Thursday 15 September 2011

September in Bloom

It can't be the middle of September already - can it?  Seems like it is and it's time for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day courtesy of May Dreams Gardens...so here's what's blooming at Holly Grove this September...


Lilium White Heaven opened its buds on 1st September; it's as lovely as I remember when I bought the bulbs at the Malvern Spring show in April this year.  It is a very robust lily and about 90cm tall and the scent is gorgeous.


This is the first of my sunflowers to bloom this year.  A poor show for me with the first batch of seeds failing to produce anything.  It was an old packet so I'll be gathering some new seeds from this flower for next year.  I expect the weather has played a part too - not sunny enough for these chaps.

This little nasturtium has selfseeded itself right next to the little purple-black viola below; what a lovely combination!


I planted several violas earlier this year and they have been flowering non-stop since June. This one is viola Rosecastle Black, I also have viola Rebecca Yellow and a pale blue one that I can't remember the name of at the moment; all little gems.



I've planted two of these pretty blue autumn flowering shrubs in the past year - ceratostigma willmottianum - and they are beginning to settle in and produce their flowers.  With the leaves blushed pink at the edges they promise to be a lovely autumn addition to the garden.


We have several lavatera around Holly Grove, this one is lavatera Bredon Springs; they flower profusely from June to the first frosts.  Although a realatively short lived shrub they are so easy to propogate from cuttings (and they selfseed so easily in our light soil) that we are able to replace any losses.  They also have the advantage of speedy growth filling a space and adding height to a border in a single season. 


This malus Sunset has produced lots of lovely apples this year though it will be a little longer before they are ready to pick.  This variety provides a relatively late harvest around the end of October when the apples are a glorious bright red.



This unusual plant was a last minute purchase for a shallow basket.  I know it as cigar plant, cuphea ignea, it is a native of Mexico and therefore is grown in the UK as an annual.


These hardy fuchsias are growing in a very difficult spot at the back of the swing seat; they receive very little light and the soil is very dry as this corner of the border is very tight to the hedgerow.  Despite all of this they produce these lovely bright flowers and, hopefuly, they will grow into large shrubs providing interest through the autumn.

Well, there's more blooming at Holly Grove in September that I expected; have alook at other gardens in bloom around the world at the Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day hosted by  May Dreams Gardens.

8 comments:

Larry said...

Lovely specimens all... thanks for sharing! Larry

Christine @ the Gardening Blog said...

Love the Lilium White Heaven! How stunning! Happy GBBD :)

The Sage Butterfly said...

Your blooms are lovely, but I am struck by your delicious apples....perfect photo for September. I am looking forward to apple season. Happy GBBD!

scottweberpdx said...

Beautiful blooms...and I'm so jealous of your apples!

Sarah said...

How do you get your fuchsia to survive in the dry conditions? I know they are shade plants, but they usually want damp soil.

I liked your pictures of the apples best, though. I just joined the linking party and I'm already dreading finding specimens in the winter. Maybe I'll find a dew-covered spider web and call it good.

greggo said...

love the cigar plant.

Susan@Holly Grove said...

Thank you all for your kind comments. It's been very windy here over recent days and all the Sunset apples came off the tree. They've been gathered up and made into cakes, pies and crumbles with a few kept for eating and they are delicious!

Sarah - I don't really do anything with these fuchsias, though I did plant them as very small plants and watered well to get them established; perhaps that was key?

Scotkat said...

Great photos Susan and your apples look so tasty.