I visited the Oregon Coast in September,
and found this private garden,
in the small town of Yachats.
(fyi: pronounced Ya-hots)
The following was posted on the gate:
It was nearly autumn, and most flowering plants
are done by this time of year.
I saw some blooms, so squeezed my camera between
slats in the fence, to record my find:
The garden was full of dahlias!
I drove home a different route and noticed these blooms in a yard.
Went around the block to take the photos.
It is so rare to see a yard with flowers at this time of year.
You never know where a flower grower lives!
A couple of peonies and an artichoke flower photographed in a vase
with a turtle-shape opening.
The same wood-fired vase appears quite different from opposite sides.
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Lavender flowers have long been dried to preserve the scent year-round.
My mini-vases display the unopened buds from lavender tops.
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What a fine discovery, on my part, to learn these tiny succulent blossoms
dry to be enjoyed all year long.
We have had glorious weather: some rain, some clouds and some sun.
Rain alleviates any thoughts of irrigation, clouds encourage the flowers to stay around much longer than usual, and the sun,
well the sun encourages everything to bloom and grow!
The first rhodies are blooming, and my one azalea is so covered with flowers
that is all you can see of it.
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Even though I cut rhubarb flowers, it keeps putting out more of them.
At least, they are unusual looking.
Blueberry and strawberry plants are booming with flowers. We can only hope the weather stays favorable, and the bird nets keep the pilfering in check.
Last photo above is rosemary, which I see in flower around town.
Such a sturdy and aromatic plant, how can one not love it?
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This has been one of the best tulip years I can remember. I like to think it is because I separated some of the larger ones and planted them all around the house. We have enjoyed tulips out of most every window.
White lilacs open their blossoms before the lavender or purple ones do.
These are my favorites, I love the sweet scent and only wish they lasted longer indoors.
For many years, I made hyacinth vases to sell before the holidays.
They always included a pre-chilled bulb, ready to be forced to bloom.
Of course, there were always left over bulbs (as I ordered in quantity),
that I kept planting in my gardens.
Most of the hyacinth bulbs live in my ‘flower jails’
to protect them from marauding deer and rabbits.
Every year the rabbits have chewed the flowers and leaves of the un-fenced bulbs in this bed. This is the first year in memory, the flowers have survived.
The rabbit population rises and falls annually, opposite that of the predators, usually coyotes, though there is the occasional bobcat or bear. Since hyacinths are blooming safely out of the fence, it lets me know to be aware the predator population is on the rise.
We’ve had rain and cold with very few hours of sun here and there.
This weather is making hyacinths slow to fully open, also the daffodils.
On the other hand, it is truly violets favorite weather, as they are thriving.
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Pale lavender windflowers, anemone blanda, growing at the base of a rose bush.
These flowers spread easily, and compliment the purple violets.
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Spinach planted last summer is now flowering.
The flowers look prettier than the leaves tasted.
I will try a spring or fall planting next try, the summer planting was strong tasting!
Why would only two crocus bulbs flower and all the other ones wait over a week to bloom?
This is not even the sunniest location.
After some days of rain, the sun has encouraged more crocus to break their dormancy, and greet the winter sun.
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A week later, after days of rain, the sun re-emerged.
These same crocuses (croci? I saw this plural someplace, did not make it up myself!) put out more blossoms.
A few more bulbs bloomed
And more are on the way
I found this post in my “Drafts” folder dated August 30, 2015. It was meant to be published then. The flower is still in the garden over a month later. Even though the fields are brown and dry, deer have not eaten it.
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It is exciting to me, as a gardener, when a plant I was sure died over the winter, shows up in bloom later in summer.
I am sure glad I did not mistake this emerging plant for an unwanted weed.
The teeny-tiny, one inch (2.5 cm) flower of verbena bonariensis, might be easy to miss, even though its stem is almost 3 feet (one meter) tall.
When this plant was purchased, I was sure it was a perennial. Not exactly.
It can return, but my winters are too cold (unless global warming keeps the mild winters around) for the plant to stay put.
It comes back by reseeding. Wind and birds determine just where it will show up. In fact, it can be invasive (that is a very nasty word for gardeners).
In my little corner of land, I am not concerned about it taking over, as it is barely surviving. I wouldn’t mind seeing a small patch of these cute purple blossoms in my flower bed.
At the end of May, when I had planted most of the vegetables in the garden, there was one bed still open. A hunt in my collection found flower seeds friends had shared with me from the last few years.
I planted 3 or 4 varieties of flower’s seeds, watered, and waited. And waited. The bed was still empty.
Finally, a few plants I could not identify came up. They didn’t look like anything I’d ever seen before. They tasted awful, so probably were not obscure salad greens.
It was September before the first orange flower bloomed. As we approach October, the end of the growing season, a day closer to the first freeze, this plant decides to “strut its stuff”.
For me, I am happy to see these yellow and orange daisies starting life, as the rest of the garden is fading away. I can only hope there is still time for these flowers to produce seeds for next year. Another wait and see period.
It has taken a number of attempts to get an acceptable photo of these teeny-tiny dill flowers. The leaves are feathery delicate and lightly aromatic.
This herb is short-lived, but easily reseeds itself. In the photo above is a late season seedling that emerged in a bed of turnips.
I have tried to preserve the leaves by freezing, but the results were just passable. Best used fresh, dill is delicious on a fresh (not frozen) salmon, or try it on other light-flavored fish.
susansflowers 