Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - September 2014

Well here we are at the very end of the summer and it seems to me that someone put this year on fast forward.  We've had a heck of a summer here with lots of challenges including a microburst from a severe thunderstorm on Sept. 9 that blew down a hundred plus foot white pine tree that smashed across my gardens, patio and onto the roof of the house. We've been dealing with two different tree services, a contractor for the house repairs, the roofer and siding person as well as the insurance adjuster and on and on.... I'll do a post with every gardener's worst nightmare pictures later. 

So again it is bloom day and this is the first 'normal' thing I've done in the gardens since the tree hit the house. It really was therapeutic to get outside with my camera and look for the beauty still here in the late summer gardens.  Lots of annuals, and my shrub border on the street has lots of interest for September. I'm loving it!  As always, thanks to Carol from May Dreams Gardens for hosting our monthly bloom fest.

 

 

Love Those Bromeliads

What is it about we gardeners that when we see a plant we really love, the next thing you know we've got two hundred of them???? (or around three hundred fifty or so as is the case with my bromeliads)  Or is it just me? I really don't think so as I've seen a lot of beautiful and very large collections of all sorts of plants on people's blogs. Anyway, my most recent obsession is bromeliads. I absolutely adore them. They come in all different sizes, colors and patterns and are easy peasy to take care of.  Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how much room a gardener has, they grow, bloom and send out pups like agaves. So, I now have multiples of just about everything, they are all growing to adulthood and it's time to bring things indoors and also time to thin out my collection.  I'm  going to have to sell or give away about half my bromeliads this fall but that's OK as because that will make room for new cultivars that I just can't live without. (I'm hopeless)

My brother built me these steps so I can display the broms on the deck to the patio. The light there is particularly good for the vrieseas

VRIESEA 'Splenriet'

Vriesea 'Hilo Rainbow'

Vriesea 'Snows of 'Mauna Kea'

Vriesea 'Ku'ulei' x (Fost. Select x 'Hilo Rainbow')

Vriesea 'Sherlette 'Shiigi'

Neoregelia  hybrid (can't find the tag at the moment)   Neoregelia 'Hannibal Lecter'

A collection of spotted Neoregelia

Vriesea 'Hieroglyphica'

Love this 'beast' of an Aechmea blanchetiana (yes I know I've shown this one before but it deserves multiple views)

The diminutive Neoregelia 'Donger' at the base of the fuchsia

The bromeliad 'tree' I put together a couple years ago. I'm going to have to dismantle it this fall

Neoregelia correia-araujoi albomaginata

Love how this Neoregelia provides great contrast in form and texture in this grouping

A grouping of bromeliads around a few container arrangements.  I've even added a Neoregelia 'Purple Star' to the large urn.