The Bittersweet Blooms of Fall Part III

Well, with only 16 days left of Fall, many of us are still enjoying many blooms. Post pictures of yours here. Thanks goes to Podster for starting the original thread. It was a great idea! Thanks Pod!

This is where we began: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/775118/#new

This is Part II: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/780764/

This is one of my Mesembs that usually flowers in early to mid spring, but I got home yesterday and it had 3 blooms on it! It looks like 2 more blooms are getting ready to open!

TJ, what an interesting succulent that is, I had never seen it before.

We ordered them last year from HighCountryGardens http://www.highcountrygardens.com/

They are from Africa and my wife loves them.

just puttin' in my name so this will pop up on my watched threads.

Yeah Christi! This way they know we're watchin and not lurkin, LOL!!

TJ That is a very crazy flower! And very beautiful, I can see why she likes it.

Sigh....I had lots of blooms until our freeze the other night. Now there are lots of dead things outside. I guess that's the way of things though!

:) Kim

Great! Thanks for starting a new thread. On dial up here and the last one was getting tough...

Very pretty blooms on the Mesembs ~ will they overwinter inground?

With 16 days left,.maybe we can squeeze out a few more blooms...

BTW, I need to add although the Gloxinia begins to bloom in the fall and into winter, it is tropical and not cold hardy. More of a "tender" or a houseplant. Like you Kim, things are looking pretty sad but spring is right around the corner. Our frost actually was a bit later than normal here.

This plant still has lots of buds ~ looking for blooms. Uruguayan firecracker ~ Dicliptera suberecta LouC ~ I think you were growing one of these... is it still blooming? Also called a hummingbird plant but the hummers have left. 8 (

Well it is due to be warm here this week. I already have Paper Whites popping up everywhere. My little Acer Maple tree is showing it's Fall colors.

That's it, podster. I think I will make a marker and put it by it while someone (you) has helped me with the real name. Could be my first latin. I have a beautiful yellow rose blooming with buds all over it. Supposed to 80-81 here tomorrow and Saturday. I think Sunday it is supposed to drop drastically. With the alacaia still putting out new leaves, that should do everything in.

My Asiatic lily bulbs are coming up too. :( I have never planted them from bulbs before. So I have no idea if it'll hurt them to come up now and then get frozen back. Anyone know? I mean, I guess I could pull them in the house if I had to. But I'd rather see them die back for the winter and then come out in the spring.

It should be wintering up in a week or 2. ... so Pattie I wouldn't pull them up now if I were you. :-) Just cut them back when they wilt and they should have enough cold for them to emerge in Spring.

The firecracker is really nice pod!

Sheila I love the J Acer Its such a pretty color! Do you have any Skippers in your Cannas? I see the chew marks.. Anything rolled up in there? :-)

Pbtxlady ~ leave the Asiatic in ground. Mulch it a bit with leaves or pine straw the day before the weather turns and be patient till spring. They will please you ~ I would bet.

Yes to the Japanese Maples. The color is to lust for this time of year. We've a friend with an arboretum. I love touring it ~ he has between 150-200 varieties of JMs. Making think I might want one ~ 8 )

Yes they (J Maple) are!! And Sheila has the perfect landscape for them too with all her tall trees.. Her garden is amazing!

Thanks Deb, DH and I both have back surgeries to show for our hard work too! LOL!
Next year I should have loads of spring and summer flowers for the butterflies with all the seeds that I will be sowing. Maybe some will still be lingering in the fall to have more color than I do this year.
Enjoying all the bloom pics, keep them coming.

Did some cleanup and shifting around yesterday. The Gulf Frit cats are still abounding. Butterflies of every kind still feeding. If nature is about to change our weather the creatures sure don't seem to know it. The EEs are still putting out new growth and the rose buses are loaded with buds and blooms. Lived here all of my life and I know we don't have severe winters but usually we do have winter. All the hype about bad weather next week is just from the 80's to a low of mid 40's. Daytime back in the 60's and 70's. Guess we can enjoy it while it lasts.

