What's Blooming Now

Walking around the yard yesterday I noticed quite a few things are still blooming. Here on Long Island, the night temperatures are hovering around the upper 40s and the day temperatures are in the low 60s. Definitely feels like fall outside!

The Coleus is starting to lose its bottom leaves, but this variety is holding on to the upper part of the stem very nicely. I love the rich brown in the middle of the green leaf.

Amazingly these Impatiens still look great. The leaves are starting to yellow, but they continue to flower and make me smile.

The red Begonias look completely at home in the fall landscape. The red flowers with the reddish-brown stem and darker leaves look appropriate for this time of year.

I have a natural wooded area along the south side of the house. It is very pretty this time of year with the Goldenrod and wild Aster flowers blooming.

In the flower box on the front porch, I recently planted purple Ornamental Kale and some sweet orange colored Violas. I love the contrasting colors.

The yellow Lantana is still blooming nicely in the hanging container on the front porch. It's doing amazingly well considering its not getting full sun anymore.

I've freshened up the front containers with fall plants such as Mums, Pansy and Ornamental Peppers. This container also shows the lime-green Coleus and the Euphorbia "Diamond Frost"still doing well.

 These Geraniums were the best thing I bought this year. The vibrant pink with the lush green leaves were gorgeous no matter where I moved this container. And they are still looking great in mid-October!

 The New Guinea Impatiens didn't really do much this year. Maybe they didn't get enough sun. However, I'm enjoying their lush foliage for now. Especially when everything else is dropping their leaves.

Fall Gardens Blooming with Color

Even though autumn doesn't officially start for another few days, it certainly feels like it outside. The air is cool and crisp and the sun still feels warm - a perfect day for a fall festival! The teaching gardens at Farmingdale State College are always beautiful and lush. But the colors I saw today at their annual fall festival were just stunning. Have a look:

What's Blooming This Month? September 2014

The last few days have been perfect September weather - cool mornings and evenings, warm days and low humidity. The sunlight hits the garden differently this time of year - warmer, softer and somewhat more peaceful. 

Here's what's blooming in my Long Island, NY garden this month:

Although the Rudbeckias (Black-eyed Susans) are starting to fade, their seed heads are a wonderful treat for the birds. In a few more days, the mums will be in full bloom, prolonging the show in this garden.

The panicle hydrangea is still in full bloom. I just love the fullness of this shrub, the delicacy of the flowers and its long season. 

The Crape Myrtle finished flowering weeks ago, but the seed heads will remain and are quite attractive. 

The Knockout Rose shrub is still blooming, with new buds appearing every day. It's a lovely compliment to the light green and pink of the neighboring Sedum.

Deep in the shade of my shade garden, these Toad Lilies are happy as can be.

The variegated Liriope is also in full bloom. I love the purple spikes standing tall over the green and white leaves. 

And what would fall be without a few new container plantings?

That's what's blooming in my garden this month! What's in yours? I'd love to hear from you.
As always, thanks to Carol over at May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. It's great to see what's blooming all over the country!

What's Blooming this Month? October 2014

They sunlight streams through the trees at a different angle these days, the mornings and evenings are cool and the leaves gently fall to the ground like raindrops. Autumn is definitely here. The days are getting shorter and yet, my days are not getting any less busy. Two of the children are off at school, the other two still home with me. This doesn't leave me much time to garden or blog, but I do what I can, knowing that both will still be here next year and maybe then I'll have a few more minutes. In the meantime, I am admiring the life cycle of my garden, the beauty of the season's colors and the sweet smell in the air.

Here's what's blooming in my Long Island, NY garden this month:

My cute little garden owls continue to make me smile as they peek out from under the hydrangea leaves.

The rose hips on the carpet roses are just lovely and the perfect color to go with their surroundings.

I bought these mums last year for a few containers and before the ground froze, plopped them into the ground, not sure whether they would come back of not. I am beyond excited they came back and just love the color!

Anenome 'Queen Charlotte' is a welcome pink beauty when all the garden is getting ready for a long winter nap.

