Monday, October 15, 2012

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day October 2012


Swamp sunflower is the current undisputed queen of the October garden. The asters are starting with their magical soft purple blooms but what really catches the eye above the brown stems of the Bidens are the sunflowers. (Edited to add: Greggo commented that my sunflowers look like the willowleaf sunflowers native to the midwest, Helianthus salicifolius. To be honest I'm not entirely sure of the identity of my sunflowers. To begin, I have two types. The first four pictures feature a swamp sunflower that I bought from Niche Gardens years ago. It has wider leaves than my other sunflower, gets fungus on the bottom leaves, and blooms during the entire month of October. My other swamp sunflower was grown from seed from the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. It too grows tall but is much more likely to slump ~ albeit very gracefully ~ as it has less robust stems. No fungus but also doesn't bloom as long, 3 weeks as opposed to 4-5. Different species or differences within species?)

Niche Gardens swamp sunflower





To further add to the confusion, I was reminded of something I read in an old Sunlight Gardens' catalog. So I pulled it out (I keep these catalogs as references), and it states that H. angustifolius typically grows to 1.5-5 feet. There's another species called tall narrow-leaved sunflower H. simulans. Here's what they wrote about it:

"This plant has been circulating in the trade as H. angustifolius, and when we first saw it, we thought it must be a giant form or even a tetroploid (genetically, extra well-endowed). But further research has confirmed its true identity to be H. simulans native to the southern coastal plain from Florida to Louisiana and up into Tennessee and Arkansas. It has narrow willowy leaves and easily reaches 8 feet in height. In mid-fall here, it explodes into flower and will cover itself with 3 inch bright yellow sunflowers."

So perhaps I don't have H. angustifolius at all, but H. simulans. I'm not sure. The two species could have been lumped together by now.

Swamp sunflowers from the NC Botanical Garden.





This dainty swamp coreopsis is like a swamp sunflower in miniature.


The swallowtails and hummingbirds are gone but there are still sulfurs, skippers, Monarchs and Viceroys around.



A young purple coneflower putting out its first bloom this fall, very vibrant in the bright sunshine.


I have only one species of hardy ginger, in spite of our close proximity to Plant Delights, but to my mind the white one is the only one that counts since it has the best/ strongest fragrance. :) (Not to take anything away from the others, they are beautiful. But I only want to allocate so much room to very tropical-looking plants in my garden. If I lived on the coast of North Carolina or in southern South Carolina and southward, which are truly in subtropical zones, it'd be a different story...) The ginger started blooming in August and will continue until November.


I have unfortunately lost many dahlias the last few years. Most were grown from seed I got through a trade and were in almost every color of the rainbow. I'm not sure of the origins of this one but I really like it. It's the only dahlia blooming for me now.



This sweet aster just popped up in the big perennial bed one year. It's much taller than my white-flowered frost asters. I'm guessing willowleaf, although it's not as robust-looking and blooms a month earlier than 'Miss Bessie'.




Shale aster. Love those purple flowers! I look forward to seeing the asters bloom all year and still want more. I lost my Georgia asters and large flower asters during wet winters. I also want the wild ones I see growing roadside. Not sure of the species but they are lovely. All of the species of purple-flowered asters have different shades of lavender and purple and all are beautiful.


The roses are blooming, not with the exuberant bunches of
spring but spots of color here and there. This is 'Clotilde Soupert'.

Today I am joining Carol at May Dreams Gardens for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.


17 comments:

  1. Love your blooms. You definitely have so many more than I do. In fact, I have very little in the blooming department right now:) Pretty and green plants you have featured!

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  2. I love how tall and festive the helianthus are. They seem to be celebrating fall, which sounds like a good idea to me!

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  3. Your swamp sunflower looks like our native Willowleaf sunflower-Helianthus salicifolius. The rose you commented about is commonly known as the flower carpet red rose.

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    1. Greggo I think one of my types of swamp sunflowers is Willowleaf. I have two and I think one is willowleaf and one is angustifolius. The one that I think is willowleaf has thicker leaves, blooms longer, and tends to get fungus on the bottom leaves.

      I've heard of the carpet roses but I always think of the double white ones perhaps? 'Noare' is lovely.

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  4. Those swamp sunflowers are 'happy' flowers. That's how they make me feel.

    Clotilde Soupert is beautiful.

    Enjoy your week ~ FlowerLady

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  5. Hi, I'm a new reader--I just love your pictures! Your swamp sunflowers are glorious. I have some in my yard too and they really do help make fall more festive.

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  6. We have a perennial sunflower over here that is particularly successful and grows through the fields with gusto. Very cheery.

    Love the blue salvia, blue is so rare at this time of year.

    Do you know dahlia 'twinings after eight'? I saw it blooming this autumn and loved it.

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    1. Rob I wasn't familiar with that dahlia but I looked it up and it's lovely!

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  7. The rose Clotilde is stunning! I love aster too, and have some like yours, but the purple asters are very nice.

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  8. I just bought Helianthus maximiliani at a plant sale this past weekend. A friend bought it last fall and it is unbelievable who gorgeous it is right now in her garden.

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    1. Phillip we had maxillian sunflowers for years. They are very nice. This is the first time in 12 plus years that we haven't had one.

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  9. I have trouble figuring out many of the Helianthus, some are so similar. I am trying to figure out the difference between Bidens and Helianthus...maybe if I saw them in person I would know right away.
    Lovely dahlia..love that pink.

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  10. I can't tell one sunflower from another, even with my wildflower book, but yours are definitely gorgeous, no matter the type! Many of them grow wild along the roadsides around here in September, and they are certainly a lovely sight.

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  11. I have never been a dahlia lover, but yours would win me over. i also love Clotilde Soupert! As always, your photos are outstanding.

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  12. Whatever your sunflowers are, they're gorgeous! I have a variety (Helianthus maximiliani) that grows to 10', their centers are yellow tho instead of dark. Perfect fall bloomer.
    Love, love, love that dahlia. Hope you don't lose that one.

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  13. You have many pretty blooms in this post. Yellow flowers seem so cheerful to me. The pink dahlias are also very pretty. Last year, I swore I would add some white roses, but somehow I never did seem to get around to it this spring. I must try to remember next year. Love that 'Clotilde Soupert' rose!

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  14. I have that same aster and thought it was as you said. Thanks for the information. Maybe I have the taller one too. Mine is certainly tall. Who knows? I just love its easy going nature. I also feel the same about the asters. I keep seeing one on the roadside that I think I need. Seeds anyone?~~Dee

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