It's Bloom Day again. Because this Autumn had been so warm, there are still a few things blooming here at Squirrelhaven. Down to the last few blossoms are:
an Aster tartaricus that I recently moved, the Labrador violet (Viola labridorica) which had its main flush in Spring,
Phlox maculata 'Natasha,' a Monkshood,
surprisingly, this Osteospermum in a pot, and a pink Lamium, combining well with the foliage of Ceratostigma plumbaginoides.
There's even a bud on Campanula 'Sarastro.'
The amazing display by Anemone 'Andrea Atkinson' is also finally winding down, with just a few new blooms left.
These plants have been blooming continuously since August. But they are far from being the winner in the long-blooming sweepstakes here. That award has yet to be determined, as the two front-runners,
Geranium nodosum 'Svelte Lilac' and
Malva zebrinus are still producing buds and show no sign of stopping yet. The Geranium has been blooming since the middle of May, while the Malva didn't start until June, so what happens in the next couple of weeks could be decisive.
I don't know whether this will be my last entry in Bloom Day for the season; I just noticed that some Galanthus elwesii are sprouting.
