millertime

October Bloom Day...and up here there are plenty of things blooming! The fall color on the trees, for instance...looks as pretty as any flower I've ever seen. My commute doesn't seem long at all right now for sure.My porcelain vine has only a couple berries left after producing a lot of them, I think that means the birds have officially discovered their location. The 'Purple Pimento' peppers are looking lonely without their "host plant" being alive..sad but true: frost has already visited....
....dwarf papyrus sure noticed! I gotta move these plants and the fish indoors pronto!
This Bald Cypress has some nice color to its' needles as well...
...but the most "living color" is still in my annuals that are protected by the eaves and soffit...

...blooming along like rock stars!
Ah yes, but this frosty landscape was the scene a couple weeks ago, and after a brief reprieve it'll be back with a vengence soon enough... ...but my Wafer Ash doesn't look too worried. I'm afraid it should be though, they've discovered the Emerald Ash Borer in Wisconsin!
It would be a real bummer if he gets infested too, since his yellow fall color fits in so nicely with the Big Bluestem and asparagus ferns in my fall landscape.

Spurge coloring up nicely...
...and I can't decide if flash (above) or no flash looks better.
This cute volunteer petunia is still going, too... ...complementing the purple mums nearby.
My sedums are all nearly done, which seems early, and I haven't seen hardly any Asian lady beetles in the house, which seems late! I'm not sure if this is a lady bug or Asian Lady beetle , but if the color is the tie-breaker then she's the Asian beetle. I like the pattern on her shell, though!

Another spurge, blooming away like it's summertime...
...but this nice purple aster has her timing down pat!
Here's what's left of the 'Little Lamb' hydrangea blooms...

...more pretty asters.... ...Japanese maple on fire...

....poor yellow cherry tomatoes are not. Well, as the late Jerry Reed said, "When you're hot, you're hot...and when you're not, you're not!" :)
More fabulous annual action! These windowboxes are very well protected under the eaves, and receive warmth from the southern sun, so they are always the last to go (unless I forget to water them! They got pretty droopy at one point last week, yikes!)
Heck, they look better now than they have all year...I sure appreciate the extra effort!
Heuchera 'Patricia Louise' still going strong, too....
...even some hostas are still blooming pretty well...

...though this one is definately done! I'm digging the fall color, though.
My Virginia witch hazel is blooming this fall, even better than last year ...
....like cute little stars!
More fall aster action...
...'Russian Princess' lobelia still has one lone bloom...

...as does this helenium...
....this mum has more than one bloom...
...but not much! That's kind of the theme right now, only a few real "performers", but mostly "putt and sputter". That's okay though, I appreciate every darn bloom! (Besides, it's my responsibility to feed them...they can't really "forage" on their own that much.)
Snapdragons are still at it... ...and my Christmas cacti are just getting started. This is a pretty tangerine-orange just in time for Halloween!

This pansy bloom looks funny, I think some sort of bug took a bite...
....more snapdragons. You can squeeze the sides of these flowers between your thumb and forefinger to make them open their "mouths"...maybe they bit the pansy! ;-)
Another pansy, looking kinda rough. Hey, if I had to spend every night outside right now, i'd look rough too!
And finally, a colorful sunset on the river brings us to the end of another Bloom Day...
...and for plenty of awesome Bloom Day action, check out our esteemed founder Carol at May Dreams Gardens ! Happy Bloom Day everybody!