A Cool (Almost) Crisp Fall Day

One recent morning the temperatures were in the mid-sixties with 49% humidity.  While enjoying the view from the back porch I didn't even need to turn on the ceiling fans.  I walked around to the sunny eastside veggie bed to complete my morning watering chores and I didn't break a sweat, not one drop.  What a difference from just last week's humidity. 

In fact, the morning air was so cool that I was inspired to enlarge the westside bamboo bed.  This is a project that became necessary once the bamboo grew large enough to weep over the top of the loropetalum I had planted in front. 

A sleepy bumblebee was just resting amid the bamboo leaves.  How those little wings lift that fat and furry body is amazing to me.  This bee didn't lift off until much later in the morning.  He was a welcome companion while I worked.

The flax lily border was brought out about 3 feet and the loropetalum bushes moved forward.  The Mexican Petunias (the sterile ones from Home Depot) were left in place which made the bumblebee happy.  
 ( To see the beginnings of this bed you can go here.)

Another creature slowed by the coolness in the air was this Sulphur butterfly.  Be sure you notice the huge caterpillar in the left foreground.  These guys have been eating the tips of this cassia bush all summer.  I have it for just that reason, but I do want it to bloom this year.  Last year I remember it being stunning the whole month of November.  This year it is about half the size it was so I'm concerned. 

While in the sunny area of My Garden Path with camera in hand, let me show you Belinda's Dream for the millioneth time. 

She is loving the cooler weather and so am I. 

Something Just Caught My Eye

When I took my morning walk along My Garden Path, a few things drew my attention.  This Butterfly Bush, Buddleja davidii,  is constantly producing blooms and what is truly amazing, it is healthy.  I buy one of these bushes every Spring only to watch it wither away.  This year's bush has been different - in a good way.  I don't know the cultivar name, it was simply labeled as "purple."

The Blackberry Lily, Belamcanda chinensis, is actually in the Iris family.  What I noticed on my walk was the seed pods forming.  This is exciting stuff!  It means I will have more of these beauties to spread around My Garden Path and to share with other gardening friends. 

Look at this!  The Red Firespike, Odontonema strictum, is starting to bloom.  These spikes will get much larger and open up into many tiny trumpet shaped blooms that the Hummingbirds love.  Last year, this was the number one plant where I could count on seeing a Hummer sipping away. 

 

Another favorite with the Hummingbirds is this Firebush, Hamelia patens.   This particular shrub was planted this Summer to replace the one that never returned from the winter freezes.  It has been planted in a shady area in hopes of the big oak giving it some winter protection.  The shade has not diminished the blooms,  I'm happy to see.

 

Oh Look!  The Celosia has a bud forming.  I bought this plant for $1 from the County Jail Horticulture program.  I've been taking cuttings and rooting them without realizing I was keeping it from blooming.  I just love the red foliage.  I guess I'll stop cutting it and let these buds blossom.  I have learned since planting it that it re-seeds so if I want it next year I need to let her bloom. 

Oops, those aren't blooms on the Milkweed!  Those are Monarch caterpillars.  Yay! 

The Sweet Almond, Aloysia virgata, has been really blooming of late.  The sweet scent is so nice in the garden.  I've read these can get 10 feet high or more.  I can't wait for my little sprawling bush to grow up and really fill the air with the perfume of many more blooms. 

There are a couple of things I noticed about these Mexican Petunias, Ruellia brittoniana.  First, they are staying in a neat clump and not taking over the world.   These are a sterile cultivar that are more upright in form than the type I have planted (and regretted) in the past.  They really are staying in one spot. 

Another thing that caught my eye was the fact that the Bamboo is weeping over on top of the Mexican Petunias.  That side bed is going to have to be widened.  But, it's definitely a project for a cooler time of year.