The Bittersweet blooms of Fall Part II

Here it is, as requested! Keep those "late bloomers" coming!

This is probably the last bloom of my moss rose this year.

8 ( Sad to think it will be the last bloom...

8 ) Happy for the new thread ~ thank you!

Here's where we came from http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/775118/#new

Please join us and see where we are going to...

Could you guess I like blues/purples... 8 )

It seems these plants bloom all Summer but there is something about them that reminds me of Fall and makes me feel just a little nostalgic for Summer...

Globe gomphrena ~ bachelor buttons....

pod, we used to say my grandmother could stick a toothpick in the ground and it would sprout and thrive......whatever that is....you've got it. I love pictures. Best part.

I love the Asters and Goldenrod together. Purple fall asters, Heath aster, Goldenrod. and Autumn sage.
All the pictures are beautiful.
Josephine.

Jo, is that your yard? It is wonderful.

Yes, that is the wildflower area on the side of my yard.

Your wildflower display is gorgeous Ms Josephine. It looks like your yard is decorated for Fall! Very nice.

Ms LouC ~ thanks for the compliment but not I. The key to the plants are I choose those that are impervious to my neglect. If they thrive, I love them. If they sink, I will avoid them. These that I have been posting are pretty generic and easy. But thank you.

took a few pictures this morning. Rain has sort of made thing droopy but I am so glad we got it. Can you see my shampoo ginger?

How unusual ~ where does it get the name ~ shampoo ginger? Is it fragrant like the butterfly ginger?

All are so beautiful! I am enjoying the blooms.
This is one of my favorite combos.Texas hibiscus, pink greggi, mex mint marigold. alittle Jackmanii clematis and dwarf maiden grass.

A different angle. Now you can see Archduke Charles. I love the licorice smell of the marigold.

How lovely, Anna!

I am told that they really use this to make shampoo commercially. It has no aroma as far as I can tell. Yesterday I touched it and it weeped the creamey fluid that is shampoo. Supposed to cut when it is red but the top 2 inches are still green. This is a first for me.

LouC

How fun LouC ~ it that another of your tropicals?

Very pretty planting combinations ~ Bananna!

Yes'm. Took this picture yesterday in the mist. Everything is looking pretty droopy. I have discovered through DG that I have more tropicals than anything. Comes from buying what I like and I am apparently a latent islander. If you haven't checked the Tropical Gardening forum, I recommend you do. It is wonderful. Not better than TX, mind you, but a whole nuther perspective on our planet.

LouC do thos Alocasias return each year? I am going to take pictures of my eight foot Elephant ears in the morning. My neighbor says she has grown EE all her life but she has never seen one as tall as mine. I started to move it, but it shades my Hostas.

LouC, I've not toured the Tropical Gardening forum but rather like to haunt the Tropicals forum which is more plant specific.

This is a tropical which I am hoping to overwinter. The blooms were lovely (posted in part one) and these are the fruits or seedpods... I sampled one and they have a tart and tangy taste...

Hibiscus ~ sabdariffa ~ roselle

Sylvia they do return. I just let them die down with the first freeze....cover with newspaper and something on top to keep it from blowing away. In early spring I clean everything up because it can become a nest of pill bugs and slugs and snails....not good. As soon as the ground is warm they are up and multiplying.

Pod, the seed pods (no pun intended) are so pretty. Just checked out an article about poisonous plants....I wouldn't be brave enough to taste. Don't always kill but can make life miserable for a few days. Sorry, don't intend to be negative...just cautious...don't want you to be sick.

The Under the Sea threads #1 -#6 are so beautiful. Some of the posters are professional/amature photographers. What they can do under water is marvelous. The equipment just to take the pictures is something else. I must say it is addictive. I don't even swim.....tried all my life....too uncoordinated.....but these pictures take my breathe away...especially since the photographer is the one posting.

