What's in Bloom at the End of October in Paso Robles?

There's a Lot of Color on the Central Coast in October

Over the weekend I walked to the mailbox a block away with my camera to see what was blooming in my neighborhood. I will share what I saw with you here.  I made sure to walk past the home of my favorite neighborhood gardener, and I wasn't disappointed. This bougainvillea's bright color immediately got my attention. At the very back you can almost see one of the pots containing a yellow pansy in bloom.

Bougainvillea in October, © B. Radisavljevic

I'm not familiar with the purple flowering shrub in the photo below. It's from the same yard. I do recognize the roses surrounding it and the white scabiosa (pincushion flower) in front of it. I'm also not sure of the red flowers next to the wall. Whatever their names, you have to admit this is a colorful arrangement of blooms at the end of October.

Part of my Neighbor's Flower Garden in Paso Robles

The next photo is just to the right of the photo above in the actual flowerbed. I can't make a positive identification of everything below. I believe most of the daisy-like flowers are gaillardias, asters, or African daisies. The flower hanging over the edge is a California poppy, which I was surprised to see in bloom. There is another rose bush on the extreme right.

More of my Paso Robles Neighbor's Flower Garden

Are you convinced yet that one can have a colorful garden at the end of October? But there is more around the corner in the front flowerbed. That plant trying to take over is, I believe,  Lipstick Sage. Some sages will expand if given a chance. This appears to be one of them. It seems to be trying to smother the Jupiter's Beard to its right.

Lipstick Sage

Last but not least in this neighbor's side yard is this lavender-like sage plant. I'm not sure what variety it is.

Sage, variety unknown

Need Help Picking Seasonal Blooms

If you live in the West, there's no better all round gardening reference than this.

What's Blooming on the Rest of the Block

Shades of purple and yellow add a lot of color to fall gardens here. One of the light purple staples is society garlic, pictured below. It's not showy, but it's drought resistant and almost everyone who cares about that plants it. The small white sweet alyssum is a wonderful flowering ground cover to  fill in the bare places.

Sweet Alyssum and Society Garlic

Daylilies are a colorful addition to any garden. These are still blooming in my neighborhood. You see one tiny society garlic flower peeking out to the right.

Daylilies in October

Here's another garden with thriving roses. The roses usually keep blooming well into winter.

A Neighbor's Rose Garden

Oleander is a favorite in my neighborhood. Several of us have it in our yards. One neighbor has several colors, including white, which I don't show here. We like it because it's drought resistant and blooms during from spring well into fall here. Read about oleander growth stages through the year.

All parts of the oleander plant are poisonous, but I've lived with it all my life and no one in any of the places I lived where this was in almost every yard ever died because they ate it. It doesn't seem to invite snacking. Parents tell their kids it's poison and for some reason they believe it about this plant.

Oleander

Oleander

Flowers Blooming in my Own Yard at the End of October

After seeing what my neighbors have, I have garden envy. My health hasn't enabled me to clear the leaves from the flowerbed that the gardener used to take care of. He quit for health reasons. About all I can do right now is photograph what's happening. I had hoped to put in some fall annuals, like pansies. First, though, I have to make space where the Lamb's Ears have taken over. I hope to be able to get back to the garden soon.

My roses in the back garden are still blooming. The red roses seem to be doing best. The yellow, coral, and white ones are also blooming. I think the roses aren't healthy, but I'm not an expert on roses and I'm not sure what to do about it. I didn't plant the garden. I usually only plant what I can take care of. The gardener kept it pruned in winter, but that's about all it gets but water.

Red Rose

Below are my scabiosa flowers. I begged for these when my neighbor was thinning her plants from the lovely garden I showed you first in this post. She gave me a couple she was uprooting, and they are thriving in my yard. This one is doing well at holding its own in the midst of the invading catmint and juniper around it.

Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower)

My gazanias seem to bloom faithfully every day we have sunshine. They close when there is not much light. They can handle drought well. The only thing that's ever killed them are gophers and a hard frost. But after the hard frost was over, they came back from the roots still in the ground. They spread as they grow, and can be an ideal ground cover.

Gazanias

Rosemary usually provides forage for the bees during winter. I see it blooming during almost every season, though it appears to be slowing down a bit now. It's strongest in winter through spring. If I don't keep it pruned back it will take over.

Almost everyone in this neighborhood grows some because it's a useful herb, the bees love it, and it needs no water once established. Some have made hedges of it.

It's not as tall as it looks here. It's really only about four feet high now, but the angle of the camera makes it look much higher. It's the only way I could get the small flowers to show.

Rosemary in Bloom in October

Ah, faithful calendula. It just keeps on blooming as long as it gets a bit of water sometimes. It's an annual, but keeps reseeding. I will post more about its virtues later. It seems to bloom in all seasons. It occasionally gets attacked by aphids, but the ladybugs usually control it. 

