What a difference a month makes. A warm November and a later-than-expected frost (for zone 6b) combined for some fabulous blooms. But now, the cold December weather has set in and almost all the blooms are gone. Alas, I was able to find at least a few to share with all of you.
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A snowdrop in the Front Border
A final rosebud on Goldberry Hill
Autumn cherry in the Walled Garden
Forsythia in the Walled Garden
Category: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day
Autumn Beauty: Excellenz von Schubert
As a follow-up to my October Bloom Day post on roses, my roses were still blooming well into November. Last month, I somehow left out Excellence von Schubert, so here you go.
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day November 2008 – More Blooms Than I Ever Expected
Well, I still thankfully have yet to experience my first frost of the season, so my zone 6b garden has more blooms than I would normally expect for this time of year. Given my prior bloom days posts for September featuring dahlias and October featuring roses, I’m going to focus on other blooms–annuals, perennials and one flowering tree–though both dahlias and roses are also continuing to bloom. Check out what is blooming in other bloggers‘ gardens over at May Dreams Gardens.
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One of my favorite clematis, ‘Venusa Violacea‘ in the Cutting Garden.
Nicotiana in the entrance to the Bird Garden. 
Autumn Cherry in the Walled Garden (more pictures and information here).
Petunia in a container in the Bird Garden.
Brown Eyed Susans continue to bloom from August until the frost in the Front Border. As a cut flower, it lasts for over a week in a vase.
Japanese Anemone in the Front Border. The white was so bright it took me several attempts to get this picture.
Self seeding Cleome or Spider Flower are all over the garden. This one is in the Walled Garden.
Mexican Sunflower in the Children’s Garden.
Verbena bonariensis in the raised vegetable beds in the Children’s Garden.
Globe Thistle on Lilac Hill.
Mexican Bush Sage – Salvia leucantha outside the Children’s Garden.
Chrysanthemum on the edge of the Rose Garden.
Nasturtium trailing from a container on the deck.
Petunia in a container on the deck.
Salvia elegans in a large pot on the deck.
Asclepias curassavica–annual Butterfly Weed–at the entrance to the Bird Garden.
Salvia farinacea outside the Bird Garden.
Geranium ‘Roxanne’ is everywhere in the garden. It’s one of the most useful edging plants I know. This one is in the Long Border. 
Salvia guaranitica grows in many places. It acts like a screen in the Egg Garden and elsewhere it’s a wonderful hummingbird attractant. This one is in the Children’s Garden.
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day: Autumn Blooming Roses in New Jersey
It’s time again for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day at May Dreams Gardens: yes, it’s October and spring bulb planting and autumn cleanup has begun, but some of the roses are still blooming. While less numerous than the blooms of May-June, the autumn roses are especially welcome for their deeper colors that come from the cooler weather.
Dortmund on the arbor in the Cutting Garden
Roulette in the Egg Garden
Penelope in the Rose Garden
Fairy in the Egg Garden
Thomas Affleck in the Children’s Garden
Graham Thomas in the Cutting Garden
Heritage in the Children’s Garden
Cecil Brunner on Goldberry Hill
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day: Dahlias in New Jersey – September 2008
For the September 2008 Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, I’m sharing with all of you one of my favorite late summer/autumn flowers–dahlias (another favorite are the sunflowers that I recently posted about).
I plant the dahlia tubers in the spring and watch them grow, grow, grow. The tallest grow to be over six feet tall. They are the perfect cutting flower: the more flowers you cut, the more they bloom. I plant them throughout my garden–throughout the mixed borders, in the Rose Garden, in the Cutting Garden, in the Children’s Garden, really everywhere. At the end of the season, I dig up the tubers and over-winter them in my basement.
The varieties you see here are from Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, Old House Gardens, and Plant Delights. I am particularly fond of the dark-colored ones.
Check out all of the Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day posts at May Dreams Gardens.
Arab Queen.
