First, a poem about the beauty of late-blooming flowers.
Autumn Flowers
Still blooming on, when Summer-flowers all fade,
The golden rods and asters fill the glade;
The tokens they of an Exhaustless Love,
That ever to the end doth constant prove.
The golden rods and asters fill the glade;
The tokens they of an Exhaustless Love,
That ever to the end doth constant prove.
To one fair tribe another still succeeds,
As still the heart new forms of beauty needs;
Till these, bright children of the waning year!
Its latest born have come our souls to cheer.
As still the heart new forms of beauty needs;
Till these, bright children of the waning year!
Its latest born have come our souls to cheer.
They glance upon us from their fringed eyes,
And to their look our own in love replies;
Within our hearts we find for them a place,
As for the flowers, which early Spring-time grace.
And to their look our own in love replies;
Within our hearts we find for them a place,
As for the flowers, which early Spring-time grace.
Despond not traveller! on life's lengthened way,
When all thy early friends have passed away;
Say not, " No more the beautiful doth live,
And to the earth a bloom and fragrance give. "
When all thy early friends have passed away;
Say not, " No more the beautiful doth live,
And to the earth a bloom and fragrance give. "
To every season has our Father given
Some tokens of his love to us from heaven;
Nor leaves us here, uncheered, to walk alone,
When all we loved and prized, in youth, has gone.
Some tokens of his love to us from heaven;
Nor leaves us here, uncheered, to walk alone,
When all we loved and prized, in youth, has gone.
Let but thy heart go forth to all around,
Still by thy side the beautiful is found;
Along thy path the Autumn flowers shall smile,
And to its close life's pilgrimage beguile.
~~~
And now, here are some of those late-bloomers from my zone 9a garden in Southeast Texas.
Even though many of the summer flowers have faded, we find that each season does have gifts of its own. As the poet wrote:
Happy gardening.
Still by thy side the beautiful is found;
Along thy path the Autumn flowers shall smile,
And to its close life's pilgrimage beguile.
~~~
And now, here are some of those late-bloomers from my zone 9a garden in Southeast Texas.
The coral vine is at its best just now.
Marigolds that have bloomed all summer continue to brighten my days.
Lantana.
And more lantana.
And still more lantana.
Hamelia patens with bumblebee.
'Coral Nymph' salvia.
'Coral Nymph' with pink Knockout roses and porterweed.
Porterweed alone.
Rudbeckia black-eyed Susan.
Turk's Cap.
Moonflower.
Jatropha.
Duranta erecta, golden dewdrops.
Bronze Esperanza with bee.
A bank of blue plumbago.
And, of course, what would October be without a few chrysanthemums sprinkled in.
Even though many of the summer flowers have faded, we find that each season does have gifts of its own. As the poet wrote:
Let but thy heart go forth to all around,I hope that autumn flowers are smiling at you this Bloom Day. Thank you Carol of May Dreams Gardens for hosting us once again.
Still by thy side the beautiful is found;
Along thy path the Autumn flowers shall smile,
And to its close life's pilgrimage beguile.
Happy gardening.
Love your flowers!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the poem, too.
Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
Thanks for visiting, Lea.
DeleteOur lantanas had a good run but by Tuesday morning they will be gone along with most of our flowers. Looking forward to seeing yours all winter long.
ReplyDeleteSome of them certainly will go all winter unless we have actual freezing weather, which has seldom happened in recent years. The lantanas should get their second wind soon.
DeleteI enjoyed your pretty blooms and the poem was perfect too! It's still looking like summer by you. Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteIt is still summery here, although the temperatures have moderated a bit, and some of the summer bloomers are still going strong.
DeleteThe poem is perfect for this time of year! Although I miss the spring flowers and the colorful blooms of summer, there is still much to enjoy in the garden this year, though I certainly don't have as many lovely blooms as you. As always, I'm jealous of the blue Plumbago and wish it was hardy here. But I agree on the lantana--you can't go wrong with it! It stands up to the hottest summer days and is still going strong in my garden.
ReplyDeleteEach season has its own special gifts and I think autumn's may be my favorite.
DeleteBeautiful poem that goes well with the pics from your garden. I love the Turk's caps and the chrysanthemums! :-)
ReplyDeleteTurk's cap is one of those toughies that never quit.
DeleteI love the fall days of blooming lantana.
ReplyDeleteLantana is a real winner and butterflies absolutely love it.
DeleteWhat a lovely poem and you have some beautiful blooms in your autumn garden. I have had the hardest time getting a Hamelia Patens to grow in this garden. I had two lovely ones where I lived before, but every one I have planted here has died. What's the secret?
ReplyDeleteI'm not aware that there is a secret. They grow like weeds - literally! - in my yard and I've never done anything special for them. In fact the only thing I do to them is cut them back occasionally to keep them from outgrowing their space and I cut them back to the ground when they die back in winter. I don't even water them during our hot, dry summers. For some reason, they just like my soil and location, I guess.
DeleteHi Dorothy, all your flowers are here too in our hotter tropics. Those porterweed however are not domesticated but growing wildly in the vacant areas, and very much loved by the butterflies. I asked my sister not to remove them in our area because i want the butterflies there, which is my passion now.
ReplyDeleteYou are right - the butterflies just go wild for porterweed. It so readily reseeds itself that I find plants growing wild all around my yard every year. I generally manage to save most of them. Anything that butterflies love so much is definitely worth saving.
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