Bought a Duranta this week and it is directly outside my desk window. It has been covered with a small, brown butterfly continuously. Haven't been able to ID. Do any of you know what it might be. They almost swarm like flies.

it is probably one of the Skippers, there are many of those, or it could be one of the Duskywing Butterflies, there many of those too.

Thanks again, Jo. Will go to the forum and see if I can find it. There are small black wasp on it today. It is fascinating to watch. Wish I hadn't waited for it to go on sale and had it longer this summer. Actually, didn't even know what it was until the recent postings. I just love DG.

Lou, if you'll go out at night, you might spot a hummingbird moth on the Duranta. I saw one on mine the other night and they look and fly just like a hummingbird! Very cool!

Thanks, JT. I'll look for them tonight. We have had luna moths the last two springs and I didn't know what the host plant was. Researched yesterday found out it is a persimmon.
Two neighbors have them so I am going to look for the (need you help, can't think of the word for the cat) before the leaves are all gone.

My Aster plants are almost full ... once it stops blooming I am going to move it out front. Did I hear someone say they root really easy?

LouC check out my Elephant Ears among the trees:)

Love those blues ~ both the Duranta and Asters. For two years, I have not been successful at overwintering the Duranta but love it and am glad you got one to enjoy...

LouC ~ I appreciate your concern...

Thanks,pod., Try to learn something new everyday.

Sylvia, I love you EE's. They are not the same as mine and that is a good thing. Mine all look up......yours look down. We have different kinds. Gives me something to research tomorrow. More new information for both of us.

God bless,

LouC

Sylvia, I rooted several fall asters and brought them to the RU last spring in CS. They were pretty easy.

LOU I think yours is more expensive, they are Alocasias or Calocasiaa... or something like that. I just saw a coop you will love. Anyway my bulb was almost as big as a head of lettuce. Its beggining to fall down now. I would appreciate any info you find. I bought my bulb at the HD for about 6 or 7 dollars.

Mary Lou all i have to do is root them in water? They are growing on thick woody stems, where do I cut them? You should see my Asters today, even the neighbors stop and stare. :)

Oh Sylvia ~ wish you had a picture, I want to stop and stare too. My favorite color and probably one of the last bloomers of the season.

I've been lurking on this thread, and the one before it. I sure have enjoyed everyone's blooms.

Things are starting to look ragged in my yard. I got out there early this morning and took some photos. I figured if I don't do it now, I'll miss out on these bloomers.

First up is an October Rose Hibiscus that I got seeds from Kipper at the CS Round up last Fall. I planted these in starter pots and put them into the ground. I had forgotten to mark just what they were. For the longest time, I thought they were cleome. These plants have grown incredibly this summer. They were over 7 ft. tall at one point. Like an idiot, I planted them closer to the edge of the bed though and mowing was a bugger because of the thorns on the branches. Several times they've been cut way back. The last time was when Humberto paid us a surprise visit. They were all laid over and hubby cut them almost to the ground. Now those plants are blooming like crazy and I wish they were 7 ft. tall again. I am going to try and collect some seeds and plant them where they will be more appreciated next year.

First, the "long shot" of what's left of them.

Janet

Here's a closer shot of the bloom of the October Rose Hibiscus

My Hooker's orchid cactus has a bloom this morning. They are coming in by ones and twos now, compared to earlier when there might be 10 at a time.

Lantana - a butterfly and hummer magnet. This is the 3rd year for this plant.

The goldfish plant is going crazy right now.

My sage is a bit spindly now, but blooming like gangbusters.

Copper plant has all kinds of fuzzies on it.

Chennile is loving the cooler mornings.

I have these cannas all over my yard. We refer to them as bird mouth cannas because We don't know the "real" name. Hummers love these. Only one bloom this morning though. Soon it will be time to cut them down.

This begonia was in the trash pile at one of our favorite nurseries. They gave it to me. I planted a dwarf crepe myrtle in the center because the cuttings I got from the plant were so spindly at the time I planted them. Both have bloomed all summer long.