"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Friday, October 30, 2009

Fertilizer Friday - Bright spots in my day.

While most of the flowers in my garden are just finishing up, I did manage to find some fresh looking flowers. They are especially nice to see since aside from a few dry hours a couple of days ago, we're back to rain and more rain. After seeing so many beautiful flowers blooming inside other bloggers home this past winter, I've decided that this fall and winter I'll be trying more indoors here too. Normally I'm not very good with indoor plants, they usually die from too little or too much watering. I've already begun fertilizing my African Violets and I noticed how much healthier they looked almost right away, even better I've seen that one is forming flower buds. I've started one Amaryllis so far and found a Christmas Cactus to try too. Hopefully this will be my year for them to bloom and add some color inside.
For now I'll share what is blooming outside:

Hydrangea 'Nikko Blue' decided to give me one last fresh flower while the rest are fading into their pretty fall coloring.

Dahlia 'Pretty Lady' has quite a few more buds opening, and I hope they get a chance to finish blooming.

One of the Zinnias 'California Giants'. There are quite a few others blooming as well.

This Dahlia 'Arabian Night' is actually a very deep burgundy color that never shows very well in pictures.

Clematis 'Josephine' is still hanging onto her flowers too. The more the blooms open the "frillier" they become.

Some of the many Pansies I've been planting. These are in my window boxes and are called 'Skyline Copperfield'. They really vary quite a bit in color, some have much more yellow in them.

One of my very favorites that has been on my blog many times is Verbena bonariensis. I think this may be it's last time in bloom until next year. Most have gone to seed and now the birds are enjoying them.

Visit Tootsie at Tootsie Time to see what else is blooming this Fertilizer Friday.
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Posted by at 7:39 AM
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35 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 30, 2009 at 8:33 AM

    Now you continue to torture me with your blue hydrangeas! Its not fair!!! Seriously though, its all still looking fabulous Catherine. Mine is very different at the moment.....dank and rotting.....

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  2. DarlaOctober 30, 2009 at 9:03 AM

    I am not very good with indoor plants either Catherine. I am down to one African Violet, started with three...your outside blooms are still mucho gorgeous!

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  3. UnknownOctober 30, 2009 at 10:11 AM

    they are all gorgeous! Love those dahlias.

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  4. Scott & LizOctober 30, 2009 at 10:26 AM

    Catherine, Whoa, what great images! Dahlias are of a very select group of temperate plants that I wish I could grow. Thanks for lettin' me enjoy yours.
    Scott

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  5. tinaOctober 30, 2009 at 10:28 AM

    I'm not good with inside plants either. In fact, the only reason I have any is because I can put them outside in the summer. That being said they do freshen the air inside. I've seen brugs blooming inside on some blogs. That would be fun if you had the room. Good luck and we'll all miss your beautiful outside blooms.

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  6. AlisonOctober 30, 2009 at 10:32 AM

    The Dahlia and the Clem are just beautiful! Hope your indoor plants do well this winter. Thanks for posting such pretty pictures.

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  7. ProsperoOctober 30, 2009 at 10:42 AM

    Hi Catherine. Did you grow your Skyline Copperfield Pansies from seed? They are so pretty.

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  8. LonaOctober 30, 2009 at 10:56 AM

    Oh, what a beauty! I so wish my Nikko would have bloomed this year. It had finally gotten buds but now they are turning yellow.
    Your dahlias are still so pretty. I am determined to grow zinnias next year ;-)
    And what a pretty pansy.
    Have a good weekend.

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  9. Noelle Johnson October 30, 2009 at 11:01 AM

    Hello Catherine,

    I just love Hydrangeas! Your light blue one is stunning. I have to enjoy yours because they are hard to grow here.

    I am terrible at growing houseplants, but I do grow Africa Violets fairly well. I hope you enjoy your indoor color this winter.

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  10. Thoughtfully Blended HeartsOctober 30, 2009 at 11:04 AM

    Drop dead gorgeous...jealousy here!!!
    Happy Halloween!

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  11. GartenGrlOctober 30, 2009 at 11:58 AM

    I bow down to your garden guru-ness...sigh...I know it's not a contest, but I feel that you have won!
    GartenGrl

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  12. Catherine@AGardenerinProgressOctober 30, 2009 at 1:08 PM

    Prospero - No, we didn't grow these pansies from seed. We did sow some seed earlier, but the area is now covered with leaves and I'm unsure if they've sprouted yet. Guess I should check :)

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  13. AnnaOctober 30, 2009 at 2:25 PM

    I usually just have to look at indoor plants and they wither. Have managed to keep an African violet going for a few months now so maybe they are a good starting point :)

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  14. AnonymousOctober 30, 2009 at 3:40 PM

    I think my favorite is the dahlia. They show up so well in the photos. I'm not good with indoor plants either Catherine. I hope you and the girls enjoy some Halloween fun.

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  15. UnknownOctober 30, 2009 at 4:31 PM

    i love them all!

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  16. lotusleafOctober 30, 2009 at 5:53 PM

    I love your blue hydrangea. It seems to reflect the colour of the sky.

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  17. MeemsOctober 30, 2009 at 6:11 PM

    Such pretty blooms... that hydrangea is simply wonderful.

