September bloom day

Well, here goes my first attempt at documenting the flowers happening in my garden on bloom day (the 15th of every month), a challenge put forth over at May Dreams Gardens. Our USDA hardiness zone 7 garden is in the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range. To be honest, I didn’t think there would be many flowers because we haven’t had much rain since July, I don’t irrigate much, and we had a record number of hot days this summer. Not a recipe for flowers, right? But, as we will see, there were quite a few more than I expected.

Weeds

Let’s start with the weeds. These always bloom, no matter how dry it gets.

Yellow flowers of bristly hawksbeard (Crepis setosa)
Crepis setosa - bristly hawksbeard
Daucus carota - wild carrot
Yellow flowers of the creeping woodsorrel, Oxalis corniculata
Oxalis corniculata - creeping woodsorrel
Tiny pink flowers of the shining geranium, Geranium lucidum
Geranium lucidum - shining geranium

Annuals

Most of my annuals are of the self-seeding types. I don’t usually plant a lot of them intentionally, with the exception of this Bolivian Sunset gloxinia this year.

Vivid orangy-red and yellow flowers of Gloxinia 'Bolivian Sunset', Seemannia sylvatica 'Bolivian Sunset'
Seemannia sylvatica 'Bolivian Sunset' - Bolivian Sunset gloxinia
Self-sown lettuce blooming and going to seed
Lactuca sativa - Self-sown lettuce blooming and going to seed

Bulbs and corms

Dependable, rugged stand-bys. A guaranteed burst of color, regardless of the weather.

Pink, trumpet-shaped flowers of the belladonna amaryllis, Amaryllis belladonna
Amaryllis belladonna
Pink flowers of ivy'leaved cyclamen, Cyclamen hederifolium
Cyclamen hederifolium - ivy'leaved cyclamen
Wonky flower of ivy-leaved cyclamen, Cyclamen hederifolium
Wonky flower of Cyclamen hederifolium

Miscellaneous late-blooming perennials

Pale yellow flowers of Knapp's dianthus, Dianthus knappii
Dianthus knappii - the latest blooming Dianthus in the garden
Orangy-red flowers of a California poppy, Eschscholzia californica
Eschscholzia californica - California poppy
Orange and red flowers of the Chilean glory vine, Eccremocarpus scaber
Eccremocarpus scaber - the Chilean glory vine. This seeds around quite a bit.

I prefer the orange/brown single flowered varieties of gloriosa daisy like this one, but they are hard to find. Seed mixes almost always yield only yellow-flowering plants no matter what desirable colors it shows on the packet/website, which makes me think they are always mislabeled. Oh well. You’ll see a whole bunch of the regular yellow ones in the background.

Orange and yellow flowers of the gloriosa daisy, Rudbeckia hirta
Rudbeckia hirta - gloriosa daisy
I think this is our white-flowered native rough leaved aster, Eurybia radulina
Eurybia radulina - our native rough-leaved aster
Purple flower of Geranium 'Rozanne'
Geranium 'Rozanne'
Red and white flowers of a hardy fuchsia
Hardy fuchsia 1
Pink flowers of a hardy fuchsia
Hardy fuchsia 2
White flowers of Red Dragon knotweed
Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon'
White and yellow daisy flowers of feverfew, Tanacetum parthenium
Tanacetum parthenium - feverfew
Purply-pink flower spike of the Golden Arrow knotweed
Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Golden Arrow' poking up through leaves of x Fatshedera lizei
Pink, red, and yellow flowers of Phygelius rectus 'Devil's Tears'
Phygelius rectus 'Devil's Tears'
Huge blue blue blue parrot-beaked flowers of the gentian sage, Salvia patens 'Guanajuato'
Salvia patens 'Guanajuato' - gentian sage
Fuzzy purple flowers of Russian sage, Salvia yangii
Salvia yangii (Perovskia atripicifolia) - Russian sage
Fuzzy purple flowers of Russian sage, Salvia yangii
Close-up of pattern inside the flower
Purple flowers on a purple sedum, Hylotelephium telephium 'Purple Emperor
Hylotelephium telephium 'Purple Emperor' - sedum
White flowers of snapdragon - Antirrhinum majus
Antirrhinum majus - snapdragon
Fragrant white flowers of the star jasmine vine, Trachelospermum jasminoides
Trachelospermum jasminoides - star jasmine
White and pink flowers of the dark mullein, Verbascum nigrum
Verbascum nigrum - dark mullein
Pink flowers of a dwarf oregano, Origanum vulgare 'compaca nana'
Origanum vulgare 'compacta nana' - dwarf oregano, pollinator magnet
Purple flowers and chartreuse foliage of Tradescantia 'Sweet Kate'
Tradescantia 'Sweet Kate'
Rosy-pink flowers of the Rosenwichtel New York aster, Symphyotrichum novi-belgii 'Rosenwichtel'
Symphyotrichum novi-belgii 'Rosenwichtel' - New York aster

