More Than Just Mums: October 2010 Bloom Day

Hylotelephium 'Becka' (Sedum Autumn Light) with Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'October Skies'

It's the 15th of the month, that day when Carol, of May Dreams Gardens, asks us to show what's blooming in our gardens.  Despite two very light frosts on the front lawn, everything is still chugging along, much more is in bloom than last October, but not as much as October 2008, but more on that later.  It's been like summer the past week, with highs in the 80sF/27+C here in Chicagoland, but fortunately, it has returned to normal now with highs in the 60sF/16+C.

First, the new bloomers:  all those ex-asters that were too late for last month's Bloom Day.

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Honeysong Pink', S. n-a 'Hella Lacy', S. laeve, and Malva sylvestris 'Zebrina'

The Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (New England asters) and Symphyotrichum laeve (smooth blue aster) are in full bloom now.

The towering Aster tataricus

has reached over 6 feet this year.

The Actaeas almost didn't make it into a Bloom Day post this year.  For the first time ever, both Actaea 'Black Negligee' and 'James Compton' bloomed.

Actaea 'James Compton'

The garden has smelled so wonderfully grapey.  I'm sad to see them fading.

I found a solution to the flopping of Aconitum carmichaelii (monkshood):

grow it up a tree. I divided the beast last spring, planting a piece under the Cornus 'Rutban' (Aurora®). It used the tree like a giant stake, to reach the dizzying height of over six feet.  It seems very happy there.

Along with the monkshood, the woodland garden is dominated by the Japanese anemones,  Anemone x hybrida 'Andrea Atkinson'

and 'Party Dress',

and the toadlilies (Tricyrtis).

Tricyrtis 'Tojen'

While not technically blooms, the calyxes of Heptacodium miconiodes are close enough.

It finally finished blooming last week.  The blue flower underneath it is another division of the Aconitum; clearly, it's not nearly as happy as the ones in the woodland garden.

I just had to show this little petunia the boy gave me for Mother's Day.

It has shrugged off heat, drought, frost and complete neglect, making a flashy groundcover underneath the Baptisia and Panicum virgatum in the bed by the street with the first sculpture.  It's a Proven Winners plant, but I've lost the tag, so I don't know which one.

Instead of showing Geranium 'Bob's Blunder' again (it still looks amazing), I'm featuring the new flush of blooms on Geranium 'Blogold' (Blue Sunrise).

It wasn't happy with the heat and dryness of summer.

Tuesday, I got a big surprise when I glanced at Clematis 'Venosa Violacea'.

I hadn't even noticed a bud, and there was this bloom.  Better late and deformed than never, I guess.

The lavender is back in full bloom.

Lavandula 'Hidcote'

That's the last of the Phlox paniculata 'Red Riding Hood' behind it.

And finally, the mum.

It's no longer the last plant to bloom at Squirrelhaven. The Aconitum fisherii I planted last spring is still in bud.  I love still having something to which to look forward.

Not pictured, but still blooming well:
Eurybia divaricata (white wood aster)
Fuschia species
Geranium 'Bob's Blunder'

Geranium 'Gerwat' (Rozanne)

Lobularia maritima

Symphyotrichum laeve 'Bluebird'

Tricyrtis 'Gilt Edge'

Tricyrtis 'Gilty Pleasure'

Zinnia 'Green Envy'

Also blooming with just a couple of blooms:
Actaea 'Black Negligee'
Callirhoe involucrata
Campanula 'Samantha'
Campanula persicifolia 'Grandiflora Alba'
Caryopteris 'Janice'
Clematis 'Fairy Blue' (Crystal Fountain) in puff stage
Clematis 'Rhapsody' (one bloom)
Corydalis 'Berry Exciting'
Dianthus 'Cranberry Ice'
Echinacea purpurea
Geranium nodosum 'Svelte Lilac'
Hylotelephium species
Phlox paniculata 'Gold Mine'
Solidago 'Dansolitlem' (Little Lemon)
Solidago 'Fireworks'
Symphyotrichum lateriflorus 'Snow Flurry'

I would have had more in bloom this month, had there been any rain for the past two weeks, and more than only 1.5" in the past month.  It's been so dry, I've had to drag the hose around.  Normally, I try not to use the hose to water, instead relying on the water from the rainbarrel.  I had to take more drastic action, as trees and shrubs are in danger of dying if they go into winter without adequate moisture, especially conifers.  Blog Action Day's theme this year is water.  It's important for gardeners to conserve water, using rainbarrels as much as possible, watering wisely, and planting things that are suitable for the climate and soil conditions.  Because of my village's watering restrictions and the limits of my rainbarrel, I am going to lose quite a few perennials I planted this year.  Most of the grass seed I sowed this fall will never germinate because the rains never came, and I refuse to water the lawn.   Better to lose some plants and part of the lawn than have the aquifers go dry.