October Flowers

It seems that many people think the gardening season is over when kids go back to school in late August. Well, other than those balls of mums polka-dotting grocery stores, malls, and yards. Not so! There are many plants still abloom!

There are many flowers that bloom into October and some even through November. My roses don’t quit until at least a few hard frosts. The asters and goldenrods are hanging on providing much-needed nectar and pollen to hibernating and migrating insects. There’s always one monarch lollygagging its way to Mexico that needs a quick sugar boost.

This year, my Heavenly Blue morning glories have elected to keep blooming. Clearly we haven’t had a deep enough frost to quash them. It’s pretty marvelous to have them waving hello from the top of the arbor every morning. True blue is such a sweetly serene color in the garden.

The Spanish flag vine is also still pumping out its zippy blossoms and hoping for lingering hummingbirds. I’m definitely growing this happy-go-lucky annual vine again. It has been a real delight to watch its flowers change and evolve as they develop.

But speaking of mums, I do have a few heirloom hardy perennial mums tucked along the driveway where the soil is a bit gravelly. New this year is Jessica Louise, as I have a soft spot for pale pink. As you can see, bumblebees are particularly fond of it. It does look like a cozy napping spot.