Rock garden flowers

Blooming plant of pussy paws, Calyptridium umbellatum
Calyptridium umbellatum - pussy paws
Flowers and papery seeds of pussy paws, Calyptridium umbellatum
Close-up of the pink flowers and papery sepals
Orangy-pink flowers of the threadleaf hyssop, Agastache rupestris
Agastache rupestris - threadleaf hyssop
Pink flowers of German garlic/curly chives, Allium senescens
Allium senescens - curly chives
Vivid red flowers and blue-silver leaves of Humboldt county fuchsia, Epilobium septentrionale 'Select Mattole'
Epilobium septentrionale 'Select Mattole' - Humboldt county fuchsia
Vivid red flowers of California fuchsia, Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium 'Everett's Choice'
Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium 'Everett's Choice' - California fuchsia
Vivid red flowers of California fuchsia, Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium 'Everett's Choice'
Flower close-up
Purple and yellow flowers of the seaside daisy, Erigeron glaucus 'Sea Breeze'
Erigeron glaucus 'Sea breeze' - seaside daisy
Vivid red flowers of the hummingbird monardella, Monardella macrantha 'Marian Sampson'
Monardella macrantha 'Marian Sampson' - hummingbird monardella
White flowers and silver leaves of southern mountain buckwheat, Eriogonum kennedyi v. austromontanum
Eriogonum kennedyi v. austromontanum - southern mountain buckwheat
White flowers and silver leaves of southern mountain buckwheat, Eriogonum kennedyi v. austromontanum
Flower close-up
White, brown, and yellow flower of alpine toadflax, Linaria alpina
Linaria alpina - the prolific alpine toadflax. One of many color combos.

The surprisingly hard texture of carline thistle flowers. Each petal is very stiff, like a strip of thin, dried bamboo or straw.

The surprisingly hard flowers of the carline thistle, Carlina acaulis v. caulescens
Carlina acaulis v. caulescens - carline thistle
Maroon flowers of the South African geranium, Geranium sidoides
Geranium sidoides - South African geranium. Had to put it on the ground to photograph it effectively
Magenta flowers of an iceplant, Delosperma cooperia 'Granita Raspberry'
Delosperma cooperi 'Granita Raspberry' - iceplant
Yellow iceplant flower - Delopserma congestum
Delosperma congestum - iceplant
Pink flowers and silvery foliage of gray creeping germander, Teucrium aroanium
Teucrium aroanium - grey creeping germander
Nodding, white flowers of the autumn snowflake, Acis autumnalis
Acis autumnalis - Autumn snowflake

All of that pruning of my shrubby hare’s ear earlier this spring has paid off (here). Lots of flowers on a very tidy bush.

Yellow flowers on a shrubby hare's ear, Bupleurum fruticosum
Bupleurum fruticosum - shrubby hare's ear
Yellow flowers of a shrubby hare's ear, Bupleurum fruticosum
Flower detail
Pink shrimp flowers on an ornamental oregano, Origanum x suendermannii
Origanum x suendermannii - ornamental oregano
Green globe flowers of chupalla, Eryngium paniculatum
Eryngium paniculatum - chupalla
White flowers of the rosemary everlasting, Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius 'Silver Jubilee'
Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius 'Silver Jubilee'
White flowers of the rosemary everlasting, Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius 'Silver Jubilee'
Young flower detail
White flowers of the rosemary everlasting, Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius 'Silver Jubilee'
Older flowers losing petals

Easy to overlook the tiny flowers of the small leaf creeping wire vine. Worth a closer look in my opinion. I like an underdog flower.

