Don't be fooled. Inside this thin coating of sweetness is a fiery core of total insanity.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Wednesday Vignette

For Wednesday Vignette, here are some fall colors in my oak tree. There's a lot of brown dying foliage and drying seedheads out in my garden right now. These leaves are the most colorful things out there.



Wednesday Vignette is hosted by Anna at Flutter and Hum. Check out her post here.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Foliage Followup -- September 2016

It's been a while since I did a Foliage Followup post. When I went out to take pictures for my Bloom Day post, I couldn't help noticing how beautiful and interesting some of my foliage was. So I thought I'd share a handful of shots.

Little bluestem stands out against Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

The variegated campion that I showed flowers from yesterday has produced an all-yellow-leaved clump right in the center

Technically not foliage, but Eryngium 'Blue Glitter' always produces interesting seedheads

Most of late summer's Echinacea flowers have dried and ripened

Oakleaf Hydrangea leaves are starting to color up in fall's typical hues

Pam at Digging hosts Foliage Followup, always on the day after Bloom Day. Check out her post here, where she says good-bye to her bloomed-out Agave ovatifolia, Moby.

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day -- September 2016

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day surprised me this month. Usually I have my post ready to go and publish automatically on the fifteenth, but the month is passing more swiftly than I realized. I awoke yesterday morning with a full-blown migraine, which lessened overnight. When I realized it was Bloom Day, I thought maybe I would just let it pass me by for once -- until I actually picked up the camera and went out the door.

So, here's what I found today blooming in my garden.

Sedum 'Autumn Joy' -- the bees adore it and it never fails me

Variegated low-growing campion -- possibly Silene uniflora 'Druett's Variegated'

This campion is thriving in straight gravel -- so drought-tolerant, I really should spread it around

A last couple of Cupid's Dart flowers

Fuchsia magellanica flowers all season and is so fantastically hardy -- why don't I have more of this?

Fuchsia magellanica aurea with its golden-tipped new foliage

Fuchsia magellanica aurea

Rudbeckia

There are a few bedraggled Monarda that look like a hummingbird war zone

Oakleaf Hydrangea is producing just a couple of new flowers, all the rest are now dried and buff-colored

Geranium 'Rozanne'

Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy'

California poppies are still flowering here and there

Lavender flowering out by the street -- so wonderfully drought tolerant, I took cuttings the other day so I can grow more

One last Brugmansia flower

Alstroemeria 'Rock n' Roll'

Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer'

Every year I intend to save seeds from my Calendula 'Solar Flashback' and every year I neglect to do it

Iochroma 'Ashcott Red'

Pelargonium sidoides -- I took a lot of cuttings to root last year at this time, and the mother plant has bounced back
Aloe 'Christmas Carol'
Panicum virgatum

Anamanthele lessoniana

Pennisetum 'Redhead'

Well, that's it for me! I hope you still have plenty of flowers to share in your own Bloom Day posts.

Carol at My Dreams Gardens hosts GBBD, check out her post here and see lots of flowers from all around the world.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Wednesday Vignette

It's easy to miss seeing a cactus in flower. They don't last long, a day maybe. I noticed a bud forming the other day and knew I'd have to keep an eye on it if I wanted to capture it with my camera.

Happy Cactus

I really love the salmon orange color

Another day and it will shrivel up and eventually fall off

It flowered earlier this summer too, produced several flowers in fact. This must be its last gasp before fall and winter set in. It's not hardy, so it will have to be overwintered in the greenhouse.

Anna at Flutter & Hum hosts Wednesday Vignette. You can see her post for today here.