Even though we are still having some quite warm days (it was 83 here yesterday!) I noticed that in the last several days Autumn is really settling in with the trees. Friday I was driving through The Woodlands and enjoying the color immensely. Throughout the summer I had been keeping my eyes on all the vines growing up and through the trees, and now those vines are covered in bright yellow leaves. Strung throughout deciduous and evergreens, they look like garlands hung to decorate the roadside, really striking!
That said, I still have things growing and blooming in my yard - my Ducher & Martha's Vinyard roses are putting on lots of new growth and still have lots of blooms; some of the abutilons have flowers; the Mexican milkweed is blooming away; Copper Canyon Daisy is still fully flushed with flowers; the princess flower plant I got from htop in April is still blooming; several salvias are still covered in flowers; trailing lantana (!); bulbine is starting to bloom again after finding a new home; shrimp plant; pentas; sweet potato vines are still growing; and while my passion-vines aren't blooming, they are really growing (and are still visited by caterpillars.) Plus, I have some cool-season annuals that are in bloom - lobelia (love that electric blue!), allysum, peonies and nasturtium, English daisies - so there is still plenty of color in the back yard.
It has been a strange year, indeed!
