Saturday, September 15, 2012

It's All About the Asters for Bloom Day

There's a change in the air, and in my garden.  Autumn is coming!

Sure, all the summer flowers are still blooming.  But there's a new bloom that has come to my garden.  It's the asters.  Can you see them?  They are under the cannas:


In just this past week, they have gone from this:


To this:


They're the stars of my garden right now.  And they bring the promise of cooler weather.

Sure, there are lots of blooms in my garden.  Roses, of course.


The sedum is turning pink.


Even the vegetable garden has blooms!  Aren't these sweet potato vine blooms sweet?


Water lilies have been blooming all summer, and will continue to bloom through fall.


While the beautiful crape myrtles blooms will soon be over until next year.


But it's the asters that I run outside to see each morning.


In my garden, for now, and for this Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, it's all about the asters, and the promise of autumn's arrival.

73 comments:

  1. Everything is lovely for mid September. Your Myrtle is really beautiful.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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    1. Thanks, Cher. I really do love the crape myrtles. They bloom when everything else is spent from the heat here. I can't imagine a southern garden without them.

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  2. The Asters are too cute - love them! Everything looks gorgeous in your Autumn garden. Happy GBBD :)

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    1. Sometimes, the center of attention is on just one particular plant. It's just their perfect time to shine!

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  3. Beautiful blooms. I love the sweet potato vine, how amazing.

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    1. I've never grown sweet potatoes until this year. I wonder what they're doing under the ground!

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  4. Beautiful asters Holly! I love that cool blue color. Your roses still look gorgeous too, of course. I need to add more fall color to my garden. Asters get so mildewy in my region though...

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    1. I love how they just know it's fall, and time to start blooming! I don't have a lot of fall bloomers, either, so maybe that's why they grab all the attention!

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  5. Beautiful flowers. I have those asters too, high ones and low ones. They bloom for a long time.

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    1. I love these sweet little blooms. I have been watching their stalks all summer, just waiting for them to decide to open up!

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  6. Those asters of all species, even our "weedy" desert species, really do shout "it's fall". And sedums, the declining of crape myrtle blooms, etc add to the seasonal clock, don't they?

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    1. Yes, the weather may not be too cool right now, but it is definitely fall. The shadows show it, and the plants know it.

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  7. A very pretty purply-blue! I actually really like the color of your cannas, as well. Yay for cooler weather!

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    1. I love those orange cannas. They are not so pretty up close (because I'm not good at deadheading them), but from afar they really make an impact.

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  8. Yes, the asters are coming fast now, exactly the same as in my garden. How wonderful to see and compare this with another part of the world. I like your Myrtle very much. I had it once but not for long.

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    1. It really is fun to read about the coming of spring in the southern hemisphere, just as our autumn is starting.

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  9. So many Fall treats! Is it my imagination or are things blooming later into the fall than usual? Either way, no complaints from me :) I've never seen sweet potato blossoms before and had no idea they were so bright and beautiful.

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    1. We have such mild winters, I can't say if these fall blooms are later than usual. Sometimes our fall blooms last well into December!

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  10. The Asters are certainly stars in your garden right now. Love the Canna and that beautiful Waterlily too.

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    1. I've been very happy with the waterlilies this year. They have bloomed almost nonstop this entire summer.

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  11. Yes...sigh...autumn is definitely here. there's a nip in the air at the end of warm days and the shadows in my garden are taller.
    Your garden still looks so flowery, no wonder you want to run out in it everyday (mad woman!) xx

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    1. haha - Yes, autumn here is when the garden is much more pleasant to look at, and to work in. And it seems all the summer bloomers are still blooming, and the autumn flowers are blooming, too, so it's glorious - for a while, anyway!

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  12. Don't you love the asters? I put them in my post as well. They are such a BLAST of color. Great little plants! Happy GBBD!

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    1. I added a lot of asters to my garden this past year because I loved the small amount of them I had the year before. I may have to add even more, they are so beautiful, and as you say - they add a blast of color to the garden right now.

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  13. It's so nice when the asters bloom. Beautiful little starry faces but it means fall is coming! Great reason to run out to the garden each day.

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    1. Yes, definitely autumn is coming - and fast, I think!

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  14. My favorite aster is 'Bluebird' but I an also fond of blue wood aster which blooms in October.

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    1. I don't know what kind these are, but I think I would like any of them! I may have to look into the blue wood aster. If it blooms in October there, I bet it would be a winter bloomer here!

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  15. Those asters have such a lovely color, a glistening lavender. I like how the seasons bring in different blooms for us to enjoy. Your garden looks beautiful! Happy GBBD!

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    1. And it's always such a thrill to see which plants bloom in the different seasons. Autumn here is always enjoyable, after the long, hot summer!

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  16. I love love love asters. My dog is named Aster. I'm glad they're the bright spot in your garden now.

