Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - September 2014

Bees on nameless aster

Welcome to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for September 2014.

Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, I don't need to look back at past bloom day posts to know this is one of the best growing seasons we've had in some time.

I know it, the flowers know it, the lawn knows it and the bees and butterflies know it.  We've been blessed with rain throughout the summer and the fall garden has never looked so fresh.

When it comes to September blooms, I learned along the way that we must choose late blooming plants on purpose if we are to have new blooms this time of year.

Otherwise we have to make do with floral flotsam left over from summer.

Here in my garden, the first of the asters, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, are beginning to bloom.  (Let's call them asters even though the botanists changed their name. Okay?)

The aster above is a nameless passalong just beginning to bloom. Behind it, are even more passalong asters which won't really reach peak bloom until the end of the month, around the feast day of St. Michael the Archangel.

Michaelmas daisies are just beginning to bloom

Their bloom time is one of the reasons some gardeners call them Michaelmas daisies. Once their flowers open, bees and butterflies will flock to the blooms grabbing all the pollen they can before the first frost.

On the other side of the garden, another aster, 'Alma Potschke' is in full bloom.

Aster 'Alma Potschke'

Those flowers really are that bright.  The bees have no trouble finding it, or the nearby goldenrod, Solidago shortii 'Solar Cascade' and another aster, 'Purple Dome'.

Aster 'Purple Dome with Solidago shortii 'Solar Cascade'

 The bees are also flocking to the tall sedums, Sedum telphinum 'Autumn Joy'.

Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

If being around so many bees makes you nervous, then let's go sit quietly in the garden in an area where bees are less likely to congregate.

Seating in the garden

Or maybe not.  With the butterfly bush, Buddleia sp. blooming there, along with some lavender between the two chairs, we are likely to encounter bees here, too, along with some butterflies.

Instead, let's go up to the patio and look across the garden and admire all the green.

Green as green gets in September

There are other blooms to see, like Colchicums and toad lilies, but I think we'll look at those some other day.

What's blooming in your garden on this lovely day in mid-September?   Join us for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and share with us what's blooming in your garden.

It's easy to participate. Post on your blog about your blooms on the 15th of the month, then leave a comment below to tell us about your blooms and add a link on the Mr. Linky widget so we can find you. If you have any problems with the links or commenting, shoot me an email, and I'll help however I can.

As Elizabeth Lawrence once wrote, "We can have flowers nearly every month of the year."