Friday 17 October 2014

It's ok if you half close your eyes ...

Fuchsia 'Lady Boothby'

The garden is slipping into decrepitude, but, like some ageing grand dame of the theatre, it refuses to slip away quietly into its dotage. Although there are swathes of foliage growing more dank more by the day, there are still some plants gamely putting on a show and flowering as if it is July.

Should someone tell 'Sexy Rexy' (below) that it is October ?



Poor old 'Bonica' is flowering for the first time ever, as, newly planted in early summer, the *** dog dug it up not once, not twice but THREE times ! It has overcome adversity, however, and is determined to flower before the end of the season.



Aconitum is one of my favourite perennials, and can be the last man standing of the season. It is hardy, reliable, and doesn't need staking. The blue is a fantastic shade, not really represented well by the camera. I started with one clump and have divided it every year, so it is now dotted all over the garden, at the back of borders, waiting in the wings all summer, before stepping into the limelight from September until November.



And the dahlias are still flowering, not as profusely as they were earlier in the season, but enough to give colour to the beds.


The dahlia above is one of the 'Bishop's Children' I grew from seed this year, and is one I am trying to hybridise, because of the yellow stripe.


This one may be 'fascination', if my memory serves me correctly, as the label is lost in the mists of time.


This is an unnamed variety which has flowed profusely all season, and has been a great asset to the garden.


Another unnamed variety which the bees have flocked to ! It has been smothered in blooms since early summer.


Anenome 'Wild Swan' is a new addition to the garden and this is its first flower. I had to photograph the back of the flower too, as it is equally as beautiful as the front. I love those delicate lilac stripes.




Although I don't really like Asters, they are part of the backbone of the autumn garden, and it would be difficult to get good colour without them. These are not consumed by mildew as many varieties seem to be .


It has been a good year for Passionflowers as they have enjoyed the heat and long growing season. Mine has no fruit though, which I find odd, but is still flowering strongly.


What is not to love about Cosmos ? Still flowering well and looking as fresh as they did in June.


This Hypericum is part of a big second flush of flowers, again due to the long hot summer I guess.


Penstemon 'Wine' is a beautiful rich deep magenta, and it is so easy to take cuttings from. I have a load growing on in the greenhouse, so that I will still have some next year, even if this one succumbs to the frost.

These photos of mine are deceptive, in that I think they give an unrealistic view of the garden. The garden is dying day by day, and the foliage is browning . Most of the beds are well on their way to their winter slumber, and the garden is definitely autumnal. there are growing tracts of bare soil, and I am starting to cut back now. However, there are still many reasons to be cheerful, as shown in the photos of the blooms above, as they seem to defy the advancing season.


Thanks to 'May Dreams Gardens' for hosting 'Garden Blogger's Bloom day' again this month. Do pay a visit to see lots of lovely blogs from across the globe.








52 comments:

  1. LIke Maggie Smith there is still plenty of life in the garden isn't there?

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    1. Hi Sue, it is a little deceptive I think ! In reality it doesn't look anything like this as the life is slowly expiring ! Selective photography !

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  2. These are beautiful flowers ! Great photos !
    Greetings

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  3. We're slowly disappearing under a blanket of leaves here...
    The Aconitum really does look like a monkshood doesn't it.

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    1. Hi Jessica , same here - time to net the pond I think !
      Aconitum are just so well named !

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  4. Nice selection of blooms Jane! One could easily think it's still summer seeing the selection of what's still in bloom in your garden :)

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    1. Oh how I wish it still was ! Any tips on overwintering the more tender bananas please ? We are fine with Musa Basjoo but have got a rather large very tender one which Monty advised on last night, suggesting they should be stored in a dark frost free place . Can we keep it in the house as it is ?

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  5. I had a red banana which I dug up and kept in the house for 2 winters until by the third winter it had got so big that I gave it away to a friend with a conservatory. It was quite happy living in my dining room.
    Lots of lovely late blooms this year.It is such a pleasure to walk round the garden and find lots to enjoy. I love your Aconitum and your stripey Dahlia. And how nice to have roses still going strong.

