Mopping up the earlier report on blooms in October that was abridged due to technical issues…
Erysimum ‘Winter Orchid’
Erysimum ‘Winter Orchid’ at the base of Emilia javanica ‘Irish Poet,’ an annual that seems to get better as it gets colder and wetter — we’ll see how it likes the nighttime forecasts later in the week down into the 30sF
Eryngium ravenelii planted May 2022 — not much to look at now but it did survive its first winter and flowered, so I’m thinking it has a chance to improve with age and size. Notable for being a wet-tolerant eryngo native to southern U.S. wetlands (aka Eryngium aquaticum var. ravenelii). Narrow leaves, currently about a foot in height
Eryngium yuccifolium over 3 feet in height, flawless in leaf and flower
I moved Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’ back near the fence to give Eryngium pandanifolium a full 360-degree zone of appreciation — and the possibility of more bloom stalks next summer. Achnatherum calamagrostis might be my favorite grass. Early blooming, when it earns its name Silver Spike Grass, the blooms gracefully age with the seasons, now in October fading to a rosy tan. Miscanthus ‘Yaku Jima’ spikes in the background
Is Salvia ‘Amante’ overall as good a plant as ‘Amistad’? Hard to say. Possibly not as floriferous. Having grown my fair share of purple and blue salvias, I do love the color break.
Solanum laxum (nee jasminoides) is everything I want in a vine — low-key, always fresh-appearing, self-cleaning, lightweight, blooming in unassuming trusses, quietly turning into an October garden star as others quit the stage
Dahlia ‘AC Rosebud’ — I’ve given away the shorter, less floriferous dahlias, with ‘Camano Sitka’ also remaining. These two are robust, tall, incredibly prolific and might possibly benefit from pinching back next spring because who wants 8-foot dahlias anyway? I did bring home ‘Twyning’s After 8’ from Windcliff. (Hinkley warned me that, being a seedling, there was no telling its color. Well, it has bloomed and it’s spot on, looking like this.) These three remaining dahlias will no doubt be knocked down by upcoming predicted frosts.
Your garden’s looking very colorful for late October! I love the Solanum vine and that Eryngium pandanifolium – didn’t you grow the latter in your zone 10 garden too? Pinching dahlias when they’re small helps a lot – mine took so long to get going this year that I missed that early window when it makes the biggest difference.
@Kris, I did bring up E. pandanifolium from the Long Beach garden — there’s still a huge clump there so let me know if you want a piece. I have to say it does perform better in zone 8b though…
Not sure why, but I never considered growing Solanum laxum, even though I love it’s look. Now that I read your glowing endorsement, I’m going to give it a try, even if it may not be as hardy in my N. Seattle garden.
@Loree, it takes up less space here at the coast. In Long Beach it makes a massive sprawl of leaves. I clean up tattered leaves in spring like for a phormium — they usually come out with a tug.
@nikkipolani, the colder night temperatures are bringing out really intense coloration on the dahlias. First frost was last night, a light frost, so the dahlias get a reprieve!
@Chavli, bear in mind I have kind of low-key taste in plants! It grows more rampant in zone 10, so I’m really enjoying its quieter ways up north.
Definitely not as much floral color left for us inland. Frost took out quite a bit, but the fall colors are in full swing. The solanum vine is a beauty. Nice to see something in the tomato family that does so well in cooler weather.
Your garden’s looking very colorful for late October! I love the Solanum vine and that Eryngium pandanifolium – didn’t you grow the latter in your zone 10 garden too? Pinching dahlias when they’re small helps a lot – mine took so long to get going this year that I missed that early window when it makes the biggest difference.
@Kris, I did bring up E. pandanifolium from the Long Beach garden — there’s still a huge clump there so let me know if you want a piece. I have to say it does perform better in zone 8b though…
Eryngium pandanifolium is a star! I wish I had the space for it.
Wow. That dazzling dahlia definitely has Chihuly vibes.
Not sure why, but I never considered growing Solanum laxum, even though I love it’s look. Now that I read your glowing endorsement, I’m going to give it a try, even if it may not be as hardy in my N. Seattle garden.
@Loree, it takes up less space here at the coast. In Long Beach it makes a massive sprawl of leaves. I clean up tattered leaves in spring like for a phormium — they usually come out with a tug.
@nikkipolani, the colder night temperatures are bringing out really intense coloration on the dahlias. First frost was last night, a light frost, so the dahlias get a reprieve!
@Chavli, bear in mind I have kind of low-key taste in plants! It grows more rampant in zone 10, so I’m really enjoying its quieter ways up north.
Cool plants. Garden looks good–when does it really shut down up there?
@Hoov, two nights ago was the first night cold enough to shut down the dahlias, so that’s a definitive shutdown!
Definitely not as much floral color left for us inland. Frost took out quite a bit, but the fall colors are in full swing. The solanum vine is a beauty. Nice to see something in the tomato family that does so well in cooler weather.
Lots of gorgeous Fall color. I quite like that Salvia Amante.