October 2015 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Robert]

Meanie,

What a vivid red Salvia.    It reminds me of Salvia blepharophylla. It was a nice species for us - fairly compact growth and a long blooming season. Unfortunately, it was boarder-line cold hardy for us up here at the farm and we lost it during a cold winter (when was the last time that happened around here?).

One of these days I will give it a try down at our Valley bungalow. It will most likely thrive there.

Thinking of the Sacramento Valley - Salvia semiatrata has started blooming for us too. Being close to the Sacramento River, the climate is mild - like we can grow Avocados - S. chiapensis blooms almost all year. Salvia sinaloensis is great too - gentian blue flowers and very low and compact growth. It is very easy to fit in here and there, but it likes rich soil otherwise it will not bloom well.

I am so busy with the farmers' market when I am down there that it seems like I rarely have time for photographs. It would also help if I remembered to bring the camera with me.    Juggling too many things right now.

Anyway, I am enjoying the photographs from your garden. All very different and refreshing to see.

[meanie]

Robert;
My S.semiatatra is still some way off blooming but S.lasiantha is starting to bud up and judging by the colour so far it looks as if I may have the true species 

[Maggi Young]

 Couldn't resist this photo from the super Macplants      

Gentiana 'The Caley'   (named for the anniversary of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society the other year) " still performing and looking stunning" ..... Yep!

[astragalus]

Oh my goodness.  That is so spectacular, Maggi.

What's going on in the garden here is just bits and pieces.
1.  Chrysanthemum weyrichii which is in the garden in both pink and white forms
2.  Leaf color of epimediums
3.  Astragalus utahensis still throwing blooms and making seed pods
4.  A few blooms on Daphne x hendersonii 'Ernst Hauser', blooming darker than it does in the spring.
     Eternally grateful to Harry Jans for introducing this one.

[astragalus]

And a few more.


1. Daphne velenovskyi 'Balkan Rose', well into its 4th bloom of the year.
2. Primula japonica, obviously confused about the season.
3. Zauschneria 'Wayne's select' - a wonderful contrast of silver foliage and orange flowers

[astragalus]

A couple of pictures for the seed picture collection, plus a single flower on a Clematis sp.  Tonight we are expecting the first hard frost of the season.  Raw and very windy today - Fall cleanup was not fun.

[Maggi Young]

Epimedium foliage is spectacular,  Anne - no doubt that having good spreads of it like that make the display really "pop."

[Tristan_He]

Couldn't resist this photo from the super Macplants      

Gentiana 'The Caley'   (named for the anniversary of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society the other year) " still performing and looking stunning" ..... Yep!

Wow! I'm ordering one!

[Robert]

Anne,

A nice medley of photographs.

Primula japonica gets confused around here too at times. The fall blooming plants somehow bloom again in the spring. 

I will try to get out and photograph our Epilobium 'Waynes Silver'. I will be curious what you think.

[Parsla]

Hi Anne,

Your tiny Daphnes are just beautiful. Thanks for showing them.

Jacqui.

[Mike Ireland]

Found in the garden this morning, Geastrum triplex I think.
Looks like the slugs first course were the crocus, now after his mains.

[Maggi Young]

Caught in the act, Mike!

[astragalus]

Hi Anne,

Your tiny Daphnes are just beautiful. Thanks for showing them.

Jacqui.


Thanks so much, Jacqui.

[Chris Johnson]

Found in the garden this morning, Geastrum triplex I think.
Looks like the slugs first course were the crocus, now after his mains.

Very nice, Mike.

With the paucity of woodland, I haven't seen Earthstars up here, but would agree with Geastrum triplex.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Malus 'Dogo' is a super colour - I'm not familiar with such cultivars so it's a pleasant surprise to see them.

This is a relatively new Malus cultivar - Malus 'Laura'. Excellent colour and superb crab apple jelly.