Tiny flowers of the small leaf creeping wire vine, Muehlenbeckia axillaris
Muehlenbeckia axillaris - sm. leaf creeping wire vine
Tiny flowers of the small leaf creeping wire vine, Muehlenbeckia axillaris
Flower detail

I noticed the related shrubby tororaro was also blooming at the same time. This was the best picture I could get – the little bee seems to be enjoying it anyway.

Tiny white flowers of the shrubby tororaro, wiggy wig, or wire shrub, Muehlenbeckia astonii
Muehlenbeckia astonii - shrubby tororaro, wiggy wig, or wire shrub!

Oh my gosh, that was 50 flowers! Way more than I would have guessed given our hot, dry summer and how little I watered this year.

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This Post Has 8 Comments

  1. LL Garden

    I love your collection of plants, so many goodies! Thanks for sharing.

    1. Garden Curmudgeon

      It looks like we share a lot of the same plant choices!

  2. danger garden

    I love that you started your first ever Bloomday post with the weeds! Your Bupleurum fruticosum is looking fantastic and I love the little Muehlenbeckia axillaris flowers—excellent photo.

    1. Garden Curmudgeon

      Something unexpected for everybody. Hopefully not a huge faux pas, but I do like veering towards the unexpected and the reality is that I neglected weed management this year. Now, I just need to reign it in. 50 flowers was a bit over the top.

  3. Kris P

    I love your blog name – and your blog’s subtitle. There’s a lot in flower in your garden. We share many plants, like Amaryllis belladonna, Daucus carota, Trachelospermum and Muelenbeckia. I’ve never had flowers on the wire vine, though. I don’t have a prayer of growing some of the other wonderful plants you have in bloom due to the increasingly dry conditions of my garden, like Fuchsias, Geranium ‘Rozanne’ and Phygelius. I used to grow all 3 of those in my former garden but sandy soil, climate change, and water restrictions have made that too difficult here. I even have a problem getting our native California poppies established! In the years before climate change became more obvious, Los Angeles County got an average of 15 inches of rain a year – and there were no irrigation restrictions. In the 2021 “water year” we got 4 inches of rainfall and in the 2022 water year (which ends this month) we’ve had 8.63 inches. Needless to say, many of the flowers I love are giving way to less thirsty plants.

    Best wishes in getting some rain as summer turns into fall!

    1. Garden Curmudgeon

      I’ve been looking to your blog for ideas on where to go with my garden in the future. We are on our own well and probably won’t have water restrictions for a long time. But, I am keeping watering to a minimum because if the well goes dry, we are in a lot of trouble. We’ve had 27 inches of rain this year. Puts things in perspective compared to your situation. Ideally, I’d like to achieve an attractive, no water garden, but it’s not realistic for me yet as I am unwilling to let go of some of the thirstier plants that I want to keep around. I water new plants for the first 1-2 years and I have three perennial beds that get watered once a week. The rest is pretty much on its own. Still, I cannot imagine it being so dry that you can’t get California poppies established. We are surrounded by Douglas-fir plantations, so the risk of fire is also on my mind a lot. This climate change situation is scary. Glad you got some rain recently.

  4. Anna K

    I’ve been thinking of weeds a lot lately. They are so tough, and truly – my life would be a lot easier if I just decided to consider them garden-worthy. That little oxalis is adorable. I don’t know why I keep trying to pull its brittle stems out. The root always seems to remain – especially when it’s this dry.

    I’m a big fan of the Bupleurum – one of the most fantastic pollinator plants I know! Another fave is Teucrium chamaedrys. And, as you said, Oregano…. I’m not familiar with the creeping Teucrium you posted, but it too, is lovely.

    1. Garden Curmudgeon

      It is definitely much harder to weed when it’s dry. It would be a lot easier if we could just enjoy the weeds. They can be pretty, but that oxalis is so prolific and it gets into the tiniest cracks. You remind me it’s time for me to try Teucrium chamaedrys again. I’ve got a pot of the yellow-leaf variety, but I think I would rather have the green-leaf variety on this one slope that I have.

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