Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - October 2021

Welcome to my October garden. I do actually have a few blooms to show you this month, although if you have visited my garden before, you've probably seen them in the past. I haven't really added anything new this fall yet, but I hope to soon. Here in zone 9a near Houston, as in many parts of the country and world, we have endured an unusual year of weather. It has not been kind to the garden and my plants show that. So please understand if a number of my plants do not appear at their best.

My tithonia plants are in a part of the garden that is not easy to water and they show that they have been deprived of moisture. Still, they bloom on, undaunted.

The cosmos bloomed in the summer and reseeded itself and now it blooms in autumn.

 

These crinums still put out a few blooms from time to time.

Do you ever forget that you've planted something? That happened to me with these yellow lycoris plants. I had completely forgotten that I had them until a few popped up to remind me.

This is the more common lycoris and I hadn't forgotten about it.

Duranta erecta, aka golden dewdrops.

 

The Cape honeysuckle is full of blooms.

'Cashmere Bouquet' Clerodendrum, aka Mexican hydrangea.

The cooler autumn weather has triggered the start of blooms in the purple oxalis.

Blue plumbago.

Pentas.

And more pentas.

Tropical milkweed, a gangly, somewhat unlovely plant but butterflies do like it.

The buddleias are still going strong, although the blooms are smaller now. (Yes, I do know I need to deadhead!)

And more buddleias.

Firespike, Odontonema strictum.

The muscadine grapes have been hurt by the year's weather but they still managed to produce some fruit that the wildlife will be glad to get.

The beautyberries seem impervious to weather. All of my several plants are fully loaded with berries.

This lantana was attacked by insects a few weeks ago but it is recovering and beginning to bloom again.

Peaches and cream lantana.

Purple trailing lantana, a favorite of butterflies.

The blooms of the almond verbena are not very noticeable to the eye, but if you have a sense of smell you can't miss them. Their scent is heavenly. Those are the neighbor's huge pine trees in the background.

Turk's cap, 'Big Mama.'

Justicia 'Orange flame.'

 

Cestrum.

Autumn sage.

While out taking pictures of flowers, I came upon this little guy resting on a fallen red oak leaf. I'm not 100% sure but I think it is a Tiger Swallowtail caterpillar. Please correct me if you know better.

The roses are responding to the cooler weather with blooms. This is pink Knockout.

'Peggy Martin.'

'Julia Child.' The blooms fade as they age. The one at the top is several days older than the bottom one.

 

'Caldwell Pink,' an antique polyantha.

'Belinda's Dream.'

'Lady of Shallott.'

I can always depend on the "blooms" of the bottle tree next to the Texas sage. You may be able to see a few of the fuchsia blooms remaining on the sage and there is one of those loaded beautyberry shrubs in the background.

I hope you and your garden are both doing well this October. I look forward to visiting you. Happy Bloom Day!

(Linking to Carol of May Dreams Gardens, our host.)