Calendula

Lastly, I present my wild watermelon sage. I planted it in 2013 and appreciate that it adds color, the bees like it, and it doesn't try to take over. Compared to my other sages, it has a small footprint and it's only about a yard high. It occasionally gets some water. Other than that, it fends for itself and I prune it if it appears I need to.

Wild Watermelon Sage

Here's one last tidbit from my neighbor's garden. She grows this morning glory in a pot with a support to climb on. She probably wants to confine it because it tends to be invasive. Delicate, isn't it?

Morning Glories

I hope you've enjoyed this informal garden tour of one block in a Paso Robles neighborhood to see what's blooming here in October.

What is your favorite autumn flower in your area?

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A Walk Through My Rose Garden in Early May

Roses Close-Up

These are two of my favorite rose colors. See more photos of these and roses of other colors on my earlier post, Roses Are Not Just Red.

I like these roses so much I've even made greeting cards featuring them. You can get them at Zazzle and keep them handy. You never know when you might need to use one. 

 Pale Yellow Rose: Thinking, of you Card Friendship card with coral rose. Yellow Rose With Three Buds Cards

Mom Planted this Rose Garden

I inherited it. No other flower is planted in the back yard. Mom planted no roses in the front yard. I've always wondered why she wanted to keep all the beauty in back where only family and friends could see it.

When she died and I inherited the house, I was depressed. It was early March. The roses were dormant. By April the roses were blooming again and I was sorry that Mom couldn't enjoy them anymore. They helped cheer me up, though.

They are always in bloom on Mother's Day, and they remind me of her. She never had a rose garden before she moved to Paso Robles. Maybe a few rose bushes, but no rose garden.

Some of My Rose Gifts from My Rose Photos on Zazzle

 Mug with Rose Arrangement Rose Garden Sticker: Take time. Classic Round Sticker Two pink roses within a heart coffee mug Pink Rose Return Address Label ipad Case: Cecile Brunner Pink Roses Cover For The iPad Mini An Arrangement of Roses Keychain

A Brief Walk Through the Rose Garden

Along the fence beside the street, one sees this view. It's the most unruly part of the rose garden. The gardener never really gets it under control. 

As you will see, Mom's favorite rose was the small Cecile Brunner climbing rose. It would like to overwhelm and cover up all the other roses. You can see what's left of a chard I planted in front of the roses, too. It's bolting.

The view below is what you see if you go to the corner past the last rose bush on the right of the photo above. I am looking back at the corner where the back and side fence meet behind the tree.

In the middle of the garden, to the left of the photo above, you see more climbing roses. These have taken advantage of a pine tree that died and used it as a trellis.

Here's a closer look at the pine tree and the roses around it. This is also the southeast corner of the rose garden.

The photo below shows the view in front of the photo above, along the south side of the fence.

Below is the last rose bush in the garden. It's along the south fence closest to the house.

Do you have roses in your garden? Which of my roses do you like best? I'd love to have you leave a comment.

Roses Are Not Just Red

Roses come in a wide variety of colors. When my mom planted the rose garden at her house I inherited years ago, she chose roses in many shades and even variegated colors. My roses are not just red. The one below is a candy cane rose.

Candy Cane Rose, © B. Radisavljevic

I also love yellow roses, like the one below I photographed after the recent rain. Yellow roses are said to speak of friendship, welcome, joy and gladness, among other sentiments. This rose seems to be welcoming a visiting bug.

Yellow Roses, © B. Radisavljevic

My personal favorite among my roses is this coral rose. First the rose, then the bush it came from. The rosebush sits outside my kitchen window. The coral rose represents desire.

Coral Rose, © B. Radisavljevic

Coral Rose Bush, © B. Radisavljevic

I have many shades of pink roses, many of which you will see below.  In the photo below, we see raindrops on pink roses. These roses are bashful and are hiding behind the leaves. The tiny pale pink rose on the left near the top is a Cecile Brunner, a climbing rose, and my mom's favorite. The pink roses speak of gentleness and grace. See the meanings of other rose colors.

Raindrops on Bashful Pink Roses, © B. Radisavljevic

Since my mom was the one who actually planted the garden, I'm not sure of the names of any of her roses except the Cecile Brunner. Some of the other roses in our rose garden are featured on the Zazzle products below. Most designs come on more than one product.

 ipad Case: Cecile Brunner Pink Roses Cover For The iPad Mini Rose Garden Sticker: Take time. Classic Round Sticker Valentine for a Bereaved Husband or Wife Card Coral Rose Card, Thinking of you today. Card Blank card: One Pale Yellow Rose Card Red and White Striped Rose Card Two pink roses within a heart basic round button keychain Two pink roses within a heart adult apron

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If you enjoyed this post, please share it. The sharing buttons are just above the comment box at the end of the post. The photo below is especially designed for pinning.

