Midwest Gardening: What's Blooming in Mid October 24

Midwest Gardening: What's Blooming in Mid October 24

Most photos taken the week of October 7th-10th. 

After an extremely wet summer up until September and SUPER HOT,  plants and flowers are actually happiest right now, mid October here in Chicagoland. It's been dry for at least 6 weeks, so watering has been a must.

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I did water these poor Coleus after this photo. 

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My planters under the back eave were magnificent, and are still blooming. White Caladiums (from tubers) and Coleus grown from seed. The Giant Coleus were huge this year, they loved the hot and wet climate we had. 

Impatiens are still prducing some flowers...waiting for frost to end that.

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Over three feet tall, these were gorgeous, no matter where I planted them.

Leaves are already dropping with the dry weather.

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The last pot was the thinnest, but it gets the most sun and wind in this location, probably the reason the plants were smaller.

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I got a second blooming on my 'grown from roots

 Delphinium. This plant will get transplanted next year. This is a fenced area is where I cater to root/tuber starts. 

Rich ground, a fence, and some serious shade actually helps to start new plants/tubers safe from critters.

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Water, water water is all we have done the last month.

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My annuals are still in bloom, Peppermint Zinnias, 4-foot tall Marigolds and lots of other colors of Zinnias. They were ALL really late this year. The Coreopsis are already done, and I have spread their seeds hoping for more next year.

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Zinnia pod, prime for picking for seeds. I select the bigger flowers and let them dry on the stem...then pluck and harvest seeds. 

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Zinnias are wonderful and prolific, also pretty hardy for light frost, perfect for our location.

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This is the second growth of Sage...IT"S VERY HAPPY this year. Lower right is Majoram, which I have to cut back several times in the summer or it will swallow the whole bed.

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Our garden is pretty much finished, but the carrots are super lush and thick. I have 4 varieties, anxious to see what they did. This area gets partial shade during the summer, so we will see.

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Behind the carrots is my ragtag Swiss Chard, hit or miss. 

My broccoli plants  performed ZIP, we had two scant meals. Between being chewed by critters and then attacked by bugs, they were a waste of space. Same for the Brussel Sprouts. I will try a different location next year.

I emptied all the fence and patio pots last week and dispersed the dirt to: the box in the greenhouse, permanent planters, or the compost pile. That's always a big job.  later I will mix in fertilizer and new or composted dirt to freshen the soil.

I had surgery on the 15th, so all this had to be at least under control before then.

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Such a jumble of half dead plantings, time to recycle the dirt. I will have hubby bury 6 pots of peppermint in a plastic bag in the compost pile. Saving me $$$$ in Spring when I restart them in the greenhouse. Leaving them in a bag, stops them from spreading where we don't want them. 

Peppermint is my Bee protection, as I am severely allergic. We keep Peppermint pots by the grill, the dining tables, the entrances to the house. That way they don't interfere with their busy bee pollination missions.

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Here's the back porch with all the potted Coleus and some peppermint, this is total shade here.

Jumping to October 18th, I walked around the backyard and took a few more photos for the next post.

Also have a Fall project....NEXT

DEPARTING LILIES! 

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 Sandi Magle

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What's Bloomin' in Midwest Gardening 2023

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Good Morning, first hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. We celebrated with family yesterday, and it was lovely in the low 70's and we even roasted marshmallows at dusk. 

But yesterday early, I ran around the yard and took some quick photos...of what is in bloom!

We are just budding out after a very late dreary Spring, and we are already in drought here, but everything is busting out with diligent watering. Portulaca or Moss Roses in a pot. A bit of this and that in the earn. The stars here are the Hosta bursting in this shade bed.

These I grew from rootings from Home depot 2 years ago...they are huge this year.

I had to support all my Iris, with the dry winds, so many tipped over and broke, they are in the house in vases. We will have a few more next week, I personally like the foliage as a great contrast against the brick.  Plant in lower left is a transplanted Phlox grown from a root start. Crossing my fingers. Newly purchased Shasta Daisy is just opening. I had a much lower budget this year, but we lost so many perennials with the freeze and thaw winter. So I moved a lot of things around, and did purchase a couple replacements.

This front bed has several types of Day Lilies, Boxwood and Iris in the back, and Sedums in the front row which are very drought tolerant.

Another gorgeous IRIS, this one soaked up the sun and no adjusting of the photo could bring out the details...so pretty and tall!

These are my favorite, classic Iris, I've long forgotten the varieties. 

Out on the mound near the street, nothing is blooming YET, except these little pom-pom perrennials I just planted. In two weeks there should be several plants flowering. I've given up planting annuals out here as it just bakes in the sun. Perennials have deeper root systems and seem to survive better. I did loose a Hydrangea, a Rose and something else, I have to look at notes here this year, sadly. 

Without our own greenhouse plants this year, I purchased only a few basics. I'm skipping the trailers this year. Hubby had to rebuild this box as another car backed into the structure and really did a number on it. 

No one ever stops, to say they are sorry or help with the damage. That's three times in two years!

I've planted here, but it will take awhile for any really photo worthy shots. I'm trying Dahlias I started in the house, but they were so spindly, I don't know what will come of them.

My big pot by the stairway holds a 4th year Hibiscus (branches) we wintered over in the garage which was kept at a 45 degrees and lights on. The first weekend we brought it out, it got frosted and all the leaves dropped off. I pruned it and watered it, and it's coming back with buds all along the branches...we will see what happens.