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    1. What a cute name for a dog! I should name some of my animals after plants! ;)

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  17. Your garden is beautiful through all the seasons! I only have asters in my wildflower garden, and I noticed today that they have started blooming. I think yours are a wonderful complement to your other flowers. I love the colors!

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    1. I, too, think they compliment the other flowers well. Just a slightly different shade than the lantana, which will be fading soon.

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  19. I don't have any Asters. I sure enjoy viewing them on other gardeners' blogs! Yours look so pretty among the Roses and the Cannas. Happy GBBD!

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    1. I have only had asters in my garden for the last several years. I really love this fall blooming plant.

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  20. I'm patiently waiting for asters to flower in my garden. They have a couple more weeks I'd guess. Mine tend to get some mildew, suppose its the Irish weather. Yours look lovely.

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    1. I think you must be a bit cooler than here, as I have never had problems with mildew - yet! Keeping my fingers crossed!

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  21. Love those Asters. Gotta have em ! Great post. Great pics.

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    1. Yes, they are one of those "gotta have em" plants! :)

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  22. I've had no luck with asters, Holley, but you inspire me to try again. Your late-summer blooms are amazing!

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    1. It seems a lot of people have problems with them. I think our heat must actually help them here!

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  23. I also have lots of asters for fall - but most of them are still on the ver ge of bursting into full bloom. Is that Aromatic Aster (oblongifolius) you've got?

    I would definitely take asters over chrysanthemums any day.

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    1. Like you, I prefer asters over chrysanthemums. I took the time to look at my plant tags. I really think these are aster (michaelmas daisy) 'Bonny Blue', although I have a couple of other types of asters in my garden. But I none of them are the aromatic aster. It sounds wonderful, though!

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  24. Flowers on the sweet potatoe vine are amazing, nice photo's from your garden. I love those little asters, pretty colour.

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    1. I love just about any purple flower, but I think these are just adorable little things!

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  25. I adore asters as do the pollinators in fall. I run out to see them blooming all over even the wild ones that seed in every corner.

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    1. I wish I had wild ones that seeded around! That must be beautiful!

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  26. I love Asters too. They are such a pleasant surprise after a hot summer.
    Your garden looks great!
    Happy GBBD!
    David

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    1. Yes, I do appreciate the fall bloomers. Such a nice time to go outside and enjoy the garden, especially with fresh blooms.

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  27. The garden is looking lovely and love all of your blooms, aster and all!

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    1. The garden is looking much better now that the weather is starting to get a bit cooler. The gardener appreciates the cooler weather, too! :)

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  28. Love the asters and all of your garden, as usual!
    Blessings,
    Ava

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  29. Great Asters Holley and a terrific colour.

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    1. I love that color, too. I think purple goes with just about anything in the garden.

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  30. Wow - I love the sweet potato vine. What amazing blooms. Going to als plant them this year - do you plant them like potatoes?

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    1. No, they're a bit different. Where regular potatoes have eyes, and will come up if you just plant them, sweet potatoes are grown with 'slips', which have a few leaves and some roots, so more like any other new little plant. I was told how to grow the slips, but since they were given to me, I didn't have to understand that step! Good luck with yours!

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  31. Ah, asters. So important for the bees and butterflies this time of year. And I always welcome fresh flowers now too as many of my perennials are past their prime.

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    1. Yes, I've been seeing lots of pollinators on the asters. I try to keep something blooming in my garden year round, not only for me, but for the insects and critters, too. Not always easy to do, but a good goal.

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  32. I had a number of asters for years, but they got old and so sparse that I removed them. They are a great flower to have at this time of year and I miss that last burst of cool color. I must look around my local nursery and see if I can find some replacement plants.

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    1. I hope you find some. I just love these little blooms!

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  33. Love those sweet potato blooms. I didn't even know they bloomed. Mine never did! You are the gardener extraordinaire.

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    1. Well, don't believe everything you read! After I posted this, I realized that the wild morning glories that are invasive here look just like that! I've begun to suspect they have seeded themselves in amongst the sweet potato vines! Oops! :O

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  34. Your asters are lovely! I'm anxiously awaiting the appearance of ours...because our summer blooms are quickly fading, unlike yours! Thank you for the lovely tour of your garden! Happy bloom day!

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    1. Yes, the summer is essentially over, and it's on to the fall blooms now. I always miss the summer blooms, but it's nice to have something new blooming to look forward to as the weather changes.

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  35. They are sure lovely! Such a pretty blue. Mine haven't even starting thinking about blooming but the camellias have begun. Woohoo fall is near!

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    1. Oh, my! How wonderful! My camellias have little buds, but no blooms yet. I love camellias, and would have many, many more of them if I just had a little bit more shade in my garden!

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  36. I figure anything that blooms blue or purple is worth getting excited over!

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  37. Holly, love your aster, the most blue one. Also liked the yellow canna, I have the orange.

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    1. I have several different cannas, but I like these the best. It's a soft color that goes well with my roses.

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