Tuesday, October 5

A Rainy October

Even the bright riot of colors in the backyard...



... can't hide the fact that it's been a rainy, dull, drab October.  There are still some flowers--and lots of interesting textures--going on in the garden, though, so I feel as though they warrant a post.  Here's a rundown of what's still putting on a show:

Variegation on this ginger brightens up the front porch. It's been so windy that even the ginger hasn't escaped the rain.

The rain has been rough on the in-flower grasses. Here, a panicum in bloom bends all the way down to kiss the miniature sage at its feet.

The pennisetum has fared a little better.  Probably because it's smashed in between the caryopteris and oakleaf hydrangea, and they help prop it up. (Yay for my laziness--it was supposed to be moved into a more spacious home this spring!)

Passionflower vines haven't seemed to notice the chill.  But they're the tropical variety, so I'm sure that they will soon begin to complain.

Looking tropical, but not, is the spent eucomis flowerhead. I think Craig or one of my other favorite bloggers mentioned liking the spent flowers better than the blooming ones... and I agree!


Another round of 'Red Rocks' penstemon blooms lights up the silvery foliage of sea kale.

The stipa/nasella tenuissima (pony tail grass) his turned brown at the ends, but is still a fairly fresh green in the middle.

Last but note least:  The citronella geranium and the blue agave look like they're huddled up together for warmth on this rainy day. It's the end of summer, and I STILL haven't gotten tired of the texture of this agave against the old brick of the porch.  I think this is a record for  me.

Hopefully I will have a few better, warmer photos to share with you all at the end of this weekend.  It's supposed to be 70 and sunny,  and we won't get many more weekends like this so I definitely plan to enjoy it!  Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead of you, too!

11 comments:

Stratoz said...

your garden is as marvelous as mine is...

anyway, I promised to be nicer to it next year and so I bought it some bulbs.

Unknown said...

I promise to be nicer to mine every year... but it now knows not to believe me, I'm afraid. :( Can't wait to see your bulb show in the spring. Awesome job on the quilt, by the way!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I see that you are getting some of our rain too. We still haven't had any rain. Everything is looking tired and worn out here. Do you bring in your passion vine every year or do you treat it as an annual? I think they are so pretty. I don't want to have to bring in another plant though.

Dave Berning said...

We did not get much rain over the weekend. But I do like this fall weather today ..40 degrees at night and hopefully 70 degrees today.. I like..

Unknown said...

Lisa, I brought it in last year--in its original 1 gallon pot--because I bought it in the fall on super-clearance. (I think that my "overwintering passionflower in the attic" experiment cost me all of $1 plus tax.) This year, I think that I'm going to leave it in the ground, mulch it well, and see what happens!

Unknown said...

Dave, that's how my Friday and Saturday are supposed to be! I can't wait. :)

Gail said...

I will gladly trade you October blue skies for a few days of rain! Seriously! gail

Toyin O. said...

You have a lovely graden!

http://youcanfacetodaybecausehelives.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Isn't it wonderful that beautiful weather has returned? Now this is my kind of October! When did your passiflora start blooming? Last year I planted it in May or June, and by mid August it was blooming. We didn't get a killing frost till early December, so the foliage was taking over my then. Here it is October, and it is once again threatening to take over the place, but not a bloom in sight. Hmmmm.

Unknown said...

Gail, we're getting your blue skies this weekend... so I'm hoping that you're getting our rain in return? Sounds like you need it!

Thank you, Toyin!

msrobin, that was my passionflower, too, until a couple of weeks ago! Must be the summer for that--hopefully you'll have a nice surprise in the way of blooms from yours when you get home from your vacation. :)

Kylee Baumle said...

So YOU'VE been hogging all the rain! We haven't had any rain to speak of since JULY. So, so dry here. While Dad and Romie were digging the foundation for the conservatory, at 30", they thought they hit rock. Nope. Just dry, hard clay. And when they got through that and went on to 36", it was still powder dry. I know we're going to lose some things, in spite of my watering. :-(

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