Thursday, October 15, 2009

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day October 2009

Korean Dogwood fruit

Well it is Blog Action Day today. I really did think about writing about climate change, but some days it is just a hell of a lot easier to write about my garden. Sometimes you just need a nice flower to cheer you up.

Rudebeckia

This time of the year many of my flowers are dressed up for Halloween. Their pretty pink skirts have been put away. They are in their goth costumes. They are still lovely in their own spikey way.

Echinacea

Not all of my flowers have given up. We had a frost last night, but the rose still thinks it should be blooming.

My tithonia won't stop.

I do have one flower in my garden that blooms just for autumn. Autumn Joy is a perfect name for this plant. When it starts to bloom the bees are so joyful. They cover it.

14 comments:

  1. Daphne, thanks again for educating me. One of our neighbors has a Korean Dogwood bush too; now I can tell my daughter what it's called. Also, Autumn Joy must be the name of the sedum I have, too. The plants often outlast my memory of their name.

    Now, off to import my photos and work on my post.

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  2. Interesting, the knobby fruits on the Kousa dogwood. Our native Cornus floridus has smooth oval fruits.

    It's been a real Tithonia year. I pulled up one yesterday that was 'way taller than myself.

    Happy Bloom Day.

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  3. Such lovely photos. Such a poignant time of year.

    I do hope you'll write about climate change sometime. I have been collecting thoughts and observations myself. We need a conversation, don't you think?

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  4. Beautiful. I have quite a few Kousa dogwoods in my yard as well. The berries are edible, but I can't seem to find how to use them. Does anyone know?

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  5. Sally, my dogwood is one of my favorite plants in the garden. It grows in shade but gives me a great show every year.

    Nell Jean, mine are short tithonia. They only got to about 18 inches.

    June. Climate change is such a hard thing to write about. I've listened to so many talks about it from all sorts of people. What is going to happen to the climate in different parts of the world is really uncertain. Most seem to think that my corner of the world is eventually going to get colder when the gulf stream shuts down. Whatever happens a lot of people will be affected.

    The Mom, I looked into it once and supposedly they are pretty tasteless. I've never come across how to eat them. I'm guessing you want to peel them first. The birds and squirrels don't eat the skins. But I think unless I'm starting I'll leave them to the wildlife.

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  6. I have one in my yard. They create mess in my garden. I heard that they were edible as well...so out of curiosity, I tasted one. It's squishy in the middle, a tad sweet...not much to it.

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  7. Fabulous photographs Daphne, what camera are you using ? the macro lens is great.

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  8. Such great seed pods. As beautiful as the flowers.

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  9. Maybe I should put in some sedum for the bees. Wonder if they'd like it.

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  10. Great post, Daphne! I love the Goth costumes in your garden; now that I think about it, I have some in mine, too:) The sedum photo is fabulous; I forgot to add mine to my post, but you're so right--"Autumn Joy" is the perfect name for it.

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  11. That was certainly a lovely post. I had to chuckle over the goth halloween attire flowers! The sedum and rosebud are both quite gorgeous.

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  12. Wow, the Korean Dogwood fruit is quite the unusual site. Well, at least here in the desert! I love it's dimpled flesh. And your flower's Halloween costumes are fantastic, nature has the best ideas.

    Thanks for sharing and happy bloom day!

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  13. Thomas, well at least it didn't taste bad. I'll stick to the raspberries.

    Maureen, Those were all taken with my husbands Nikon D200. He has a really nice macro lens. Though the ones with the black backgrounds were taken with his travel lens (I hate changing them because I tend to get dust on the CCD, so I use what is on the camera). His travel lens isn't as good and doesn't let a lot of light through so I had to use the flash.

    Mary Delle, thanks.

    Stefaneener, they would love you for it. It is amazing how many bees crawl on the flowers. It only lasts for a couple of weeks, but while they are there it is pretty amazing.

    Rose, my sedum is on the other side of my fence. I wish I had one close in so I could see it when I'm in my garden.

    kitsapFG, it is what they remind me of. The tithonia has some nasty spikes on them when they die. I know because I take the flower apart for the seed and ouch!

    Hilery, it is one amazing dogwood. I love that it can flower so profusely in the shade and gives another show in the fall with the berries.

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  14. I love that little rosebud, so perfect!

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