my first visit to the blog I would like to share something too. I recently came across a magnificent resource which gives us a wonderful opportunity to Organize Seeds easily and conveniently. And the best thing is that its still FREE to join.
I am sure that you and other blog followers will love it too!
I hope to learn more about gardening from you and other fellows here.
Happy Gardening

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I enjoyed seeing the colors change from date to date. Your blooms are a welcome part of fall color, too. How cool the glads are blooming.

Well, I have to get back to work now.