Mid October and summer is hanging on just a little: the bees are still busy, some monarch butterflies have not yet flown south, and the farmer hasn't harvested the corn. The weather, however, is horrible. While we were in England, Pennsylvania had seven straight days without rain, for the first time in months, but as soon as we arrived home, rain was back in the forecast. As a result, I haven't been able to work outside, and my garden is a mess. Nevertheless it IS Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and I'm heading outside between showers to find some blooms.
Caryopteris has a few remaining blossoms (and bees as you can see from the photo above.)
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| Caryopteris 'Dark Knight' |
Of my three butterfly bushes, one is full of flowers. Maybe that's why monarch butterflies are still visiting my garden.
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| 'Autumn Joy' sedum is still joyful. |
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| There's a late bloom on the honeysuckle. |
Fall leaves predominate in the shade garden.
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| The hydrangeas are showing autumn color. |
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| Oakleaf hydrangea |
I love my perennial geranium because it is so long-lasting. There was a conversation on Alistair's blog about the color. In Scotland it is blue; mine is purple. It's thought the color may be due to the soil.
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| Perennial geranium 'Rozanne' |
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| Lavendar is still blooming in the Cottage Garden |
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| Snake root has just finished blooming in the woodland garden (photo taken last month) |
Fall has definitely arrived in my woodland garden. No blooms; lots of autumn leaves.
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| Weird-shaped seedpod of Sweet Shrub |
The pond is still flaunting some color. There is a flower on one of the waterlilies every day.
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| Waterlily |
Our big bullfrogs (we have three) are very shy. Can you see one hiding behind the water plants?
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| Bullfrog |
Trees edging the cornfield are changing color. Daily we expect the farmer to harvest the corn. The colors of zinnias and marigolds in the kitchen garden add to the feel of autumn.
The knockout roses continue to bloom profusely.
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| Pots of marigolds flank a red Knockout rose. |
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| The last David Austin rose |
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| Not to be outdone, the pink Knockout has several blossoms. |
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| Rosa 'Compassion' |
Baby, it's cold out there ... I'm going to sit by the fire in the den and browse through all the wonderful blogs listed at Carole's May Dreams Gardens for October Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Thank you Carole for hosting my favorite meme.
Enjoy your October garden, whatever season it may be in your part of the world!
Pamela x
~~ I love reading your comments. I hope you leave one so I’ll know you visited!
I look forward to visiting your blog in return.
Hi Pam,
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos and blooms, you really do have a lot still happening in your garden!
I really must get myself one of those caryopteris, especially if they often bloom this late but also for the insects!
Your frog captures are wonderful. The bullfrog especially, such a hospitable fellow. I love fall, but the hydrangea color, that deep, deep, pink, is not a favorite of mine. I had it featured on my blog too, but then again, there is little new to show from last month. Your garden is much more varied in color and creature.
ReplyDeleteI particularly like your photos that show the season changing--the leaves on the chairs, the garden blooming away against the dray standing corn(?). You've captured October very nicely. Happy bloomday!
ReplyDeleteYou still have a lot of colour in your garden. Here in Ireland everything is rain sodden. It just goes on and on and on...
ReplyDeleteSo much to see in your garden, and all lovely.
ReplyDeleteThat portrait of the bee is an amazing photo Pam!!
ReplyDeleteWow! Three bloggers whose photography I really esteem have admired my pictures. Thank you Donna, James and Diana. I am honored! P. x
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post...love the vignette with the corn field in the background! I just love the coloring of the gone-oever Hydrangeas...for some reason, they just look amazing after they start to fade.
ReplyDeleteLovely Roses. Your kitchen garden looks so colourful and I just love the Autumn leaves. I know your garden may look like a mess to you, but it looks great to my eyes. That perennial Geranium is gorgeous and I wish I was there to smell the Lavender.
ReplyDeletePam, I just love the photos. Just love'm .....The photos with the corn field are awesome. They just yell...autumn! I would'nt call it a mess at all. G.
ReplyDeleteLove your blooms! You still have so much color! Oh and that bullfrog is outstanding!
ReplyDeleteYou have a lot of blooms! And I love your bee and butterfly shots. Your garden strewn with leaves looks beautiful. And I adore the bullfrog! He thinks he's hidden!
ReplyDeleteWhat a magnificent photo of the bumblebee! I've been wanting a caropyteris for some time; now you've convinced me I need to plant one next year. Your kitchen garden is so cheery--marigolds and zinnias are such great annuals for eye-catching color. Happy Bloom Day!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Thanks for visiting me. I think this may be the first time I've visited your blog--when I saw your name before, I thought you were an English blogger:) English cottage gardens have always been my vision of the "perfect" garden.
Pamela, your garden is so lovely in the fall. The leaves on the lawn, the colors of the grass and the lingering flowers all add to the feel of autumn. I have not had rebloom on any of the waterlilies since August. How wonderful to have one still in flower.
ReplyDeleteWow-that photo of the bumblebee is magnificent! Your gardens are just beautiful Pam as always. Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeletePam, It was such a pleasure to see your autumn garden! It is lovely. It's interesting about the geranium 'Rozanne' and 'Jolly Bee'. I have both and they do not seem to be the same plant. I love that 'Rozanne' weaves in and out amongst the other plants, but not in an aggressive manner. And 'Jolly Bee' is happy just to stay in its own area. They are such a pretty color of blue!
ReplyDeleteHi Pam,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your garden tour. You have lot's of lovely color still going strong in October. Wising you a beautiful Autumn season~
This is an interesting post. Love the landscape photos and the knockout roses. Real knockouts. Like the bullfrogs too. We don't see them here.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is still colorful with blooms! I love the photo of the hiding bullfrog, it's absolutely charming.
