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Saturday, October 15, 2011

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day ~ October 2011

Dahlia 'Peaches 'n Cream'
Some floriferous views from Gilmore Gardens!
Welcome to our Pennsylvania, USA garden (hardiness zone 5). We are fortunate not to have had our first frost yet this month. Sometimes the snow flies on October 1st! Most of the plantings are similar to those from September, but the asters are not to be missed this month. And my favorite are on the Shade Path garden, which lives between our home and the sidewalk...
 
The Shade Path:
Begonia 'Big Rex', white-flowered native aster (Doellingeria umbellata) and Digitalis grandiflora.
Our Shade Path is still stuffed with flowers. I know that its days are numbered, so I am trying to soak up the color so that it will last me until March. The native flat-topped aster (Doellingeria umbellata) floats like a cloud over the rest of the pink and yellow planting. The yellow perennial foxgloves (Digitalis grandiflora) have been blooming strong since I first sighted them in September (see their first bloom in June).
Sedum 'Frosty Morn' under Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium).
Dark-leaved annual begonias with chartreuse Sedum 'Acre' and under hung by the white flat-topped aster.
Evening light through the trellises around the Circle Lawn, at the end of the Shade Path.

Cherry Corner & the Front Walk:
Reds and purples have been the themes in the annual plantings this year for these gardens in front of the house.
Dahlia 'Heat Wave' has over three dozen blooms in the Front Walk this weekend.
Canna 'King Humbert' and Dahlia 'Heat Wave' with pink cosmos at their feet.
Canna 'King Humbert' in the October morning light.
Catmint (Nepeta 'Walker's Low') re-blooming under the dahlias. (See it in June.)

The Hill Garden:
View of the Hill Garden from the driveway.
Our Hill Garden gets the "best transformation" award (see it before). I so enjoy walking all the way around it and appreciating how the plantings have filled in the past three years. The bushes have more substance, as well as the perennials I have divided and seeded here. It is amazing to remember that it all came from about a dozen pots!
Rosa 'The Fairy' is pop pink in front of Sedum 'Acre'. Last year it bloomed for Thanksgiving in the snow (see it here).
Purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) that I seeded here, in front of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and Canna 'King Humbert'.
Another shot of the pink tapestry on the Hill. Purple barberry bushes behind Rosa 'The Fairy'.
Seed heads of Allium tuberosum leaning over the lamb's ears, Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and barberry bushes.
Stachys byzantina, Sedum 'Autumn Joy', purple barberry, Canna 'King Humbert'.
My giant patch of lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina) all came from one pot just two years ago. It is happy here... very well drained and sunny.

The Driveway Garden:
A brilliant yellow backdrop for the Driveway Garden.
I could not resist adding a foliage photo for this garden. All of the mature maples in our back yard turn a brilliant yellow in October, which makes the perfect setting for the flowers that are blooming.
Miscanthus 'Dixieland' in front of purple Aster 'Peter III'
Loving my last grass purchase! I can't appreciate enough the lightness added to this boarder by the white variegation of Miscanthus 'Dixieland'... especially in contrast to the vibrant purple of Aster hybrida 'Peter III'.

Dahlia 'Peaches 'n Cream' soaring over the Driveway Garden.
We have one more dahlia in the gardens this year, Dahlia 'Peaches 'n Cream'. My girls prefer calling it the "candy corn flower", as the color graduation on its petals matches that of the beloved fall candy. (The front of this flower can be seen in the opening photo for this post.)

Pumpkins brightening our walk to the car.
Thank you for joining us for the October garden walk!
We are really happy with the garden this fall and hope that you have enjoyed it too!

A big THANKS to Carol at May Dreams for hosting GBBD! Visit her to see more flowers from gardens around the world!

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21 comments:

  1. Your garden is beautiful from any view. Pretty images too, especially the Dahlia. Happy GBBD!

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  2. I loved your description of your garden as a tapestry...they really are a rich tapestry of color and texture. You've got a great talent.

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  3. aloha,

    you have such a beautiful collection i love that collection of dahlias, i love all your fall colors also

    thanks for sharing your garden

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  4. What a beautiful garden. No wonder you're happy with it.

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  5. Lovely blooms. I didn't realize you were zone 5. Happy GGBD.

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  6. Charming combinations, all. Wax Begonias are a fav here because they take well to being brought inside to bloom all winter.

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  7. Wow!-Your October garden looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing :)

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  8. We have not had our first frost yet either. Today is the average frost day for our area. I am glad...it means I get some more peppers in the garden. Your October garden is very beautiful. I particularly like the echinacea seedheads. Even in this form they are lovely!

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  9. Oh Julie I have such garden envy. I love your garden walks. The gardens have filled out beautifully and are gorgeous. My Fairy rose is blooming along as well. No freeze here yet but we have had a couple of frosts. I can't say the s word yet....

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  10. Floriferous views, indeed! Your garden is just gorgeous.

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  11. It looks fabulous, I am so jealous as mine is quite sparsh in places. I love that Dahlia Peaches and Cream so pretty

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  12. Dear Julie, Your October garden is amazing. I love the way you placed pumpkins along the pathway. Happy GBBD! P. x

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  13. I can imagine what joy it brings you to walk around. I hope your autumn is long, and the frosts stay away for a while. Love the pumpkins mixed in with your flowers. Enjoyed the tour. Happy GBBD!

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  14. OMG...your garden looks so WONDERFUL! I just love it...looks so peaceful and tranquil. Wow, just WOW!

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  15. Wow is right! Your Dahlia photos take my breath away! I think that first one is the most beautiful photo of a Dahlia that I have ever seen! Took my breath away!

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  16. I love the way even though you still have many summer flowers you can see by the light it is autumn in your garden Julie. You're right to be pleased with how the garden looks this October GBBD, its beautiful! Christina

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  17. Oh, how beautiful! When that first photo was loading I started saying 'oh wow' - and I just went on. Great cannas!

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  18. A garden well worth the gold medal. And your first dahlia shot...what gorgeous bokeh.


    Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

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  19. Julie it all looks smashing! Good show!

    Bertie

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  20. Dear Julie, Hello, again. Saw your photos on Fine Gardening Photo of the Day and recognized your beautiful garden. Congratulations! P. x

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  21. What a pretty fall garden. Candy corn flower-I love it! I'm a bit late getting around but Happy Bloom Day!

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