Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, November 2009

Here in Toronto, there isn't much blooming; in fact, I was surprised to find as many blooms as I did. Interestingly, they're all volunteers except for the chrysanthemums.

Antirrhinum majus (snapdragon, muflier). I'm not sure where these snapdragons blew in from, since we didn't plant them last year either. I'm planning to let them self-sow.

Chrysanthemum sp. (chrysanthème). The mums aren't as pretty as they were last month, but they still have lasted a very long time.

Erigeron annuus (daisy fleabane, vergerette annuelle). I was surprised to see daisy fleabane blooming at this time of year; it mostly blooms in early summer.

Lobularia maritima (alyssum, alysse odorante). I love the way this alyssum volunteers in a crack in the driveway. I may deliberately sow some in cracks next year.

Lobularia maritima (alyssum, alysse odorante). More alyssum. I must plant more of this next year, it has such a long blooming season, smells lovely, and pollinators love it! Stokes has some interesting colours you don't usually see in alyssums.

Petunia. I can't believe this petunia is still blooming, it lost its leaves ages ago and looked so nearly dead my landlords dumped it out of its hanging basket. Here it is sitting in a clump of dried up soil in November, and it's still blooming.

Sutera cordata (bacopa, sutera cordée). This was a pleasant surprise volunteer. I may plant some deliberately next year. It really needs to be started early indoors; this plant didn't bloom until autumn.

Check out what's blooming in gardens around the world this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Thanks to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for hosting!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, July 2009

I've been so busy with summer fun (went to Ontario Place yesterday!) that I almost forgot today was Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

First, my beloved natives:

Monarda didyma (bee balm, monarde) is one of my favourites. Such a pretty shade of red!
The Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed, asclépiade tubéreuse) is getting huge! Hard to believe that a couple of years ago it was a single stem, about 20 cm tall, with no blooms.

Liatris spicata (blazing star, liatride à épis) is just starting to bloom.

The Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckie dréssé) has opened a few tentative blooms. It will be smothered for next GBBD, I'm sure!

Next: the new and exciting!

I wasn't expecting the Dionaea muscipula (Venus fly-trap, dionée attrape-mouche) to bloom! (I've already killed two of these.) I think it's very happy to be out in the sunshine with lots of bugs. According to carnivorous plant expert Barry Rice, you shouldn't let your Venus fly-trap flower. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it was sending up a flowering stalk until it was too late (okay, I admit, I also wanted to see the flowers). Recently it tried making a second flower stalk but I nipped it in the bud like a good gardener.

The Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower, echinacée pourpre) is just starting to turn pink.

Not exactly new, or even a bloom, but too pretty to leave out: Athyrium niponicum var. pictum 'Applecourt' (Japanese painted fern, fougère peinte). Earlier this summer it was struggling, I guess due to transplant stress, but it seems to be on the mend.

The hostas (cultivar unknown) are in full bloom now! Of course the flowers cannot compete with the gorgeous foliage.

I believe this is Campanula rapunculoides (creeping bellflower, campanule fausse raiponce), which is unfortunately rather invasive in southern Ontario. I'll be deadheading this religiously; I can't remove it completely because my landlords' son is attached to it.

Hemerocalis fulva (orange daylily, lis d'un jour fauve) is another invasive my landlords' son won't part with. Here it's growing with native Erigeron annuus (daisy fleabane, érigéron annuelle).

This Helianthus annuus (sunflower, tournesol) was a volunteer. The parents were probably 'Velvet Queen' and 'Autumn Beauty'.

The Dianthus chinensis 'Double Gaiety Mix' (China pinks, œillets de Chine) which I started from seed in March is in full bloom now.

This Mentha (mint, menthe, don't know the species) grows like a weed in our garden— indeed, when we moved in, we practically had a mint lawn! I never noticed before how fluffy their flower spikes are.

Lastly, the old standbys:
The Viola x wittrockiana 'Delta Pure Rose' (pansy, pensée) is still soldiering on despite the hotter weather.

The planter my landlords' son put together is filling out nicely. It's dominated by Petunia 'Sanguna Lavender Vein', the dark purple, pink, and 'Famous White' petunias are apparently not nearly as vigorous. The fuchsia also seems to be flourishing.

The calibrachoas are still going strong. The basket with bright pink petunias and verbenas, on the other hand, is petering out, so I didn't even bother photographing it this month.

Tagetes tenuifolia 'Lulu' (signet marigold, tagète tachée) just keeps getting better. This is the most successful plant I've grown from seed this year.

Only one of the seeds of Nicotiana hybrid 'Perfume Mix' (flowering tobacco, tabac d'ornement) grew and survived to bloom. The flowers are okay but not terrific, and are not especially fragrant. I don't think I'll bother with these in the future.

Lastly, the mystery Sedum that the landlords' kids and I rescued from a garden down the street (the new owner replaced it with a lawn) is growing like a weed and blooming for the first time!

Erigeron annuus

Erigeron annuus, known in English as "eastern daisy fleabane" or "annual fleabane" and in French as érigéron annuelle or vergerette annuelle, is an annual native to most of North America. The small (about 2 cm) flowers smell like honey similar to alyssum (Lobularia maritima) but not as strong.

I think that the dainty daisy fleabane looks best en masse, forming a sweet-scented cloud of blossoms.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, June 2009

It's time for another Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens.

I'm still feeling like not enough is in bloom yet. I was pleasantly surprised when I counted how many different kinds of blooms there actually are. Paeonia lactiflora has just started blooming in the front garden.

A recent acquisition for the front garden: Impatiens walleriana 'Accent Lavender Blue'.

The Primula hybrida that my landlord got as a potted plant early in the spring has started forgiving me for transplanting it for the garden. I wasn't expecting any more blooms until next year.

Last year's Allium roseum came back. I'm not sure what the pink buds in the background are. It looks like a snapdragon but if so I don't know where it could have come from.

The bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) is on its way out, alas.

This year my landlord chose a rainbow of Calibrachoa for the front urn.

I love pink(ish) pansies. This one is Viola x wittrockiana 'Delta Pure Rose'.

My landlord gets bright pink petunias every year. This year they share their basket with white verbena.

My landlord's son chose these pretty light pink petunias for the half barrel planter.

The light pink petunias share their planter with this pretty lavender variety... ('Saguna Lavender Vein')

...and these white petunias ('Famous New White'). I must remember to check if they're fragrant.

The marigolds I started from seed are thriving! (Tagetes tenuifolia 'Lulu'.)

I've been meaning to acquire this pretty native, Anemone canadensis, for a while. What a delight to find it volunteering in the garden!

The annual dianthus I started from seed has just started blooming. (Dianthus chinensis 'Double Gaiety Mix'.)

My son wanted this snapdragon because he loves making the flowers open their "mouths". (Antirrhinum majus 'Montego Scarlet'.)

The aquilegia is winding down. I'm looking forward to lots of seeds.

Another native volunteer just started blooming today! (Erigeron annuus).

I sowed a whole packet of phacelia seeds but I seem to have only one plant, which also bloomed for the first time today. (Phacelia parryi 'Royal Admiral'.)

I really lucked out with the volunteer violas this year; I love the colours.

This is the first time I've ever grown mignonette, a plant I had never seen in real life but which is supposed to be deliciously fragrant. It has started blooming, and I cannot smell it at all, nor can anyone else I've asked. Maybe it will acquire a scent when it's more mature? (Reseda odorata 'Mignon Finest Mix'.)