Arabian Knight.
David Howard.
I forget.
Betty Anne.
Giraffe.
Old Gold.
I forget.
Prince Noir.
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day August 2008 – My Collection of Fragrant Phlox
In anticipation of Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day on May Dreams Gardens tomorrow, here are some of the phlox that have been blooming throughout my garden over the last few weeks. Most are heirloom, some are new, and almost all of them are fragrant.
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day: Hydrangeas in New Jersey (Zone 6b)
In anticipation of Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day on May Dreams Gardens tomorrow, here are some of the hydrangeas blooming in my garden right now.
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – June 2008 (New Jersey): Roses, Eryngium, Linaria, and More
Here are some highlights from my garden for Carol’s Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day June 2008:
Star of the Republic is a wonderful rose introduced by Antique Rose Emporium. I usually do not like roses with apricot tones in them, but this one is beautiful. In addition, it blooms generously, is very disease resistant, and grows easily. She is planted in the triangle garden.
An eryngium in the Front Border.
Russell’s Cottage Rose is loaded with blooms that turn from deep pink to white as they age. Within each cluster of blooms you can often see a great variety of colors. This trait is quite common in the rosa multiflora hybrids. This along with their smooth canes makes multiflora hybrids my favorite climbers. She is planted in the Rose Garden.
Lunaria is one of my favorite edgers. The upward spikes add verticals to the garden and the soft colors compliment anything. 
Clematis Julia Correvon with Dortmund.
Violetta and Penelope grow together on an oblesk in the Rose Garden. 
Sea kale is a perennial vegetable that makes a wonderful impact in the garden. It’s flowers reminds one of baby’s brath.
The Apothocary Rose is one of the last old roses to come into bloom. I love the clear pink and light fragrance of the flower. The simplicity of the flower is beautiful also. 
A shot of Goldberry Hill: catmint, foxgloves, roses, and spirea.Damask rose Celsiana.
Poppy Lauren’s Grape edges the pebble path in the Egg Garden.
Poppy Lauren’s Grape edges the pebble path in the Egg Garden.Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – May 2008: Roses, Daffodils, Peonies, Lilacs, Irises, Alliums, and Mountain Bluet in New Jersey (zone 6b)
May and June are probably my favorite garden months. I love how they hint at the abundance to come in late summer, not to mention the old fashioned roses are blooming then. Here are just some of the highlights for May’s bloom day (double click on any image for the full picture).
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Frau Dagmar Hastrup, and then Rouletti, are my first roses of the season. Frau Dagmar is wonderful for its heavy scent and continuous bloom. ~
Rouletti has a light scent, but it is just as generous with its bloom.~
My last daffodils to open are the Peasant Eye. Sadly, they signal the end of daffodil season. These too are fragrant.~
This tree peony is young, so I only get a few blooms, but they are spectacular. Each bloom is about eight inches across. The tree peonies have been holding their blooms surprisingly well this season despite the rain.
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With huge blooms this wonderfully fragrant lilac, Nadezhda, is a highlight of the lilac season.
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Camassias and irises blooming in the Triangle Garden.
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I love the purple allium aflatunenses. These have self seeded throughout the front garden.
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This tree peony is young, so I only get a few blooms, but they are spectacular. Each bloom is about eight inches across. The tree peonies have been holding their blooms surprisingly well this season despite the rain.~
With huge blooms this wonderfully fragrant lilac, Nadezhda, is a highlight of the lilac season.~
Camassias and irises blooming in the Triangle Garden.~
I love the purple allium aflatunenses. These have self seeded throughout the front garden.~
Mountain bluet spreads and is unassuming, but I love the almost irredescent blue of its flowers and its long bloom period.~
The jack in the pulpits in my garden, I never remember planting. I don’t know if I did, or did they just appear?
The jack in the pulpits in my garden, I never remember planting. I don’t know if I did, or did they just appear?~
Heirloom Gardener 
