Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, October 2009

It's definitely autumn now, and most of the flowering plants are either finished or on their last legs. Here are the brave hangers-on: Antirrhinum majus (snapdragon, muflier) volunteers in the front garden.

Chrysanthemum sp. (chrysanthème), courtesy of my landlord.

Helianthus annuus (sunflower, tournesol) volunteer.

Impatiens walleriana 'Accent Lavender Blue' (impatience).

Lobularia maritima (alyssum, alysse odorante), volunteer offspring of 'Rosie O'Day'.

Cynoglossum sp. (forget-me-not, souvenez-vous-de-moi).

Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan, rudbeckie dressée).

Sutera cordata (bacopa, bacopa) volunteer in the Sedum spurium (rock cress, orpin bâtard).

And here are some plants that are not blooming now but are looking pretty:

Heuchera 'Bressingham Hybrid' (coral bells, heuchère).

Solidago canadensis (Canada goldenrod, verge d'or du Canada).

Tiarella cordifolia (foamflower, tiarelle cordifoliée).

Waldsteinia fragaroides (barren strawberry, waldsteinie faux-fraisier).

Visit May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming in gardens around the world!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, August 2009

In August, the garden is overflowing with flowers! This Bloom Day most of my photos came out too badly to post; I find the current bright bright sunlight difficult to photograph in. I've linked to previous posts of these flowers where possible. In any case this month's Bloom Day is a lot like last month's, but the daylilies, Venus flytrap, butterfly weed, and liatris have gone, and the rose of Sharon has just started doing her thing.

• Acalypha rhomboidea (three-seed mercury, ricinelle rhomboïde)
• Amaranthus tuberculatus (rough-fruit amaranth, je ne peux pas trouver le nom commun en français)
• Antirrhinum majus (snapdragon, gueule de loup
• Calibrachoa (million bells)
• Campanula rapunculoides (creepycreeping bellflower, campanule fausse raiponce) (almost done blooming)
• Conyza canadensis (horseweed, vergerette du Canada)
• Dianthus chinensis 'Double Gaiety Mix' (China pinks, œillet de Chine)
• Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower, echinacée pourpre)
• Erigeron annuus (eastern daisy fleabane, érig&eaucte;ron annuelle) (mostly done blooming)
• Fuchsia
• Helianthus annuus (sunflower, tournesol)
• Heliotropium arborescens (heliotrope, héliotrope du Pérou)
• Hibiscus syriacus (rose of Sharon, althéa)
• Hosta (almost done blooming)
• Impatiens walleriana 'Accent Lavender Blue'
• Lathyrus odoratus 'Royal Family Mix'
• Lilium 'Dot Com'
• Lobularia maritima (alyssum, alysson)
• Mentha sp. (mint, menthe)
• Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline' (almost done blooming)
• Myosotis sp. (forget-me-not, souvenez-vous-de-moi) (almost done blooming)
• Nepeta cataria (catnip, cataire) (just getting started)
• Nicotiana 'Perfume Mix' (flowering tobacco, tabac d'ornement)
• Oxalis stricta (wood sorrel, oxalide)
• Petunia 'Cascadia Mystic Purple' (shown), 'Sanguna Lavender Vein', 'Famous New White', and unknown cultivars in light pink, bright pink, and dark purple
• Polygonum lapathifolium (pale smartweed, renouée à feuilles de patience)
• Primula vulgaris (primrose, primevère)
• Reseda odorata 'Mignon's Finest Mix'
• Rudbeckia hirta
• Solanum ptycanthum
• Solidago canadensis (Canada goldenrod, verge d'or du Canada (just getting started)
• Tagetes tenuifolia 'Lulu'
• Tropaeolum majus 'Jewel Mix' (nasturtium, capucine)
• Viola x wittrockiana 'Delta Pure Rose'
• Zinnia elegans 'Polar Bear'

Check out what's blooming in other gardens this Bloom Day! And thanks to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for hosting.

Sunflowers! (Helianthus annuus and H. tuberosus

The volunteer sunflower (H. annuus) is in full bloom, and I'm happy to see it's yellow, not that disappointing brownish orange like the 'Velvet Queen' I had last year (which was supposed to be red).

We also have native perennial sunflowers in the garden, probably Jerusalem artichoke (H. tuberosus). I'm not sure, but I think this is just one plant! It grows over 2 metres tall, and has small (for a sunflower) yellow flowers in the autumn. The roots are massive tubers, which are apparently edible, though I haven't tried it.

Helianthus annuus 'Velvet Queen': flower

Helianthus annuus, known in English as sunflower and in French as tournesol or grand soleil, is an annual native to the United States. As well as the famous very tall, very large, single yellow variety, there are dwarf varieties, and cultivars in cream, light yellow, orange, and rust. Pollen-less cultivars have been created for use as cutflowers, but for wildlife the pollen-bearing varieties are more appealing, as a source not only of pollon but seeds. The cultivar shown, 'Velvet Queen', is widely advertised with misleadingly red (Photoshopped?) images. It looks more rust-coloured to me.