ReplyDeleteWhen you went outside there was a lot going on. This weather is terrible but yesterday was beautiful and today is looking promising. I was discussing the color of 'Rozanne' with Alistair. Maybe the plants in Europe are from a different stock. Happy GBBD.
ReplyDeleteRain seems to be the common theme in northeastern gardens this year. Your photos, especially the bumblebee and butterfly, are fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHello Pam, I bet its good to be back home, and the colour in your garden is still amazing. I am not really convinced about my suggestion of the soil being at the root of the colour difference with Rozanne and Jolly bee. Carolyns suggestion of different stock may well be an alternative answer. I must say though the picture you show of Rozanne today, one of the blooms is purple and the other is blue.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lot of colour you've got in your autumn garden. We've had another weekend of sunshine here. Spring flowers are in bloom again, they're so confused. They're not going to be ready for winter when it arrives.
ReplyDeleteHooray for the bullfrog! The top image of the bee is startlingly beautiful!
ReplyDeleteBertie
Cute capture of the bullfrog.
ReplyDeleteLove seeing your gardens/property.
So many pretties and the woods as a backdrop makes everything so welcoming.
My favorite bloom is the frog-- he is adorable. And the composition of that image is perfect.
ReplyDeleteWelcome home!! Hope you had a good trip. I love your autumn colours (and your bull frogs!)
ReplyDeleteYou have some lovely blooms still. I wish you could send us some of your rain. As I look at the woodlands around town its depressing to note that the brown and orange leaves aren't fall colors, but dead pine trees, water oaks, hickory and more. Usually, we don't get a lot of fall color down here.
ReplyDeleteNice bee and butterfly shots! I particularly like the Compassion rose--such a pretty color!
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame we had to have the good weather while you were gone. It did great things for the gardens. Now all the rain is making everything look so bedraggled again. In some ways, I'll be relieved when we finally get the frost that is forecast for late this week, just to put a close to this disappointing season and move on! Next year has to be better, right?!
Lovely photos of your garden! I like the bee, butterfly, and frog, too. Plus, you have helped me identify a wildflower I have - Snake Root.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Lea
You have so many beautiful blooms still in your garden Pam. How wonderful to have some late blooms on the Honeysuckle. I love the colorful leaves on your Oakleaf hydrangea too.
ReplyDeleteHello Pam and thank you for your lovely blog comment to me. THis is a pretty full-on photo diary! Saw below that you had a visit to David Austin Roses, Wonderful indeed I visited early this year and did garden design day. I learnt a fair bit.
ReplyDeleteDear Pam, your garden looks amazing even if you haven't attended it. Your photography is getting better all the time, the photo's are lovely. My favourite of all though is the marigolds and Zinnia's they look wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI hope your mother is getting better and that your next trip over to the UK all goes well.
M xx
Welcome home - I hope you had lots of fun in England!
ReplyDeleteYour fall garden looks beautiful with all of your zinnias, marigolds, and roses! I hope you get some sun soon to enjoy it in!
Love your frogs!
ReplyDeleteYour photos evoke fall perfectly. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteGreat capture of fall colors. Such a pretty array of flowers.
ReplyDeleteI think you captured the beauty of your roses incredibly well. I feel as if I could touch their velvety petals. I have also seen a few monarchs that have not flown south yet. They are always a treat to see.
ReplyDeleteWow, Pam, your place looks wonderful in autumn! I love the longer views that include the farm fields. How tranquil!
ReplyDeleteI love Lavendar, but it has generally petered out around here. Yours looks great! Enjoyed seeing all the color that's still in your gardens!
ReplyDeleteYour garden is to die for...amazing xx
ReplyDeletePam,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely show you have going on still in October! It is wonderful to still have some many roses. I am curious that your oakleaf hydrangea is coloring much sooner than ours, which have not started to turn yet.
That is an amazing bee photo. His eye looks like a shiny button.
I hope you can avoid the frost for another few weeks! We had a close nip of it last evening.
Julie
Hi Pam,
ReplyDeleteI hope you're having an awesome week! I thought you might like this infographic I helped build about the health, mental, and financial benefits of gardening (http://blog.lochnesswatergardens.com/how-gardening-benefit/).
If you think your readers would like it too, please feel free to use it on your blog, Pam's English Cottage Garden. There's code at the bottom of our post that makes it super easy to post on your blog. It's all free (of course). If you have any questions about posting it, let me know and I'll try to help.
I don't know where else to contact you so I just posted a comment here. :)
Thanks!
~ Janey
janealvarado83@gmail.com
I grow 'COmpassion' as well. Thought it would be the last rose of summer until I went to the lower lawn and found 'Impressionist' blooming just once more. The first fire was lit this week end which is usually a signal that even the humans are ready to call it quits in the garden, but I LOVE seeing what is still happening in your garden!!!
ReplyDeleteI adore the image of the marigolds and garden shed with the corn field in the background... it would make a delightful card. Don't forget to add your thumbnail to the Autumn Walk Challenge.
ReplyDeleteSame weather going on here, cool, rainy, but lots of flowers still blooming. We've had a few light frosts but nothing drastic yet. I still have to bring in my pots and take cuttings if the weather would just cooperate.
ReplyDeletePam, your autumn garden is lovely. Love the photos of marigolds and roses with corn in the back ground. Conjours up warm feelings of hearth and home.... Compassion is a new rose to me. I am anxious to hear reports of its progress. Throughly enjoyed your photos and commentary. Your garden is a joy to visit.
ReplyDelete