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  6. Hi Chloris, ours is about 6feet high now, so is going to be a bit of a problem. However, it can sleep in the bed with me , if it helps to get it safely through the winter !

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    1. Goodness, now that is dedication to your plants. I never thought of that.

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  7. Beautiful flowers; captured in their moment. Lovely post.

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    1. Hi Endah, they are some of my favourite flowers.

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  9. You have so many beautiful blooms and I am especially fond of your Passionflowers. Thank you for visiting my gardens...I enjoyed yours!

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    1. Thank you Lee, I will be popping back across to visit you soon.

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  10. It's great to see how many flowers there are still in your garden. Overhere you can also see that we come to the end of the garden season but here and there a flower is also beautiful.
    Have a wonderful sunday Jane.

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  11. Hi Marijke, is it already quite cold with you ? Even the odd flower can lift the heart on a grey day !

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  12. Hello Jane, I've just popped over from Sue at Green Lane, there are some wonderful flowers here, although I know what you mean by selective photography! No point in photographing damp soggy leaves, eh! I've been very interested to read that dahlias can be grown from seed; I thought they had to be bought in as tubers but, yes, seed growing makes sense. One to try, I think - thanks!

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  13. Isn't it amazing to see how many flowers just disregard the calendar and keep working in our gardens.

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    1. Hi Donna, thank goodness they do disregard that calendar ! It was like summer here toda

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  14. Thanks for the tour of your lovely garden, I also had a look at your ‘A bit more about us’ pages, and your garden is so impressively big compared to mine (half and acre…sigh…what couldn’t I have done with all that…). I love dahlias and whenever I see dahlias on other people’s blogs I would love to have them in my own garden – all of them! Yours are a beautiful combination, I can just see them together in a vase. My Passiflora didn’t produce much fruit this year either, just one single fruit, not sure why, as last summer I had loads - I still have flowers too. Oh, and I think selective photography is quite alright!

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    1. Hi Helene, long live selective photography! Dahlias are some of my all time favourites and they just keep on flowering. I thought Passion flowers fruited in hot summers, but maybe I am wrong !

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  15. I love aconitum ! I bought mine many years ago and it never flowers.. I blamed the areas in which it was planted but after four moves, more recently I discovered some black stuff on a distorted bloom. It appears that it came with cyclamen mites from the grower and I could't find any treatment yet to shake it off. I have to throw mine away and look at pictures of yours.

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    1. Hi Daniela, how interesting - it would never have occurred to me what the problem might be ! Maybe you can rebut after a winter's wait?

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  16. Hi Jane: I just posted a comment that went away. So if this is a repeat, I'm sorry. Anyway, just wanted to let you know I agree with everything you said in this lovely post--from the perfection of Cosmos, to the fading beauty of autumn, to the loveliness of your amazing Dahlias. So many beautiful blooms still in your garden. Wow!

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    1. Hi Plantpostings and thank you for your comments. Selective photography has a lot to answer for, yes, there are still blooms but there is a lot of slimy dying foliage in between !

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  17. Being hit by high winds and heavy rain today which is seeing off even the most persistent stragglers, time for thoughts to turn to Spring and all the bulbs I have still not planted.

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    1. Same here Rick, just hoping the high winds do no damage in the garden. It was stripping the trees of their leaves. We'd best get planting those bulbs !

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  18. Anything surviving being dug up three times and still blooming has to be a keeper. The White Swan are flowering here too. I was pleasantly surprised - I thought we might have to wait until next year. The Delphinium and Echinops are having an excellent late season burst, although they may be flattened by the time the tail-end of the hurricane has done its worst. There doesn't appear to be too much decrepitude in your garden yet. Here's hoping the storms are kind to you.

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    1. Hi sarah, glad your anenomes are flowering too - I was glad to be introduced to them, as I have never really tried them before. The back of the flowers are just gorgeous. Wish my Delphiniums would wise up and have another burst too ! I think the wind is finally dropping a bit here but there are still big gusts. Have you had any damage ?

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  19. Bonica is a certainly a tough rose, although an undistinguished one in bud. Glad your dog wasn't able to overcome its tenacity.

