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. 

New Blooms and Re-Blooms

Now that it's late summer in the garden, many flowers have faded but many more are just coming into their own.  The heat of August is intense and we have had little rain but certain flowers seem to love just those conditions.  Monarda punctata is one that likes it hot and dry.  It should continue to bloom right on through September.  Planted in front of the vegetable bed, hopes are high that the fall garden will benefit from the many bees that come to visit this plant whose common name is Spotted Horsemint. Butterflies love this one too. 

As she has done all spring and summer, Belinda's Dream is flushing with blooms.  The foliage has stayed beautiful with absolutely no spraying.  The bush has grown from a small 18" high to 30" in height.  Of course, I've been deadheading and cutting blooms for indoor bouquets which has kept the bush nice and tidy.  The typical pattern is for three buds to be grouped together on one stem. 

Sometimes a grouping of plants just works.  This one has done well in a partially shaded corner next to one of the rain barrels.  Blue Plumbago, Plumbago auriculata, blooms much more profusely when grown in full sun but it fits nicely here growing long, gently arching branches.  The clusters of blue flowers show up well against  the red blooms of the miniature climber, Rosa 'Red Cascade,'  in the background.  Dracaena deremensis 'lemon lime,' is growing in a container nestled in among the branches of the Plumbago.

A new addition to the sunny part of the backyard garden is Tecoma alata 'Orange Jubilee.'  More cold tolerant than the more common Yellow Elder or Tecoma stans, this sprawling shrub's foliage will serve as winter interest against the fence.  During spring and summer the orange trumpet shaped blooms attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.  (I've only seen one hummingbird this summer and it was sipping from the tall red pentas.)

A re-bloomer in the garden is the Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum.  This shrub has proven itself cold hardy, heat tolerant and a beautiful bloomer. 

Many colors of  Pentas lanceolata are blooming in the summer heat. These butterfly and hummingbird attractors never stop blooming except when frosty temperatures arrive. They rebound quickly from a central Florida winter most years. January 2010 was an exception.

Tiger Swallowtail

Impatient gardener that I am, I purchased several new Pentas to fill the bare spots in the garden until some of the older plants returned.  That wasn't  entirely a bad thing to do.  A new color, cranberry, was added and it has proven to be a butterfly favorite.  Pentas are so easy to grow.  They are drought tolerant and bloom continuously without needing any extra fertilizer.   They fill in and add color to both shady and sunny areas of the garden. 

The late summer garden is going strong even through hot, humid days and nights.  Cooler temperatures will be coming though.  Evidence is in the buds forming on the fall blooming red firespikes, cassias, and forsythia sage.  There is always something going on in the garden.