Saturday 16 October 2010

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day – October 2010

I think it’s likely this will be the last GBBD I’ll be participating in for a few months, I do not imagine anything will be blooming this time next month (my birthday is always so beautiful and cheery in the garden… Mmmm.)

Thankfully we’ve still had Butterflies, however the weather has turned distinctly cooler – even with the sun out. I don’t think the Comma, Red Admiral or Small Tortoiseshell will visit for much longer.

I finally checked the labels on my mystery Aster… Perhaps I ought to have done it a little sooner…
She is ‘Aster Lateriflorus ‘Lady in Black’’. And a quick search on the net brings up some interesting images… At least I’ve learnt my lesson for this year and hopefully we rectify the issue for next year :)

I’m making this post as quick as possible because I’ve had or am still suffering from a shocking cold. Must be making up for the fact I avoided any illness at all last Autumn/Winter/Spring and giving me a doubly horrible dose. If it weren’t for the fact my nose and eyes were streaming and I had no rash I would’ve assumed I had Meningitis. Light hurt me, I could barely open my eyes, my whole body hurt, stiff neck, legs ached, nausea and I’ve had a headache for the past 3days now (the beginning of this post was actually written before I got ill in preparation for Bloom day)

This Anemone looks a little worse for wear

Recently planted shady border under the cherry tree.

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly






Autumn/Winter pots are planted



Lady in Black



Pyracantha berries are nice and juicy now


Cosmos finally has flower buds……………………….




Alpine Strawberry







One last Rose bloom



Last of the Tomatoes?

Some sweetpeas left







Now is the time of year for mosses


Perhaps the last of the Comma Butterflies too.


27 comments:

Larry said...

I need to find that Lady in Black aster... quite attractive... it must be nice to be in a climate where you can do pots for the winter! L

Anna said...

Like you I am somewhat apprehensive as to what there might be in flower by the middle of November. Sorry to hear that you're under the weather Liz and hope that you are soon on the mend. Enjoyed your photos as always and have seen another aster to add to the wish list:)

Ivynettle said...

Wow, those are some great pictures! I can't even say which ones I like best.

Pam's English Garden said...

Dear Liz, This is quite a substantial post for someone so under the weather! Some great pics here! I hope you soon feel much better. Pam x

Anonymous said...

My goodness. Hope you get well. Some very beautiful and plentiful images. Glad I got to stop in and see. Happy Bloom Day

Town Mouse said...

Thanks for sharing your blooms and butterflies, even with your horrible cold. Hope you get better soon.

Helen/patientgardener said...

Great pics. My Cosmos hasnt flowered this year at all, very disappointed. I think I have the same cold as you. Had 3 days off work 2 weeks ago and here I am again in bed with streaming eyes - typically its the weekend so feeling fustrated and everything I want to do. Hope you are feeling a bit better now

ShySongbird said...

Sorry to read you are feeling under the weather Liz and hope it is improving.

Lovely photos as always, that lemony coloured rose is delightful, it looks good enough to eat :)

'Cosmos finally has flower buds'!!! I remember you said they were late last year but this sounds like a record :)

So nice you are still seeing butterflies!

Barbara said...

Get well soon! I love the butterflies on your asters.

Curbstone Valley Farm said...

Liz, I hope you feel better soon. It's no fun being sick. It looks the butterflies are managing to find a few lovely blossoms. We don't have much left in bloom here either at the moment, but we are busy like little squirrels, burying bulbs all over the garden, in anticipation of spring!

Liz said...

Hi LC,

The pots may not last all winter, especially not if we have a repeat of last year's... But normally I should at least have some interest in them. Thankfully we normally only have a grim month or two before the first signs of spring can be seen, just a shame our summers aren't often much to celebrate.

Ah the pitfalls of living in the UK.

Liz said...

Hi Anna,

I highly doubt I'll have anything at all to show for November other than perhaps some berries and the Cyclamen/Violas I've planted.

Last year I'm pretty certain I still had Cosmos well into November, but for the most part things just looked grim.

I'm feeling much better thank you, my body seems to be disagreeing though and I'm out of breath very easily. I just hope I can manage with University on Wed/Thurs.

Liz said...

Hi Ivynettle,

Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed my photos and you visit to my blog :)

Liz said...

Hi Pam,

Thanks, most of the post was done before I was ill... And to be honest, it gave me something to do other than laying in bed and feeling sorry for myself. I was unable to move around much otherwise I'd be out of breath/coughing my kidneys up.

It sounds like I've had a 30 a day smoking habit for the past 50 years.

Liz said...

Hi gwgt,

Thank you very much for stopping by, I'm glad you enjoyed my photos :)

Liz said...

Hi TM,

Thanks, I am feeling much better... :)
Can't properly breath yet and do still choke... urm, cough regularly but it seems to be more bearable now.

Liz said...

Hi Helen,

Oh no, I hope I don't have a repeat of this again in a couple of weeks,
Must say though, I know a lot of people who seem to be ill at the moment, so at least I am not the only one.
It was to be expected though, it's that time of year for fresher's flu and I'm right in the thick of it.

I have some Spring bulbs left to plant, which I hope to manage tomorrow and that should be the last of my chores.

Hopefully you too are feeling better now and have managed to complete your gardening jobs.

Liz said...

Hi Jan,

The yellow rose actually smelled wonderful when I was taking its shots. I don't remember noticing the scent earlier in the season though...

re:Cosmos, seriouly this must be a record. I doubt I'll have flowers before hard frosts kill it off.
I can't believe it hasn't yet bloomed. I sowed them all so early too to make sure I got an earlier show than last year!!! Grrrrr.

Liz said...

Hi Barbara,

Thank you very much! I think I'm on the mend now :D

Liz said...

Hi CV,

If you'd like, you're welcome to bury some bulbs in my garden too! I don't have many left to do, so it wouldn't take you too long.
Just some Alliums, Iris and Crocus to go, so perhaps around 50/70...

Rose said...

Beautiful photos, Liz, and so many lovely blooms! Yes, I think next month's entries will be quite different; I can't imagine I'll have anything at all blooming by November either. It's wonderful, too, to see all your butterflies; most of ours have left for the season.

I do hope you're feeling better soon--lots of rest and hot tea would be my prescription.

Esther Montgomery said...

The poppy head made me sit up.

Esther

scottweberpdx said...

Beautiful, Beautiful post...love the photos! I'm particularly taken by the scabiousa shots, that dark red one is so alluring! 'Lady in Black' is one of my favorite Asters, I just love the foliage color. Hope you are feeling better soon :-)

VW said...

So pretty! Like you, I have some pretty ragged flowers thrown in by this time of year. Actually, after hard frost last weekend, there aren't many flowers left at all.
Hope you feel better soon. I've been meaning to try those 'Breath Right' strips on my next cold. They're supposed to help you breath better when you're all stuffed up.

debsgarden said...

I am always impressed with your photography. I love the spider web and the moss shots! All your blooms are lovely. I do hope you are recovering from your illness by now! It is awful to have a beautiful garden and not feel well enough to enjoy it!

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I'm glad I made it to your bloom day post. I'm behind in everything I do. You had a nice variety of blooms.

I hope you are completely over your illness by now. I had a flu a couple years ago, and missed two weeks of work. I can empathize with how you were feeling.

lostlandscape (James) said...

Despite your worries it looks like you still have a number of sights in the garden. Still, I understand how quickly the garden can change and fade. Maybe you'll have some cyclamen next month? At least you'll have this great bouquet of images.