I had tried digging it out to pot and bring in the house, but the roots were so massive, we decided to try and keep it wintered in the garage. 

More Iris behind the pond. The rose had significant damage, and this creeping invasive vine...went bonkers this Spring. I have to get in there and hack this down and try some root poison.  (Not a green thing to do--but it clearly is way too happy now.)

It also climbed on our trellis and swallowed our already dying Clematis.

Here is the Rose damage here. It is coming back---I didn't trim it early so I could see what was really dead. Will get to this sometime this week. So much winter damage...the worst we've had--and a very mild winter, also. The yellow Barberry are very happy also...and will need to be thinned drastically--and they are very prickly! 

Happiest plant on our lot...this Viburnum, which we deeply  trimmed from the inside out last year...and it rewarded us with TONS of blooms. A new drain pipe is going into this boxed area and I think that accounts for everything looking better.

The porch is sparse for now---the planter on the table is for my D-inLaws Birthday.

We have two Manilla hanging in pots. I will have to remember to water them. If they don't grow much in a week,  I will move them into the sun.

My porch herbs are happy! All the usual suspects, Cilantro, Thyme, Basil, Rosemary, and Parsley. 

Not a flower...but definitely Bloomin' are our two  Rhubarb plants---I'm thinking Rhubarb jam, rhubarb pie, rhubarb bars, bread, muffins, pudding....etc. NUM!

Not much is blooming---except of course weeds, this of course is Dames Rocket or Silver Dollar plants. I don't mind a few and the flowers are quite pretty and even cut well for bouquets. 

Another plant, Baby Tears...which the mild winter has encouraged. I've been digging  up hunks of this and using in my pots. SO FREE PLANTS! YAY! 

This area had our rain barrel and a bush which was lost last year with all the construction on the roof. I usually have a huge pot of Impatiens and Coleus here,

 but not yet.

I"M SO, so, So, far behind!

I am slowly tying up all the daffodil greens to make room for other plants. Eventually they get cut. The greens need to help and store food to the corms. Of course Daffodils really don't need any help to thrive. Buy them once and you have a gazillion for life!

The Hollyhock bed is coming along. I planted new ones last year and some this year also that are supposed to bloom immediately. YES--that is still the tent full of contents of the basement disaster. 

We are still working on that!

Last place with anything flowering is this small shaded bed next to our storage shed.

I grow root perennials in here, usually. I moved everything out , but these two columbine which are so happy here, and put in lettuce seeds and lettuce plants. This area gets filtered light with some sun...perfect for tender plants and lettuce, oh I did plant some Wasabi Radishes in here, too. We will see, lol.

Oh and it is totally fenced...seems we have bunnies that like to eat everything!

I've totally forgotten what this blue is, but it's happy right here, lol. where nothing is. At one time I had copper leaf and lime Heuchera or Coral Bells here, only one of four have survived over the years.

Crappy soil and tree roots seem to be the blame. 

This Clematis got a new trellis last year, and seems to have survived, despite the new well pump put in a week ago and getting bent and pushed aside.  Honestly another almost 3K...I wish we had moved a couple of years ago, instead of having to replace everything AGAIN!

Yep---stay in your home---and eventually rebuild it. We've put more $$$$ into this house in the last year then we paid for it by almost 50K. Something comes to mind about pouring money into a never-ending hole...

a joke...

NOT REALLY!

Still plugging away here in the Midwest...

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW!?

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Midwest Gardening 2023: Finally getting ready to plant!

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Last Thursday I managed to get the front porch cleaned, all the 'started' plants outside, and the furniture and windows cleaned. 

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I purchased a few plants that I normally start---like herbs and a few flowers.

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Rosemary, Cilantro, Thyme...

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The Liatris bulbs (55) I think all must have sprouted. I put 2-3 in a 4" pot and they certainly have outgrown their containers. With icky weather looming, I chose to harden off these plants on the front porch, back in the shade of the overhang. 

The evening temps have been in the high forties, so that's perfect. Here they are protected from the wind and blazing sun if we have any.

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I did move this broccoli tray to the back porch to wait to go into the Vegetable Garden.

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My Giant Dahlias are almost to big to transplant, I will have to trellis them.

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The Elephant Ears are slowly turning their leaves---that is the last window I have to clean, when the plant gets moved. I really wish it wasn't raining today

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My very limited source of purchased plants. Sadly not using the greenhouse this year, is definitely crimping the budget.

The yard is quickly catching up on the late Spring. 

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Our Viburnum promises to explode as soon as the weather goes back to sun.

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Our Yellow Barberry has exploded---I will have to prune this back. The mild winter has helped some things for sure.

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The Iris are busy making leaves, not too many stalks yet though. 

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I think this is the fourth year for these Hostas, so I may have to divide them this Fall.

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This is our humongous Giant Hosta and it's so beautiful as it unfolds and grows so fast this time of year.

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I love this later variety of tulip that grows in our planter along the steps.

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On the back porch are my coleus which are so slow--planted in early February.

Peppers, Tomatoes and Liatris are ready to go---but the garden isn't tilled yet, 

WE ARE SO FAR BEHIND!

but, gorgeous weather forecasted for Monday planting!

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All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

Sandi