Five fall flowers for Friday
Purple coneflower
If you can call them fall flowers, it’s only because they’re still blooming after summer’s official end. Here in Austin, temperatures remain in the 90s, and many of the summer perennials act accordingly.
Echinacea hangs on.
As does yellow bells.
Yellow bells (Tecoma stans ) towers 8 feet tall over the trellis screen, with blue mistflower filling out below.
But the native aster (Aster oblongifolius ), a true fall flower, is bursting into bloom. How does it know the calendar says it’s fall, when the temperature is still so warm? It must respond to the shorter days. For that matter, so do I. The sun hangs lower in the morning, allowing me to spend more time in the garden before it gets uncomfortably hot.
But when will our first big cool front arrive? That’s what I’m waiting for.
Cool front? What’s that? No frost here yet. Highs in the mid-80s today.
That’s what we call it when cooler air from Canada finally pushes past the high pressure that parks over Texas all summer. When it finally blows in, it will lower temperatures from the 90s to the low 80s, dry out the humidity, and wash the sky bright blue. That’s when you know fall is coming to Austin. —Pam
So many lovely flowers. And still that warm. We’re satisfied with the 60F’s we’re getting nowadays. I do love your blog with your fantastic garden. Hope you have a great weekend.
Love Elzie
I would be quite satisfied with 60F too. Maybe next week it’ll cool off a bit. Thanks for saying hello, Elzie. I took a quick peek at your blog and love your charming house and garden. I’ll be back later. —Pam
I love seeing all of the wonderful plants in your garden that are JUST beyond my reach here in Denver (zone 5).
Lovely today but we’re expecting our first snow come Sunday morning. Time to dig out the frost blankets!
Wow, snow already? Is that unusual this early? I wish some of that cold air would head down to us, but I didn’t see it in the forecast. Thanks for stopping by. —Pam
The massed flowers of the Tecoma looks quite lovely. What a wonderful deep yellow. I love the colors of the aster too. Still about 10 degrees above normal here in NJ.
I just got back from Chicago, Ki, and it was hot up there until yesterday. There’s strange weather everywhere, it seems. —Pam
I was wondering about my asters as well, which are blooming their heads off now, right on cue, but the temperatures are still summer-like. It must be that they take their cues from the shorter days. The weatherman says it will be fall-like here on Thursday, but we until then we will have near record high temps this weekend.
Of course, I’m most attracted to those yellow bells because they wouldn’t make it my garden!
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
Naturally, Carol! 🙂
I hope you got your cooler weather earlier than Thursday. That is, unless you like it hot. —Pam
Your eye for color in the garden is unerring, Pam! Another gorgeous combination of the Yellow bells with the blue mistflower and the blue chair to complement it.
And the snow didn’t materialize, just a frost advisory for tonight.
My eye definitely isn’t unerring, Lost Roses. But I do get lucky sometimes. And when I do, I know enough to stop moving things around. Thanks for the nice compliment, though! —Pam
Erm Pam, the cool front is right over here. After a lovely sunny and warm weekend, the temperature is dropping. During the night it’s around 5 C (above freezing point still) and during the day around 15 C. How about I send you some cool and you can send me some hot weather? 😉 If only we could, how cool (or hot) would that be?
Love those pretty yellow bells, very cheerful!
If we could, YE, I’d send some heat your way first thing tomorrow. I just got home from Chicago, Illinois, where we endured a heat wave, and returned to more hot weather at home. While close-to-freezing nights sound a bit TOO chilly, I would gladly see temps knocked down about twenty degrees here. —Pam
Pam: Happy Belated Birthday! How fast they come and go now! Oh, you’re only 40! I was in the fetal position when I turned 40. I guess I had to much time on my hands. Now, not enough so I don’t worry about the age. Loved your grass post and this one as well! Thanks!
Ha! Thanks for all the good wishes, Layanee. It helps to have perspective on a new decade. Everyone seems to think this is a pretty good one, so I’m not worried at all. If you liked the grass post, watch for more pics soon from the prairie gardens in Chicago. —Pam
Gorgeous photos, particularly that lovely purple coneflower. Thanks for sharing! (And I share your longing for cooler weather. Here in south Alabama, I’m setting out broccoli in 90 degrees. Bring on Autumn!)
Hear, hear! Bring on Autumn! I hope we both get some cooler weather soon. Thanks for dropping by. —Pam
I am also waiting for the first cool day! Yellow Bells, I don’t have those I will have to invest in some, they look lovely and your Astors are fantastic!
Thanks, Kathleen. Here’s to cooler days and nippy nights! —Pam
Tonight should be in the sixties Pam – so your return can bring you cool air and the comforting enclosure of your small paradise. Hope all is well.
Annie
Ahhh, I’m going to enjoy the drier air that’s forecast this week. Thanks for the welcome back. —Pam
I do need to look into that native aster – what a great color!
Cooler air is arriving on our coast as I type this – a perfect weather weekend is ahead (high of 80, lows in the low 60s). Boy do I love Autumn down here (once I got over the whole fall color thing – we just have different color!).
We have drier air this weekend, too, and the skies are that deep Autumn blue. I hope you’re enjoying yours! —Pam
The native aster is beautiful…I need to find one of those…
Isn’t it nice? I have two, and they’re looking so gorgeous right now that I wish I could keep them blooming for weeks at a time. —Pam