It’s the first Bloomin’ Tuesday of September. Can you believe that summer is pretty much over and another fall is about to begin? Not much to show this week. We were fortunate to get through Hurricane Earl unscathed with just some light winds and very little rain. It would of been nice to get a substantial amount that’s for sure.
Chelone 'Hot Lips' or Turtlehead
One of my favorite fall bloomers is this Turtlehead or Chelone lyonii. The pink blooms are a welcome addition to the shade garden. This is a plant that loves moisture, but it held up fine to the drought this summer. It requires light to partial shade. And unfortunately something has been chewing on the foliage. 😦
Rosa 'Morning Magic'
Rosa ‘Morning Magic’ is a climbing rose that I have planted on the arch that leads into my Arbor Garden. One of them is a year older and is about 4-4 1/2 feet tall. The other was planted this past spring and is still playing catch up at half this size. They are sporatic bloomers from May through fall.
Lirope muscari 'Variegata'
Another fall bloomer is the Lirope muscari in my shade garden. It will take a bit of sun, but I find it shines in the shade with this variegated foliage. The bonus every September is these deep purple stems topped with almost irridescent purple blooms. Then it gets these berries later on that give the plant even more fall interest. Hope everyone had a safe & happy LABOR DAY weekend. 🙂 To see more Bloomin’ Tuesday posts or to join in the fun this week please visit Ms Greenthumb.
Perennial Garden Lover 
Posted by Darla on September 7, 2010 at 6:30 am
The gardens are winding down….sigh…time for a break though, don’t you agree?
Actually it is time for a break especially after this long hot & dry summer. 🙂
Posted by Tatyana on September 7, 2010 at 8:05 am
Hi Racquel! Your fall blooms look very summery! For me, the fall is yellow/brown.
Thanks Tatyana. It will be a little bit until we get those kind of colors in the garden. 🙂
Posted by Susie on September 7, 2010 at 8:30 am
Glad to hear Earl didn’t do too much harm.
It’s hard to believe summer is almost over. After the last couple of “fallish” days we had this weekend, I’m ready.
Thanks Susie, me too! I know right, it seems like it was just May not too long ago. This summer flew on by. 🙂
Posted by Cameron (Defining Your Home) on September 7, 2010 at 8:58 am
Your chelone looks great! I couldn’t keep mine moist enough and shaded enough. Casualties last year, actually.
We didn’t get rain from Earl either. My son was in Virginia Beach for the weekend. His girlfriend was in a half marathon. He said it was beautiful weather. (He’s now back up north again.)
Sorry to hear that your Chelone was a casualty this summer Cameron. 😦 I was surprised how well mine did in this dry shade bed. The Pecan tree blocks light rains from benefitting the plants below. It has to rain hard to benefit this bed. Yep it would of been nice to at least get a substancial rainfall from Earl. Boo! Glad your son had a nice weekend in VA Beach. 🙂
Posted by Zoey on September 7, 2010 at 8:59 am
I am not too familar with turtle heads, but “Hot Lips’ looks very interesting. I have a lot of shade, so maybe I should look into those.
I really like the variagated foliage on the Lirope muscari. I always enjoy var. foliage in shade gardens.
This was a new addition two seasons ago. It’s nice to have something that blooms in Sept. when everything else is starting to wind down. Me too, variegated foliage really brightens up the dark corners of my shady beds. 🙂
Posted by tina on September 7, 2010 at 9:09 am
I find the season has passed way too fast. That turtlehead is surely a sign of the season!
Me too Tina, but I’m not missing the hot dog days of summer that’s for sure. Yep hooray for September bloomers! 🙂
Posted by Karen on September 7, 2010 at 9:48 am
I really like the chelone and the lirope muscari sounds like an all-around garden plant with four seasons of interest. Thank goodness the hurricane did no damage, that’s very good news!
Thanks Karen, they are both great plants for fall color. The Lirope looks pretty good all year long, maybe a bit ragged in the winter months though. Yep I feel quite blessed that we were spared from any damage. 🙂
Posted by skeeter on September 7, 2010 at 11:31 am
Am gald you missed the brunt of the storm! It must have been a bit scary to think of being over taken by Mother Nature. I know she can be brutal for sure…
I have a volunteer butterfly weed that keeps returning larger and larger each year! I have spread the seeds she provides in hopes of more weeds but thus far, no new plants. I normally get aphids on them each year but this year, they never appeared. Hum, wonder why not?
Your hubby is ever so sweet to bring you flowers “Just because” My hubby would never do that as my indoor cats and flowers dont mix. He could bring me home a yard plant occasionally though 🙂 He has done that in the past so I cannot complain about lack of them often enough.
Yes I am quite grateful that Mother Nature gave us a reprieve from Earl. It could of been quite bad considering how powerful this storm turned out to be. Sorry to hear that your Butterfly Weed seeds haven’t happily germinated all over your garden. I’ve never tried it from seed so I don’t know what to tell you on that. I was quite surprised when he brought me this bouquet, it’s been some time since he got me flowers ‘Just Because…’. 🙂
Posted by Sherry on September 7, 2010 at 11:50 am
I didn’t get out much this long weekend to see what is blooming this first Tuesday in September. I will check things out in the next few days. Thanks for the inspiration! So glad the hurricane didn’t cause you and problems.
Hopefully you find many new surprises waiting for you in the garden Sherry. 🙂 You are quite welcome. Thanks I am happy that it didn’t cause any problems too.
Posted by rain barrels on September 7, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Our varigated liropes have bloomed all summer, despite the oppressive heat and sunshine. They are amazing little plants. We keep them in the shade too, but they get a little morning sun which perhaps proved to be the recipe that kept them blooming.
Really? Mine usually don’t bloom until late summer-early fall every year. I have some that get more sun than others. They do good in both sun & shade from my experience. 🙂
Posted by Jean on September 7, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Glad you were safe from Earl. I just got a lirope plant but haven’t planted it yet. Love the soft color of the rose and turtlehead. Jean
Thanks Jean, we are glad too. I think you will enjoy the Lirope, did you get the variegated type? 🙂
Posted by Shannon Olson on September 8, 2010 at 12:42 am
Lovely flowers, I haven’t grown Lirope……. And yep September is here. Soon our only blooms will be the colored leaves!
Thanks Shannon. It’s a no-brainer type of plant. You don’t do anything except plant and trim it back come spring. I know right? I’m looking forward to the cooler temps of fall. 🙂
Posted by Rosemary on September 8, 2010 at 6:29 am
Wonderful photos. Had not seen the lovely Rose. I am looking for a rose to cover an arbour and this one looks like it would be perfect.
Oh this is a wonderful climbing rose for an arbor. I like the color, and it has a pretty scent. 🙂
Posted by radha on September 8, 2010 at 10:04 am
The Lirope muscari looks a lot like the matchstick plant seen in India. Is it the same?
Nope I googled it online and they are totally different plants. 🙂