Skip to main content

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - September 2016

Oops! I almost forgot about Bloom Day this month. The day slipped up on me. Can it really be the middle of September?

 Fortunately, Carol of May Dreams Gardens never forgets and she hosts this meme every month. Thank you, Carol.

 Now let's see what, if anything, I can find blooming in my zone 9a garden this month.
The coral vine is beginning its bloom right on schedule.

The white Texas Star (swamp) hibiscus is still putting out a few blooms.

The butterfly ginger blooms just outside the window of the room where I do my daily pedaling on my recumbent bike, so I'm able to watch the hummingbirds jostle over the blooms as entertainment while I do my boring exercise.

The tall pink (and invasive) ruellia called 'Chi-Chi' is in full bloom.


And so is its compact and non-invasive cousin, 'Katie.'

The buttonbush is still sporting its weird little blossoms.

White cat's whiskers.

Turk's Cap - the old dependable.

The bronze Esperanza has bloomed steadfastly all summer long.

And so has the 'Pride of Barbados.'

Anisacanthus wrightii is in full bloom at this time of year and attracting Sulphur butterflies.

'Darcy Bussell' rose.

Lantana.

And more lantana with Gulf Fritillary.

Pink brugmansia has been a good bloomer this year.

And the Duranta erecta (Golden Dewdrops) just keeps on going.

It's easy to see why a common name for Hamelia is firebush.

My everblooming blue plumbago.

 And last but not least, lots of zinnias.





 Thank you for visiting my garden this month. I look forward to visiting yours!

 Happy Bloom Day.
Labels:

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 15, 2016 at 4:10 PM

    So much beauty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 15, 2016 at 5:17 PM

      Thanks as always, Martin. I appreciate your visits and your comments.

      Delete
  2. RoseSeptember 15, 2016 at 4:59 PM

    So many lovely blooms, Dorothy! I always admire some of your more "exotic" blooms like the plumbago and the Hamelia, which I can't grow here. But we do have one plant in common--zinnias, which are having a stellar year in the Midwest, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 15, 2016 at 5:17 PM

      It's been a good year for zinnias all around, I think. Actually, just about every year is a good year for zinnias.

      Delete
  3. LeaSeptember 15, 2016 at 4:59 PM

    A beautiful series of photos!
    Turk's Cap certainly is the most dependable plant I have, too.
    Love seeing the Butterflies!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 15, 2016 at 5:18 PM

      My Turk's cap blooms almost year round, a fact which butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees all appreciate.

      Delete
  4. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningSeptember 15, 2016 at 5:40 PM

    Dorothy, you have so many beautiful and interesting blooms in your garden and I love the Zinnias! Happy Bloom Day and September...already!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 15, 2016 at 7:21 PM

      Already half gone, in fact - where has the year gone?

      Delete
  5. AlanaSeptember 15, 2016 at 6:10 PM

    Oh no, Dorothy, you can't forget to post for GBBD. Where would I go to enjoy what, to me, are mostly exotic blooms? For once, our lantanas did well, thanks to our hotter than normal summer - but no beautiful butterfly like yours.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 15, 2016 at 7:22 PM

      The butterflies do love their lantana. It's one of the reasons I grow it.

      Delete
  6. Pam's English GardenSeptember 15, 2016 at 8:12 PM

    You have a lot going on in your garden this Bloom Day, Dorothy. My zinnias are still creating a show, too, and attracting butterflies. Your button bush is fascinating. P x

    ReplyDelete
  7. AndreaSeptember 15, 2016 at 8:14 PM

    Hi Dorothy, it is wonderful to see my plants in someone's garden! And that includes the butterflies. The only differences is i don't know that white buttonbush. And if you will see my post for GBBD i have lots of hoya instead of your zinnia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 15, 2016 at 10:21 PM

      The buttonbush is a native plant of North America. It is very attractive to bees and butterflies.

      Delete
  8. Judy KruegerSeptember 15, 2016 at 8:26 PM

    The more pictures I see of your gardens, the more I am convinced it is a piece of heaven.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 15, 2016 at 10:23 PM

      If you saw the real thing, you'd probably change your opinion. It is actually a bit of a mess at the moment, but at least some of the blooms are pretty.

      Delete
  9. betty-NZSeptember 16, 2016 at 1:17 AM

    What lovely colors and such a variety of petal shapes and sizes! I would be very happy with such fabulous color!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 16, 2016 at 8:52 AM

      Thanks for visiting. You must be looking forward to spring in New Zealand.

      Delete
  10. CarmenSeptember 16, 2016 at 7:38 AM

    So many beautiful blooms, as usual. Your garden rocks! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. HELENESeptember 16, 2016 at 11:05 AM

    It’s so nice to visit your garden Dorothy, you have so many plants I have never seen before! I had to scroll down to Darcey Bussell before I found a familiar plant :-) And every time I see your brugmansia I think oh! I still haven’t got one….But once my garden is a bit more sorted I will have one, just have to choose carefully so it will survive the winter. Loved your zinnias, they are so cheery plants. Hope you have a lovely time in the garden!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 16, 2016 at 11:11 AM

      And I always love visiting your London garden, Helene. You and your garden are an inspiration to me.

      Delete
  12. GlennaSeptember 16, 2016 at 8:08 PM

    The photo of the blue plumbago makes me so happy! :)
    This looks really fun - Carol of May Dreams Gardens. Does she host this on the 15th of every month?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 16, 2016 at 10:17 PM

      Looking at my blue plumbago always makes me happy, too.

      Yes, Carol hosts this meme on the 15th of every month. I'm sure she would love to have you participate.

      Delete
  13. rusty duckSeptember 17, 2016 at 2:50 PM

    Oh to have hummingbirds feeding off the ginger. You've made my brave English specimen feel very lonely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 17, 2016 at 3:32 PM

      Well, even if you don't have hummingbirds, I'm sure the bees and butterflies appreciate your ginger.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...
19 comments
Read more

Poetry Sunday: Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney

My mother was a farm wife and a prodigious canner. She canned fruit and vegetables from the garden, even occasionally meat. But the best thing that she canned, in my opinion, was blackberry jam. Even as I type those words my mouth waters!  Of course, before she could make that jam, somebody had to pick the blackberries. And that somebody was quite often named Dorothy. I think Seamus Heaney might have spent some time among the briars plucking those delicious black fruits as well, so he would have known that "Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour." They don't keep; you have to get that jam made in a hurry! Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust ...
6 comments
Read more

Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...
24 comments
Read more