    Loved the fall colors in your previous post, too. We just have to be happy that we get to keep gardening through fall I guess... no fall colors is the exchange for tropical winters.
    Meems

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  18. GailOctober 30, 2009 at 6:47 PM

    Catherine, What a treat to see these big, beautiful and colorful blooms while listening to more rain fall on the skylight! Just what I needed to lighten my mood. Thank you, thank you, thank you! gail ps I agree with Mildred, the dahlia is my favorite, too!

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  19. SusieOctober 30, 2009 at 7:11 PM

    Catherine those dahlias are just beautiful, especially the first one.

    Hope you and the girls have a great halloween!

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  20. garden girlOctober 30, 2009 at 8:18 PM

    What beautiful blooms Catherine. Your photos are great, and real mood-brighteners for this rainy October.

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  21. AnonymousOctober 30, 2009 at 9:13 PM

    That Nikko is one of my very very favorites and it just jumps out at cha when you first arrive at your blog. You've got a lot of good bloomers still. My pansies are just getting going pretty good.

    The widget for Operation Christmas Child looks grand on your sidebar and thank you so much for helping the little kids. Big hugs to ya for that!

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  22. maría ceciliaOctober 30, 2009 at 10:31 PM

    Hi Catherine, how wonderful your photos are and your garden is plenty of flower still. Your blue/purple hydrangea is so beautiful... do you have acid soil over there??
    Muchos cariños
    María Cecilia

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  23. KarenOctober 30, 2009 at 10:31 PM

    I wish I could grow dahlias, I don't seem to have the knack. Maybe I'll find a spot for some next year, anything that lovely that is still blooming in late October is a boon! Lookin' good as always. Happy Halloween!

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  24. gittanOctober 31, 2009 at 1:13 AM

    How nice to see all those plants still blooming for you. That Hydrangea of yours is so beautiful. Hope you'll have a great Halloween / gittan

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  25. AnonymousOctober 31, 2009 at 3:50 AM

    Your outdoor blooms are of high quality, Catherine! Dahlias have really caught my eye this year and more need to be added. Yours are particularly spectacular! Indoor gardening helps get us through the winter here as well. Happy Hallowe'en! :-0
    Frances

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  26. Tatyana@MySecretGardenOctober 31, 2009 at 5:58 AM

    Hi Catherine! That purplish-pinkish dahlia is gorgeous! As for the indoor plants, mine are suffering mostly from the dry air. I think we can't avoid it in our heated houses. Have a great (dry!) Halloween!

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  27. donnaOctober 31, 2009 at 6:11 AM

    What a pleasure to look at your colorful photos. I'd be thrilled to have even one of those blooms in my yard. I think it's rained here almost every day in October. I'm not great with house plants either and now that we have a cat, I don't see that there will be any improvement.

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  28. Brenda PruittOctober 31, 2009 at 7:34 AM

    What lovely flowers! I truly love zinnias, but for some strange reason I have trouble growing them! Don't know why. I grow lots of other things. Maybe I give them potting soil that is too rich and they would rather have plain old dirt! Please clue me in if you know!
    Brenda

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  29. Catherine@AGardenerinProgressOctober 31, 2009 at 8:42 AM

    Thanks for visiting everyone. I'm so glad to still have a few things in bloom.

    maria cecilia - Our soil is pretty acidic. We have lots of conifers around and their needles keep the soil acidic.

    Brenca - The Zinnias I grow are in full, hot sun and the soil is lightly amended, but I don't do any fertilizing. I hope you have better luck with them next year. I find if I ignore them they do best :)

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  30. AnonymousOctober 31, 2009 at 9:19 AM

    Hi Catherine~~ A big flounsy hydrangea blossom indeed. They certainly aren't subtle are they? My 'Josephine' has a few tentative blossoms. Yours is fabulous! Pink/purple pansies, cute enough to kiss and the foliage looks really healthy too. Your dahlias look really healthy, not infested with those yellow cucmber beetles as mine seem to be. [Sorry. I'll stop complaining now.] ... In answer to your purple/white clematis, it's 'Venosa Violacea.' Linda Beutler is the author of a fabulous conversational style book on clematis and 'VV' was her favorite so when I found a plant a few years ago, I snatched it up. It's blooming again. If you're interested I bet her book, "Gardening with Clematis" is in your library. That is if you're intersted in another addiction, LOL. Lots of rain here too. 'Tis the season.

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  31. Nikki Tate-StrattonOctober 31, 2009 at 9:25 AM

    What an inspiring set of photographs! Do you ever dry the big hydrangea blooms? We had a couple of spectacular ones that lasted inside for several years before they were finally so delicate and lacy they practically fell apart when you looked at them.

    Looking at your photos I realize how badly I need to reassess my fall garden! We have lots and lots of green but very little colour...

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  32. Corner Gardener SueOctober 31, 2009 at 10:39 AM

    You have some lovelies blooming in your garden! Each one became my favorite as I saw it. I'm thinking the clematis may have the others inched out as my favorite. I'm inconsistent with houseplants. but am tickled my Naomi pink holiday cactus has buds on it.

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  33. Catherine@AGardenerinProgressOctober 31, 2009 at 12:19 PM

    Nikki - Thanks! I do dry them, and just love having them to look at inside.

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  34. sweetbayOctober 31, 2009 at 9:45 PM

    Your dahlias are beautiful, I just love that pink one!

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  35. JoanneNovember 2, 2009 at 1:27 PM

    Gosh it looks like mid summer in your garden with the colours so vibrant

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