Wednesday, September 16, 2026

September 2026 Bloom Day

Hardy begonias in front yard

 

I'm a day late with this post--went hiking at Dolly Sods with a friend yesterday, it was such a lovely day! Today I'm trying to catch up with September's Bloom Day, hosted by Carol Michel's May Dreams Garden Blog. Welcome to  my Zone 6 b Virginia garden, let's take a look at what's blooming.

This year the deer left me a few flowers of the hardy Begonias in front. Growing among the Blue Rug Junipers and a sprinkling of wild asters with that minty little weed I like, they make a nice display under the cherry tree. I believe that minty-smelling weed (a Calamint?) may have kept the deer from eating more of the Begonias, but who knows?

 

Coleus flowers

 

The one Coleus I planted in a pot this spring has been blooming for quite a while--the hummingbirds seem to favor these tiny flowers a lot, so instead of cutting them off, I've let them continue to grow. As a result,the flower spikes have become incredibly long! The other Coleus variety planted around the pot hasn't bloomed at all.

The hummers are still about, enjoying the tropical Salvias along my front walk: the red Faye Chapel, Brazilian Blue and Black and Blue, but I posted those before, and the hanging baskets on the porch too. My white Heliotrope finally started to bloom, it was about time!

 

White Heliotrope

 

The east woodland garden still has some of the blue and white Lobelias flowers but they're starting to look a bit tired at the end of the season. The Japanese Anemone 'Honorine Jobert' is starting to open--how I wish I could grow them without a deer barrier!

 

 

East Woodland garden Lobelias

Anemone 'Honorine Jobert'

In the back yard, the Blue Lake beans are towering above everything in the veggie pagoda--I've harvested so many beans, I've been freezing them, there's no way we can eat them all before they spoil.

 

The back yard with the veggie pagoda.
 

The Little Bluestem grass in Herb's bed is turning an autumn shade, although the Muhly grass has yet to put out its airy flowering spikes. The hardy the red Salvia and a few other plants still retain some flowers, but they're past their prime now.

 

Herb's bed in September

Herb's bed from the back

The Colchicums I planted a couple of years ago in the back bed popped up after a brief shower, a nice surprise, since it's still much too warm. But they don't seem to be thriving--only two or three flowers from the five bulbs of each that I planted. No signs of the "Waterlily' Colchicum yet.

 

Colchicum Bornmuellerii
 
Colchicum album

 Deer keep eating my asters, but one lovely purple flower was open. 

 

Bees enjoying a lone purple aster

 

My tropical plants on the back deck are making a nice display too--specially the yellow Hibiscus. The Nasturtiums in the hanging basket started to bloom rather late, but they're still going.

 

Tropical Begonias and Hibiscus on back deck
 
Yellow Hibiscus

Nasturtiums in hanging basket


These yellow Chrysanthemums I've had for years always bloom early, starting in August. The other florist's mums are in bud, but not quite ready to bloom. The Sedum 'Autumn Joy'I've had for years, though my plants seem to be getting progressively weaker each year. Perhaps it's time to dig those old ones up and buy new ones?

 

Yellow Chrisanthemums

Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

 

With the dry weather continuing, these are about all the flowers for September. I'm still hoping we'll get some good rains before the month is over and have a nice display of Swamp sunflowers and aromatic asters for October. Thanks for stopping by!

4 comments:

tz_garden said...

Your garden looks lovely. I really like the structure you built for your green beans, what a smart idea. The yellow Hibiscus and nasturtiums are especially cheery!

Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening said...

Your late summer garden is lovely and I am enjoying the east woodland garden, Hibiscus and Nasturtiums. The single pink bloom and slightly fading leaves are from an Endless Summer Hydrangea in the back portion of the property. I was happy to get a photo of the last bloom hanging in there for the season! Happy almost fall!

Jerry said...

I never would have guessed that hummingbirds would like coleus flowers - interesting observation! And, when did the veggie pergola get a roof? I thought I remembered that it was open to the sky, but now I am questioning my sanity.

Elemaza said...

My veggie pagoda doesn't have a roof as such, but it does have some wood pieces over it to keep the deer from jumping over the sides (our deer here are very athletic and can easily leap over a 6' barrier)....the beans have been using those wood pieces for support, growing through them.