Garden Bloggers Bloom Day October

Mardi Gras helenium

Yes, I've made it to GBBD after all! And I'm glad to be here and back in the blogosphere in general. Lots of happenings in my little garden over the last few months and now we're in my most favorite time of year. I've been busy planting bulbs and anything else I can get my hands on, including some heleniums, above. I don't think heleniums are supposed to do that well here but I couldn't help myself when I saw them. So far they seem to be faring nicely.

Mexican mint marigold, Tagetes lucida

Mexican mint marigold (aka Texas tarragon) is one of my favorite fall bloomers. It adds a bright punch to the garden and attracts lots of pollinators. It also is a great Southern substitute for tarragon.

Apricot Drift ground cover rose

I love this little rose. It's very hardy and has a light fragrance. Right now the roses are just starting to put on their fall show. In a couple weeks I'll be smiling big at all the blooms.

Either Henry the III or Little Henry aster

This aster and the next are a bit of a mystery. My big box store frequently has mislabeled plants but this one had two labels! And it's also got two different colored blooms, so maybe that explains the two labels. I was hoping I was buying the aster below.

Henry aster (of some sort)

Both these asters managed to bloom in spring, survive an aster lace bug invasion, and then bloom again in fall. Crazy.

Mexican sage, Salvia leucantha, and Easter Tiger Swallowtail

This is like two blooms in one!

Hyacinth bean vine, Dolichos lablab

It's that time of year again - time for the hyacinth bean vine to bloom and make pretty seed pods.

Chinese hibiscus, Hibiscus paramutablis

Dr. Bud Willis, owner of the wonderful native and heirloom nursery in Doyline, Willis Farm, gave me this perennial hibiscus. I've never tried one before and I've been very pleased with it. I only get a couple of blooms opening per day but it's grown 8 feet tall in one year with absolutely no care.

Sweet olive, Osmanthus fragrans

From the humongous to the diminutive, my gardening chores are made lighter when I garden around the lovely fragrance of sweet olive. Can't beat a plant that smells this good for almost three seasons in a year.

Lindheimer's muhly grass, Muhlenbergia lindheimeri

Okay, now I've drifted into Pam's Foliage Followup meme but I know I will be too short on time to do it tomorrow. So here's an ornamental grass I really like - Lindheimer's muhly. With the blooms right now it's about 6-7 feet tall.

Purple yucca, Yucca aloifolia 'Purpurea'

I bought this purple yucca last year at the Garden Bloggers Fling in Seattle. The second I got it home to the heat of Louisiana it lost its purple color. Fortunately it recovers it when temps cool down.

Purple beautyberry, Callicarpa dichotoma

I bought this beautyberry rather than the American native one because it's supposed to be more compact, like about 3 feet tall and wide. But it's a good 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide in only its second season. I'm hoping that's its max. The birds love this although sadly it lost lots of its berries during Hurricane Isaac. And last but not least ...

My new mini-deck and pergola!

I finally managed to have the mini-deck and pergola built this summer (designed by my friend Alexis, who sadly moved away to Bloomington last year). I'm thinking about painting the back lattice some bright color. What do you think?

Be sure to visit Carol on this Bloom Day to see what's blooming across the world.

This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2012. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.