October bloom day on a Fertilizer Friday.

I haven't joined in with Bloom Day or Fertilizer Friday for awhile and thought this would be the perfect time to join in since they both land on the same day.  I always forget just how much is still going on in my garden in October.  If I think about the October garden in May I'm pretty sure I've forgotten by then that there are actually plants still flowering.  It's nice to be reminded that even though it's slowed down, it hasn't quit yet.  Several plants are blooming again, a few have been blooming for months.  I'm really trying to enjoy each flower this fall since all we keep hearing about is how bad a winter we are supposed to have this year.

 No surprise to see Sedum 'Autumn Joy' blooming now.  I've got several different Sedums blooming, I love watching how intense the red becomes as the flower ages.

 Chocolate Eupatorium/Joe Pye Weed has finally bloomed.

 The Impatiens will bloom until the first frost.  This is the time of year I really appreciate them.  They almost seem at their peak right now, the plants are big and full of flowers.

 Heuchera 'Caramel' as well as many other Heucheras are blooming again.  Hardy fuchsias are blooming behind them.

 Linaria was cut back and is now reblooming.

 Mexican Orange (Choysia ternata) is blooming for a second time.  It's first bloom is in late spring.

 Now this was a surprise, a Primula blooming.  Looks like the slugs found it already.

 Rose 'Abraham Darby' had a couple of blooms left although smaller than they would be in the summer.  'Lady Emma Hamilton' is full of flowers, and 'Tamora', 'Julia Child' and 'Iceberg' all have flowers.  'Honey Perfume' has quite a few buds too.

 Nicotiana grown from seed from Lona is still blooming as is the Nicotiana 'Limelight'.  I saw that a hummingbird had discovered these ones today.

If anyone remembers this little Meyer Lemon tree was overwintered inside last winter.  It bloomed and was hand pollinated by the Littlest Gardener back in December of 2009.  It looks just about ready to pick.  I saw that there are about 4 little baby lemons starting on it too.

To see what is blooming around the rest of the world visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and Tootsie at Tootsie Time for Fertilizer Friday.

May end of month view.

May is finished and I hope the weather it brought is finished as well. Our highs over the weekend were in the low 50's and it was either raining or at least drizzling the whole time. I finally gave up on waiting for the sun to appear and spent a couple of hours under trees in the path garden cleaning up and doing a little weeding. Most of the garden is doing fine, but the seedlings and vegetables seem to be on hold waiting for a little sun. It looks as if it will be later in the week before sun and some warmer weather will be here.
Today I remembered that it was time for the end of month view with The Patient Gardener. This part of the garden sure has gone crazy and looks like a jungle now.

I never imagined the Hydrangeas would actually ever get this huge. After they finish blooming this year I plan to cut them way back. Hydrangeas seem to thrive in my yard, must be the acidic soil that we have. The Columbines are finishing blooming and then they will be cut back too.

A new plant from last year is Trollius 'Cheddar'. So far I've only found this one lone flower. The scent reminds me of jasmine.

Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium) against Heuchera 'Caramel'.

The Jacob's Ladder have really multiplied and have no signs of mildew. The Bleeding Hearts are still blooming, I usually cut them back a bit after they are done. Spiderwort is getting ready to bloom in this area too. Heucheras are blooming as well.

On this Memorial Day I also am thinking about all the men and women who have and still are serving our country. Thank you for your service and for helping to protect our country.

April End of the Month View.

The months are flying by so fast I forgot again about joining in with Helen at The Patient Gardener's Weblog for the end of month view. I joined in taking pictures of my entry garden last September. When looking back at September's post I saw that it really didn't look that much different as it does now. Things were just finishing up for the season and the Japanese Maple's leaves had just barely begun changing, where as now the plants are just getting ready to start blooming. But if you want to see how this same place looked in December click here. Now that's a big difference!

Japanese Maple 'Orido Nishiki' was worth every penny we paid for it. It seemed like an overpriced stick when we planted it about 6 years ago, now it looks like a real tree. The Hydrangeas have grown much larger than I ever expected them to. They are both loaded with buds.

Blooming under the tree are two different types of Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium) neither of which I know the names of. I have a variegated type in other parts of the yard but they seem to bloom much later. This taller purple one reseeds and smells like grapes.

Heuchera 'Crimson Curls' and Astillbe.

Heuchera 'Caramel' on the right and 'Dolce Key Lime Pie' on the left. There are several other Heucheras in this bed as well, and some have just begun blooming. The leaves coming up between them are from Trollius 'Cheddar'. I'm really happy to see it coming up, the yellow flowers smelled like jasmine.

Helen is getting her garden ready for the Malvern meetup which is coming up soon. Many garden bloggers will be meeting for the Malvern Spring gardening show in the UK in May. I wish I was going to be one of them, maybe another year.