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Welcome to my zone 9a habitat garden near Houston, Texas.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - October 2013

Welcome to my October garden which is continuing its slow decline into winter. Of course, winters here are not much to write home about usually. Even so, comparatively mild though it may be, it's a time of rest and refreshment for the garden and, to some extent, for the gardener as well. An event to look forward to.

There are still plenty of blooms in the garden this month, but very few that are new.

 The goldenrod is just beginning to bloom.

 The fall asters have not done very well, but they are giving me a few blossoms.

 Autumn just wouldn't be autumn without a pot of chrysanthemums blooming by the front door.

Other than these October additions, my blooms are pretty much the same old same old.

 Shrimp plant and 'Mystic Spires' salvia bloom together.

After a long hiatus, the bush marigold is beginning to bloom again.

 Blackfoot daisies.

 Lantana

 And more lantana.

 Turk's Cap.

 Species canna.

 A few zinnias are still blooming. 

The spring-blooming crossvine puts out a few autumn blossoms, too. I didn't notice the little anole on the left until I uploaded the picture.

 Mexican firebush (Hamelia patens).

 Butterfly ginger.

 Yellowbells (Tecoma stans).

 Cypress vine.

 Sunny yellow hibiscus.

 White cat's whiskers blossom.

 Ruellia: 'Chi Chi' (left) and 'Katie' (right).

Summer-blooming wax begonia extending its bloom into autumn.

 Purslane.

 Wedelia.


 Autumn sage.

 'Tropicanna.'

 'Bleeding Heart' clerodendrum that hasn't quite started "bleeding" yet.

Yellow cestrum.

 Cape honeysuckle.

 Cape (Blue) Plumbago.

'Coral Nymph' salvia.

 David Austin rose 'Molineux.'

So, there you have it - my oldies but goodies edition for October Bloom Day.

Don't forget to visit our hostess Carol at May Dreams Gardens for a list of all the bloggers participating in this month's Bloom Day.

Happy Bloom Day and happy gardening!

20 comments:

  1. Lots of great color for October. Love the Crossvine, Texas Sage, Yellowbells, and Cape Honeysuckle.

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  2. Your 'same old, same old' are lovely blooms indeed--how nice to have them all still blooming in October! Love the Mexican firebush; although I have a few of the same annuals, it's always interesting to see something different like this that we can't grow in my zone 5 garden.

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    1. One of the best things about Bloom Day is seeing what's blooming in gardens from other zones and other parts of the world.

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  3. Beautiful blooms!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

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  4. So many beautiful blooms. I enjoyed visiting your gardens!

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    1. And I enjoyed visiting your beautiful garden. Thanks for dropping by.

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  5. You have a lot of great color in your October garden! I bet the pollinators are happy, happy, happy! I especially like the Blackfoot Daisies and Turk's Cap.

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    1. The Blackfoot daisies and Turk's Cap are both real winners for me. And yes, I do try to keep the pollinators happy!

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  6. My, you have a beautiful selection! I especially love the Lantanas and the Zinnias! I can't get enough of them, and the pollinators love them, too. Happy GBBD!

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    1. It's really hard to beat lantanas and zinnias when it comes to satisfying the needs of butterflies and bees. They both love them.

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  7. All the best things bloom in the fall: Esperanza (Tecoma stans), Salvias, Lantanas, Cannas and more, still bloooming after all this time. You show some plants that I always intend to have 'next year' like Cat's whiskers and Plumbago. The rose at the end is just icing on the cake.

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    1. You are so right, Jean. I think you've identified why fall is my favorite season.

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  8. Happy Bloom Day! Loved all your great blooms! Do you grow your goldenrod from seed or are you able to get plants in Houston?

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    1. I got plants at my favorite local nursery. They generally have a good selection of native plants available.

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  9. You have so many gorgeous flowers still blooming, fall and spring were my favorite seasons in Houston, the most liveable anyway. I loved the lantanas as a child, and like Hibiscus a lot. I like your red flowers, the honeysuckle is really a bright red. Hummingbirds like the Crossvine, I suppose, they visited a similar orange trumpet flower a lot when I was a kid.

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    1. I have a lot of plants in my garden specifically for hummingbirds, as well as butterflies and bees, so fall - with the hummingbird migration - is certainly one of the most interesting times to be in my yard.

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  10. So many lovely autumn flowers, I loved them all! What an amazing colour on the Cape honeysuckle, and I love 'Molineux’ would have liked to have it in my garden if I just could find a space for it!

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    1. I know what you mean about space. I always see plants that I want to add to my garden, but where? It's pretty well jam-packed already!

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