This is my eighteenth post for the 2016 AtoZchallenge, a Blogging Challenge for the month of April, 2016. My theme is plants, since this is a gardening blog. Here are links to the other posts if you missed them.

A is for Apple Blossoms
B is for Bottlebrush
C is for Carnations
D is for Daisy
E is for Elderberry
F is for Flowers
G is for Gazania
Hollyhocks are Edible
Irises Are Garden Survivors
Jupiter's Beard: A Mystery Finally Solved
Kale for Lunch
Lion's Tail - A Perennial Summer Burst of Orange
Miner's Lettuce is Tasty and Free"Naked Ladies" Bloom in August
Oleander through the Year
Plant Pests and their Predators: Aphids and Ladybugs

Quince Fruit from Blossom to Table

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What Blooms in November?

Red Pansy Face in November

It's always interesting when planning a garden to know what blooms when. I'm gradually trying to show the photos of plants in bloom month by month in my neighborhood in Paso Robles, California. Our climate is fairly mild, but we do sometimes go below 20 degrees F. in winter. We get into the triple digits on some spring and summer days. This post will show you what's been blooming here in this month of November. The photo shows a pansy in bloom. Pansies add a lot of color in fall and winter, and sometimes last until spring.

Some plants that typically bloom in summer still have a few flowers left, along with some that dried on the plant. Here are a couple of those.

Lingering Butterfly Bush Flowers in November

Lingering Hyssop Flowers in November

Some of these flowers are really herb flowers and perform for many months. The hyssop above has been in bloom since June, but it had many more flowers then. The sages also bloom over a long period, as does the rosemary. I love rosemary in winter because you can cut it and bring it in for fragrant holiday greenery. It also helps the bees through the winter.

One Variety of Cherry Sage, © B. Radisavljevic

Hot Lips Sage

Rosemary in Bloom

Some flowers I depend upon to brighten my garden year round. One of these is calendula, which you see in bloom below.  To its left is Lamb's Ears, with its contrasting gray leaves. To its right, you see gazanias. Behind is star jasmine with the dark green leaves. It, like the Lamb's Ears, has stopped blooming, as has the browning remains of a Euphorbia plant (also known as gopher plant.), which has greenish-yellow flowers in summer.  The lighter green plant surrounding the dying Euphorbia is rue. It has never bloomed for me yet.

Calendula in Bloom

Gazanias in Bloom

Some flowers just linger into winter.

Mums and Calendula

Miniature Chrysanthemums in November

Cecile Brunner Climbing Rose in November

A Neighbor's Roses in November

Gazanias, a Blooming Ground Cover, in November

Scabiosa (Pincushion Flowers) Hiding Between Hyssop
And Hollyhock Leaf in November

Jupiter's Beard in November. I was not able to identify this until
today, but it blooms for several months out of the year. I see it all
over town and I want some, even though it is invasive. 

These flowers belong to others and are blooming today on November 27, 2015. I'm not sure how long they have been blooming.

Mystery Plant belonging to My Neighbor. Click to enlarge and
see it more clearly. The pink flowers in the back are roses.
The blue is the back of a light.

Society Garlic in Bloom in November, Next to Browning Rose Plant
Click to enlarge. The flowers are small. Red roses are blooming
in back by the fence. 

Snapdragons in Bloom in November. Behind to the left are poppy
seedlings and to the right are young scabiosa plants.

I hope this helps you plan next year's garden or decide what you might want to transplant now for immediate color. Maybe a neighbor is even cleaning out plants she would be willing to share. Rosemary is easy to root in water. I had one plant in the back yard and roots three more plants for the front yard. It should be easy to find someone who will let out take a few cuttings. I just put it in water and it roots enough to plant within two or three weeks.

What are your favorite winter flowers? I somehow missed posting my photos of petunias and hibiscus that I've seen around the county, but I don't have any growing in my own yard now. I did have a petunia growing in November last year. I saw the hibiscus in Santa Maria in a planter at Trader Joe's.

Here are two more colorful shrubs that give you red berries for winter.

Holly Berries in November, © B. Radisavljevic

Pyracantha (Firethorn), © B. Radisavljevic

The cotoneaster shrub is similar in looks to the pyracantha, but has no thorns. I decided to make a blank greeting card out of one of the photos I took of cotoneaster.

Red Cotoneaster Berries: Holiday season Greeting Card by barbsbooks
Browse Cotoneaster Cards online at Zazzle.com

Here's a matching postage stamp.

Holiday Postage Stamp: Red Cotoneaster Berries
Check out more USPS postal stamps online at Zazzle.

Related Links:
This Butterfly Bush Shows How Nature Adapts