I have been waiting for days and days to see what this Dendranthema (Korean Mum) looked like. It was given to me back in June after my horrible sour mulch debacle. The name was new to me, and so I did a little research and learned that Dendranthema was formerly known as Chrysanthemum. Chrysanthemum is still commonly used for hardy florist mums to differentiate from true hardy Dendranthema.

And this sedum is still looking magnificent. The flowerheads have moved from bright pink to this deeper maroon color on top of the lovely green foliage. I don't know the cultivar, as this plant was grandfathered into my garden, so if you have any ideas, please let me know!

That's what's blooming in my garden this month! What's in yours? I'd love to hear from you.

As always, thanks to Carol over at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the monthly Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. It's great to see what's blooming all over the country!

What's Blooming this Month? November 2013

Not too much is blooming this month, to be honest. After all, it is November. But also, it's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and so, along with other fellow garden bloggers, I'm here to show you what is going on in my garden this month.

Just two weeks ago, my garden and surrounding landscape was a mass of autumn vibrant colors (take a look here). Then a cold snap happened earlier this week and we actually got a dusting of snow. Now everything tender has died back and the leaves are almost all gone. Still, there is beauty if you look for it.

The pink carpet rose is still going strong with a few blossoms and buds here and there. Never thought I'd enjoy the color pink in November as much as I do now.

Speaking of pink, the first blossoms of my Anenome 'Queen Charlotte' plants are starting to fade, but they still have a few more buds on them and we are due for a warm weekend...maybe they will surprise me with one last hurrah.

 The variegated Liriope is still looking great, especially against the pink rose hips from the carpet roses.

Ever lovely pansy is still showing is autumnal-hued face. I love how this variety compliments the colors of the season.

Likewise, these marigolds are still looking great with the orange and red colors. They are not too happy about the recent cold, but are holding on in my vegetable garden which has otherwise been put to bed.

The Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora) still looks beautiful and green. They were planted just this year, so they are not yet to their true size.

 Another rose still blooming - the Knockout Rose. I just love this deep red color.

And it wouldn't be late fall without the emergence of the berries and seed pods. On the Crape Myrtle (above), the berries take center stage now that most of the leaves have dropped. On the variegated Holly (below), the bright red berries really stand out amongst the green and white leaves.

Poor little daffodils have been tricked into thinking it's spring with the weather we have been having. Sadly, though, I think they are a rude awakening rather soon...

And finally, not really a bloom, but we have huge, old oak tree in our backyard. And the amount of acorns it drops on daily, if not hourly, basis is astounding. You can't walk outside without hearing their crunch under your feet and you must wear a helmet or risk getting pelted on your head by a falling acorn!

What's blooming at your house? Have a look over at May Dreams Garden blog where she hosts the monthly gathering of blogs around the world to show off what's blooming.

Thanks for visiting!

What's Blooming This Month? October 2013

Autumn is definitely in the air! The leaves are starting to turn, the air is cool and dry and the mums are blooming everywhere beautifully.

Here's what's blooming in my Long Island garden this month:

Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy'

The carpet roses are still blooming and their pale pink color is a nice contrast to the 

golds, reds and oranges this month. 

The New Guinea Impatiens are really looking full and lush right now. They are paired next to an attractive variety of coleus that keeps a mounding habit. 

The Japanese maple tree is the highlight of this garden bed. 

Below it, the Sedums have taken center stage. 

Salvia pratensis 'Twilight Serenade'

The last few remaining Black-eyed Susans are complimented nicely by the 

deep pink of these New Guinea Impatiens. 

Salvia 'Black and Blue' - oh how I love the deep, rich color of the blooms contrasting to the bright green foliage. Definitely getting more of these next season. 

Ornamental peppers look right at home next to the cheery, yellow mums. 

The Montauk Daisy is just starting to bloom and is such a welcome sight this month!

And that's what's going on in my part of the world! Be sure to check out what else is growing around the country over at May Dreams Gardens "Garden Blogger Bloom Day" list.