October 2015 in the Northern Hemisphere

[johnralphcarpenter]

Some more Autumn colour from Metasequoia glyptostroboides , Dawn Redwood.

[Mike Ireland]

Very nice, Mike.

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

Thanks Chris, have not got a clue how this fungi found its way into my dry, south facing garden.
Great to see them though.
Crocus speciosus with a wasp feeding.

[Roma]

Autumn Gentians  -  must get them planted in the ground next year.

[Roma]

Hedychium gardnerianum

I think this is the first time it has flowered since the year I got it.  I thought I had lost it after the very cold 2010/2011 winter but two tiny shoots appeared in late summer in the centre of the pot and it has kept growing since.  It usually keeps the old foliage till well into the summer.  This year I cut off the old shoots early and I think because the new shoots grew faster one has managed to flower.

[Robert]

Crocus speciosus - growing in a sand bed. In our garden, this is the only location where this Crocus species has grown well. I have tried it in a variety of other sites, where it has disappeared or grown very poorly.



The garden is starting to shut-down for the winter, however this pink Hesperantha is looking good in the garden right now. 



Epilobium 'Wayne's Silver' - It has survived the drought for another year. It bloomed very poorly this fall and even the silver foliage is mixed with dead foliage and twigs. It received very little in the way of irrigation this past summer. I will try another plant in a better location next year.

[meanie]

Hedychium gardnerianum

I think this is the first time it has flowered since the year I got it.  I thought I had lost it after the very cold 2010/2011 winter but two tiny shoots appeared in late summer in the centre of the pot and it has kept growing since.  It usually keeps the old foliage till well into the summer.  This year I cut off the old shoots early and I think because the new shoots grew faster one has managed to flower.

Mine has not flowered this year for the first time in a couple of year as it was so late to warm up this year. I like to leave the old growth on until late spring to protect the tubers from rot even it has been killed by cold weather and flopped over.

[Roma]

My Hedychium lives in the greenhouse all year round in a large pot. The greenhouse is heated with a gas heater and does not usually go much below freezing.  It only has two shoots which have now reached the edge of the pot again.  I really must get round to splitting and repotting.  It is one of those pots which curves in towards the rim so I can see difficulties if I do not want to smash the pot

[johnralphcarpenter]

Some whites: Crinodendron patagua seems to flower on and off throughout the summer and autumn; the tiny but highly scented flowers of Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Goshiki'.

[astragalus]

Robert, interesting to see your Zauschneria 'Wayne's Silver' (probably the same as my 'Wayne's select'), because it was still in bloom.  After a couple of nights with temps to the teens F, almost all bloom in the garden was wiped out.  Still some flowers on Daphne x hendersonii 'Ernst Hauser' and D. velenovskyi 'Balkan Rose', but the two Primula japonicas that were in bloom were wiped out.

[Steve Garvie]

Biarum davisii   
-well Halloween is around the corner. 

[Philip Walker]

Persicaria affinis 'Darjeeling Red'

[meanie]

Biarum davisii   
-well Halloween is around the corner. 

Glorious!

Salvia leucantha is just coming into bloom now...............


Kept frost free it should bloom pretty much all winter now.

[Robert]

meanie,

Is that the pink and white form of Salvia leucantha or the all pink form? Hard for me to tell as it seems like the flowers are not 100%  open. We have both around here (at least in the Sacramento Valley, California, where they are cold hardy).

They bloom all winter in the Sacramento Valley, too. Get big!

Anyway, looks great!

[brianw]

I have a untidy pot of Ipheon sessile/Tristagma recurvifolium out at present. Untidy because I forgot it and it grew threw some weeds. A delightful plant with white starry flowers and almost black stripe on the reverse. Photos on the PBS website and on the Wisley diary here. Mine came from Paul Cumbleton I think.
Asphodelus acaulis had a single flower 2 days ago. Only lasted a day. Did not notice any last year, but maybe I just missed it if they at that short lived.
I am still hoping my Hedychium buds are going to open before the first frosts. A near thing to nights ago; <2C min.

[johnw]

Colours have developed quickly in the past week or so as a walk through the 75 hectare Pt. Plesasant Park in the Halifax's south end proved today. 

Photo #1 the park was flattened by Hurricane Juan's 170k/hr winds 12 years ago and turned from an aged forest to a virtual hayfield as a result. Calluna vulgaris has spead remarkably throughout the park withthe increase of light on the forest floor. 

Gaultheria procumbens has proliferated as well, Photo #2 & #3. 

Photo #4 nothing can touch the Gaylussacias for autumn colour and the show can continue into December, Gaylussacia baccata. 

Photo #5 the keeper's house with the local Rhododendron hybrid 'Minas Grand Pré'.

BTW the park is still British property and leased to the city for 1 shilling per year. Wonder how they work that out?

johnw  - may get the first touch of frost on plants tonight with a low of +1c, it will be welcomed as they need to slow down.