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    1. Hi Professor Roush, it is a good job that Bonica is tough, as my silly dog does not differentiate between resilient and delicate ! I got a lucky dip job lot of roses recently for a ridiculously low price, and I wonder if you have any experience with them - 'madame Hardy' ? 'Boule de beige ?, 'Horatio Nelson'? Alfred De Dalmas ? Iam really excited to see how they perform !

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    2. Oh some most attractive October blooms. I do like the look of 'Lady Boothby' - such fabulous colours. I've only got one hardy fuchsia in the garden which flowered very early this year. I was slightly worried that it would have no colour at this time of year but It has sent out a second flush :) The penstemon looks rather special too Jane.

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    3. Hi Anna, that Lady Boothby's skirt is considerably darker than a lot of others I have, so much so that I had to recheck the label! It will be a good one to take cuttings from next season I think. I wonder why yours flowered so early this year? I think mine were round about the expected time.

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  20. What is it with dogs and roses? Years ago one of mine repeatedly dug up the same rose every time I wasn't looking. They both survived but I was mad as hell. Love that penstemon. The really colorful ones struggle here. :(

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  21. Hi Tammy, I thought initially it was the rose fertiliser I was using, which could contain bonemeal, but I have used it on other roses which Gus has left well alone ! A doggy mystery!

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  22. Don't know how I missed this post Jane - apologies for being so late.
    It's always nice to have some blooms at this time of the year, no matter how bad the garden looks. This time of the year is for close ups I think.
    I really must get my hands on some of that late flowering Aconitum. All mines flower early in the year. I wonder why your dog too a dislike to that particular rose.

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  23. Hi Angie, getring t this time of the year is hard, because you know it will all go pear shaped very shortly ! Close ups are the only way forward

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  24. I love that anenome - I will have to keep any eye out for it as they do so well in my garden

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    1. Hi Su, the anemone is so delicate and the stripe down the back is just gorgeous. I am a latecomer to anenomes so it is a voyage of discovery for me.

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  25. I love your comparison of your fall garden to a grand dame of the theatre. Fall colors are a bit theatrical aren't they? I wanted to ask you about your Monkshood. I have a large clump that refuses to flower. I am not sure where I am going wrong. It is part shade, but Monkshood is supposed to tolerate part shade. Any ideas?

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    1. Hi Jennifer, some of mine are in partial shade and they do just as well as those which are in full sun. I wonder if your clump needs dividing ? You say it is large, which means it has probably been there some time, so it may need dividing to stimulate flowering .

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  26. Isn't it wonderful how much is still in flower. I cut all my Dahlias back a couple of months ago as they got terribly ravaged by the slugs and snails, but they have completely grown back again and are now blooming better than before. You have a lovely selection of them, especially the pink 'Fascination', that's very pretty.

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    1. Hi paula, how amazing that your dahlias have totally regrown, as in a usual autumn, that would probably have been the end of them. 'Fascination' is a lovely dahlia and performs so well.

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  27. Do you eat your passion flower fruits in the years when there are some. Or are the fruits simply ornamental?

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    1. Hi Lucy, I am lucky if I get fruits - there were none, surprisingly, this year. I don't think I would know what to do with the fruits if we got any! Do you have them ? Do you eat them ?

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    2. I had one once - a pass on from someone who had moved house.It didn't last long. (Hadn't enjoyed the move?) At first I was pleased to have been given it and put it by the front window. But when I found it was ornamental only was less impressed. Have seen some round here from time to time growing up walls and absolutely plastered with orange fruits that look like plum shaped peaches. Presumably ornamental but can't exactly knock on their doors and ask! In my last post I showed a picture of one that had pushed its way into the wild. The flowers are certainly dramatic. http://tinyurl.com/orhcbdz

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  28. Gorgeous photos, and I love 'Wine', another for my list I think, it would go beautifully with 'Raven', which I bought this year and adore.

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  29. Hi Janet, I have Raven too and I adore them both. They are both still flowering too. I have taken loads of cutting of both and I am keeping them in the greenhouse to overwinter. I have pinched out the tops to make hopefully bushier plants.

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  30. Just a curiosity about Fuchsia, which specie is it? does it survive winter's frost or do you use it as annual?
    Thanks

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