Sheila, I love seeds because they are so easy. No bending and digging. Then when they start germinating I have an even better time.

Yes, Pod, the mesembs are very winter hardy. High Country Gardens specialize in xeric plants, cold hardy succulents, and plants that attract hummers, but they have lots of other stuff available. I keep my mesembs in a planter outside and they survived the winter with no problem

HMmmmm ... I just received the HCG wish catalogue. I have earmarked plants to add and have visions of grandeur dancing in my head. 8 )))

Thanks TJ for the link to HCG. It is in my favorites. Is Mesembs the latin or common name?

Well I was shocked when walking out to feed the birds and squirrels this weekend. I have a lot more color in my yard than I realized. One little delicate Coral Nymph Salvia that Blue_Eyes gave me is showing it's stuff.

Another group still showing color is in my TX native bed. Indigo Spires, Milkweed and the Mex Mint Marigold.

One more showing blooms on my Hot Lips Salvia. The silly thing didn't bloom much at all this summer. I need to put it in a sunnier bed next year, too much shade where it is I think. It bushed out great, but no blooms and some were either white or red. Now that the freeze is on the way it is trying to reprieve itself!

I love the colors blended in your Texas natives bed. Very pretty!

Bananna, mesemb is the common name. The latin name is nananthus transvaalensis.

Well see there! Sheila you had quite a few beauties blooming out there. How delighted you must have been! I love the coral nymph and the hot lips. I had a coral just like that from last year's swap, but it was so small it didn't come back after the winter we had.
Supposed to get up to 70 again tomorrow y'all, then back to 43 Wednesday...

debnes

It is going to have to hurry to make it to the 70's. It was really cold the last day or so with the wind.
Thanks for the comments.....no one said anything about my good crop of aphids on the MW! LOL! I am ready for them to freeze!
Ok, lets see some blooms from some one else!!.....??

I have a portion on aphids here. They are on the Hibiscus blooms.

I still have a few bloomers but nothing new. I have protected them on the frosty night. The leaves on this scullcap have turned fall colors but the blooms continue...

And I am still marveling at these. I hope to never be without them. They are a willing volunteer.

Nice blooms and colorful leaves.....I need to get a Skullcap next year.

Flame Vine ... even if everyone has seen it.

I think one of these is Dr Suess

Not to worry ~ the flame vine is still wonderful!

I love your Brugs. I said wow the large one appears to have reddish coloration on the leaves and then... I noticed the variegated. How pretty... Have you had to protect them from frost yet?

Pretty Sylvia!

*marking Sheila down for 2 skullcaps*

Marking down notes in general!! LOL!
Syl~ Beautiful brugs, and flamevine! I have seeds for S-cap to sow in Spring. & KK gave me a flamevine.
Working on some new things to try next year for the aphids.

Ok, I know that I will NEED (not want!) a Flame vine and some skullcaps! I need to go research them now to see how they will do in my zone. I don't like to water, so I need to make sure that they are drought hardy, too.

I have mexican petunias, salvia greggii, copper canyon daisys, and an agastache (can't remember the name) still blooming and we have had freezing rain for 2 days straight! I will try to get a picture if the rain lets up, don't want to get water on my camera!

Necia

Necia, the Pink Texas Skullcaps are very xeric. Once they take root, you can just sit back and enjoy.

I spray dilluted dishsoap on my oleanders and desert willow for the control of aphids. It works pretty good.

Ooohhh!!! TJ, that is sweet of you! I would love to have them. Just getting online after a day at work, and have a smile on my face!!

Yes, Texas Rose scullcap should be good and another "xeric" one is Scutellaria resinosa. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/51663/

Necia you want some Flame vine seeds too?Let me know... I got my Flame vine from Smockett's Tree place in Houston ... never knew it would travel that far.

Yes! I would love some! I just found out that we may be buying some land so I will need lots of vines, shrubs and trees. Better to start sooner than later!

Necia