Blooming and Growing in October

Helianthus angustifolius adds a touch of warm color. I've finally managed to banish it to a dry part of the garden where it can survive but not spread uncontrollably.

Salvia mexicana 'Lollie Jackson' - not the greatest picture. I like the contrast between the dark blue/purple flowers and the lime/chartreuse calyx.

Salvia leucantha, looking the best it has in years. We didn't have any tropical systems move thru here this fall, so it didn't get blown over and flattened. It will keep on blooming profusely (and providing food for the bees) until the first hard frost/freeze.

All beauties, Tom!
My gingers are going late this year, too.
Love that Salvia leucantha - it looks very happy indeed!

Two of my hedychiums are blooming their heads off .. the gold flame and white butterfly .. the bush morning glory as well and the brugmansia along with the mandevilla. Strangest growing season I've ever seen!

X

You hit the nail there X, this year is strange. My roses which should be bursting with flowers right now seem hesitant. I think everything was confused by that coolish spell we had in September.

My roses came back to life but seemed to have just stopped doing anything. Last year they put out new leaves and flowers as soon as it cooled off and just kept looking better into December. This year they look stunned for the most part.

Do you think the strange season could be from the drought last year and the rain we've had lately?

We didn't have a drought that I remember last year. I'm thinking it might have been the extraordinary cool down at the end of October of last year then a warm up. Things started growing again then got knocked down again by a freeze a few weeks later.

It's going back into the upper 30's tomorrow so today I'm going to start loading up the greenhouse.

X

Are you far from Chapin, X?

My soil supplier is the one who mentioned the drought. I wan't here yet! LOL

I'm near Charleston. I'm thinking the up and down temperatures last year might have thrown off some plant's circadian rhythms .. if they have them. Plants with rhizomes and or bulbs seemed to be particularly affected at least for me.

X