What’s in bloom in October?

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What's in bloom in October? Frankly ...it's not enough compared to the autumn flowering plants featured in 2011 and 2010. I think Autumn arrived quicker this year in the Leavesnbloom garden. While the early frosts seem to have been much more intense.

 

Odd flowers dot around our garden or lie prostate on the soil like the colchicums but most of the blooms that have any impact in the borders are from the Rudbeckia, Sedums, Hydrangea 'Limelight' and the few late flowering Asters that missed the early frosts. The rest of the colour is from the foliage frenzy along with the fruits from the crabapples and cotoneaster though they are smaller and less in number compared to last year.

Here are a few of my favourites for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day that I quickly shot on Sunday and you can read more about the Scottish hardiness ratings alongside each plant.
 

What's in bloom in October?

 

Fothergilla 'Blue Shadow' H4
Fothergilla gardenii  'Blue Shadow' H4
Prunus incisa 'Kojo-no-mai ' H5
Prunus incisa  'Kojo-no-mai ' H5
Sedum spectabile 'Purple Emperor' H4
What's in bloom in October? - Sedum spectabile 'Purple Emperor' H4
Cotoneaster horizontalis H5
Cotoneaster horizontalis H5
Deciduous Azalea R. Luteum H5
Deciduous Azalea R. Luteum H5 - great for cold inland Scottish gardens
Phormium cookianum 'Jester' H3 & Berberis 'Admiration' H4
Phormium cookianum 'Jester' H3 & Berberis 'Admiration' H4
Sedum spectabile 'Autumn Joy' H5
What's in bloom in October? - Sedum spectabile 'Autumn Joy' H5
Enkianthus campanulatus H5
Enkianthus campanulatus H5
Acer griseum - Paper Bark Maple H5
Acer griseum - Paper Bark Maple H5

There's the distinct salmon colour theme running through these photos today don't you think?


wild scottish salmon leaping on River Almond Perthshire
Two wild Scottish salmon leaping

Wild Scottish Salmon Leaping

 

If you want to see the real thing then this week will probably be a good time to see the wild salmon leaping here in Perthshire, Scotland.  On Saturday afternoon we went out along the river to watch them as they had been stranded in the River Tay until the heavy rains on Friday raised the river levels.

 

They were leaping in ones, twos, threes and sometimes in fours. We lost count of the leaps but in 1.5 hours we must have seen about 60-70 plus attempts to leap at the weir. If I'd brought my wellingtons I would have been able to get into the part of the river where the bailiffs dog was ...he sure had fun and we had as much fun watching him.

Follow Rosie Nixon:

Photography Tutor and Gardener

Rosie is a garden photographer, writer and nature lover. She enjoys soaking up nature and is easily distracted from doing the weeding by anything that flutters, flies, buzzes, creeps or crawls! She enjoys sharing the beauty of creation through her photography. Rosie has been featured on TV on BBC2's The Beechgrove Garden and she uses the outdoors as her natural light studio. Her work can be seen at one of Scotland's only photography galleries - Close Gallery, 4b Howe Street, Edinburgh.

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11 Responses

  1. Mark and Gaz

    Thanks for sharing these fab blooms Rosie! There seems to be a lot more pants in blooms in gardens for the time of the year this year, compared to previous ones.

  2. Andrea

    Hi Rosie, i have not been visiting here for the past 2 weeks. I pity the salmon, i bet they get a lot of weight in that return trip to spawn. I wonder if some gets killed on accidents leaping many times upstream, oh how so sad! This is a wonderful photo because most especially the presence of the dog which provided more drama!

  3. Anna

    Enjoyed your October blooms Rosie – all pretty in pink. We have even had light frost here on the Mersey estuary,which is quite unusual as most years we get though to November without frost.

  4. Melanie J Watts

    I love to watch salmon jumping too. Great mood in your photos. Fits the faded nature of the season, before the death of winter. We've had lots of frost and even a couple of temporary snowfalls. But the forecast is for minus eight and snow by the weekend…

  5. Cassie

    Rosie, Seems that we, in farrr North Idaho have had similar weather to you there in Scotland. Early frosts in September, so leaves and pine needles all over the place here! I think it's going to be a very cold winter this year. BTW, your photos are lovely! Have a great weekend.

  6. Wife, Mother, Gardener

    Our weather has been much colder this year than last year… perhaps that is the case for you too?

    Your foliage is looking very nice! I am looking forward to my fothergilla coloring this year.
    ~Julie

  7. Alistair

    Enjoyed the shots of the foliage in your garden Rosie. I had just been thinking that there were less blooms in our garden this year compared to the same time last year. Loved your pictures of the leaping Salmon.

  8. Jayne

    I enjoyed seeing your October blooms Rosie. The photos of the leaping salmon are amazing! I bet that dog had fun!

  9. Richard Havenga

    Rosie:

    I always enjoy the monthly reports from your perennial garden. I especially like the Cotoneaster and Sedums; which I grow here in my Michigan garden. Thanks for your nice photographs.

    Richard

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