Well, I'll tell you right now that fall has well and truly come to the lotties. The temps have dropped and there is rain almost every day now with stints of sunshine that are becoming increasingly rarer. I haver taken a week off to finish getting the lotties "winter ready", but the forecasts are not looking good, sadly. Most of the flowers are dead now with only a few stragglers left. The Verbena bonariensis is one of the last left standing. Phacelia (one of the 'green manures' is weakly hanging on for all it's worth. There are more plants that have just formed their buds, but I don't know if they will actually bloom before I pull them up and lie them on the plots. This little Lavatera should be about 12 inched tall, but it is more than twice that height. Must be the extra shade on it's plot. This Helenium just won't give up. Remarkably these fuzzy sunflowers are also hanging on nicely. Some of them are being picked-at by the blue tits which seem to be very impatient this year. Another Helenium, the "Canary" I think is just about gone. The bees are not coming anymore. I* had to tie these up because the wind has blown them over. Another fused squash and flower. I really hate to see the flowers fade-away...but it's the normal cycle of events, and I really can't complain about their performance this year.
You still have quite a bit of colour there Sjoerd which is good to see this late in the year. :-D I only have a few white roses, some red geraniums, a couple of turtle heads, some polyanthus and that's about it.
I really like all the color you have going on. Just look at that fuzzy sunflower-gorgeous. They have threatened us with that bad 4-letter word (snow) shh, I didn't say it. We really don't need it yet I'm not finished moving plants around yet. Thanks for showing what you have left.
Before moving to Texas we lived for twenty years in the southwest (Arizona) so that four letter word is not something I've worried too much about. There is another four letter word called rain that we've been having a lot here lately. We've had almost 12 inches in the last four weeks. That's almost half of the yearly total for here. But they say we still need more. I guess I should be happy we are having rain after the hot dry summer but I would like to have it spread evenly all year instead of having it all at once. We still have a few things blooming but it's getting less and less. The fields are full of some wildflower. Yellow daisy looking stuff. I was trying to get a closer look at it but someone was mowing and I couldn't stay outside. Thanks for the pictures of your flowers. I always enjoy see what you grow. dooley
Those fuzzy sunflowers are absolutely gorgeous. I have never seen anything like them before and I know I will be looking for them in the seed catalogs this winter. We, too, have had that nasty four letter word in our forecast but are hoping it is only going to be a dusting and we will get our Indian Summer after that. Temps have been in the 40s this week for both highs and lows. Lots of rain over the weekend but partly sunny today and for the rest of the week.
Ah, eye candy! You're so lucky to still have lovely blooms outside. Ours rained away weeks ago, only the Colchicums are hanging on now. Even the Gentiana have given up. *sigh*
The phacalia is pretty, very textural. It's doing double duty for you. Yup, it's sad to see the growing season coming to a close.
You have quite a few beauties still holding on. I really like the fuzzy sunflower, the birds in my yards probably would too. Dooley that yellow flower you see in the pastures and fields is Gutierrezia sarothrae
I spent years in the mountains of New Mexico where winter arrives in late October. Pretty happy to be back here in SE Texas where things are still blooming a bit and winter is nowhere in site.
Very pretty yet sjoerd...I have some glads blooming and some reblooming iris but most other things are brown. My butterfly bush still looks pretty good but no butterflys.
beautiful pics sjoerd! all that's blooming here now, after our frosts, are the Jeruselum Artichokes or Sunchokes....oh yeah...the carrots and beets and kale are still going strong! going to mulch them with straw and enjoy them all winter long! the fuzzy little sunflower reminds me of our 'Teddy Bear' sunflower...i think ej mentiond that before. they are so cute and compact and soft...
Thanks very much for all the nice comments. That little sunflower really does brighten-up the dying flower garden. I am hoping that there will be enough flowers properly fertilized to yield some seeds for the birdies. I enjoy coming to the lotties in the winter to sit all bundled-up and watch the birds feeding as I sip hot tea or cocoa.
Lovely blooms Sjoerd! I had 3 Lavatera plants that grew to about 4 ft tall! They were really quite a show
