Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - October

Happy fall from Central Texas.  My severely drought-stricken garden's been rain-shocked!  Following one of the driest Augusts on record (including the historic 1950's drought), the area's been deluged with rain in September and October. A cold front moved in this week causing flooding and dropping evening temps into the 50s.  Official rain count for my neighborhood totals seven inches over the past six weeks, but my rain gauges claim twice that.

A sure sign of fall is the appearance of the Sternbergia lutea, a crocus-like flower in the Amaryllis family, also called 'fall daffodil.'  A small Queen Victoria and zexmenia lie directly behind.


'Velvet Violet' salvia, gray globemallow, blackfoot daisies, damianita.


Scarlet sage.


Caesalphinia mexicana, gray globemallow, and Texas lantana in the foreground; in the back, yellow bells esperanza, and some waterlogged blue plumbago.


Mexican bush sage and yellow Knock-Out roses.


This little patch of oregano dries up to brown sticks every summer and rebounds with the first wet cold spell every fall.


Rosemary in bloom.


Bearss or Tahitian lime in bloom.


'Hot Lips' salvia.


In the veggie garden, the snap peas are coming up amongst the Egyptian walking white multiplying onions, and the artichoke that never budded last year has come back from the roots.


Horseherb is popping up everywhere.  EVERYWHERE.


'Sapphire Showers' duranta.


Dayflower or 'Widow's Tears'.  A wildflower.


'Buff Beauty' rose.  Its leaves are yellowed from the drought.


The 'Old Blush' is budding.


'La Marne' is just starting to bloom.


Dwarf Barbados cherry.


Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.  Visit her blog for photos of fall blooms from all over the world.

Words and photos © 2009-2013 Caroline Homer for "The Shovel-Ready Garden". Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.