Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Wildflower Wednesday-Last Wildflowers of 2011

All growing seasons in upstate NY, alas, must come to an end.

We must clear out our community garden plot by October 31.  So, spouse is doing the hard work, digging leeks, carrots and beets.  Not much else is left, in this year of torrential rains. (will we have a drought next year?) What a shame, because as of today, we have not had a frost at our community garden.  Usually we have one there before we have one at our house and we would have had frosts in both places by now.  What a strange year this has been. (For what it is worth, we should have wet snow in the hills on Thursday and we will probably have - not just a frost-but a freeze-on Friday morning.)

While visiting the garden for the last time this year, I wandered around, saying mental goodbyes to the plots of our neighbors.  Then, I spied a blue flower.  Could it be?

Yes -It was a chicory plant in bloom.  On October 23!

Nearby, a lone amaranth displayed its red foliage and seed stalk.



Here's my favorite fantasy series plant, Erigeron (fleabane).

 You'll note stones in almost all of these pictures.  This is a plentiful crop in upstate NY.

And last, but not least, my mystery flower of the week.  It came out blurry and I apologize. I don't know if this is a wildflower or something that was planted by one of the gardeners.

A final shot of one of the more colorful plots in the community garden, as I say "Farewell".

4 comments:

  1. I wish the community garden would give us until Thanksgiving to pull everything out, don't you? We only have til Nov. 6- always a big job. Nice to see you still have some colorful blooms. Could your mystery flower be a cleome? We still have one or two in bloom.

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  2. Loved that vivid blue flower... I can see why people write poetry when I look at your pictures! ;-)

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  3. I believe your mystery flower is a cleome. They self-sow prodigiously!

    I think we may get our first frost here tonight too. Going out to pick what remains of my zinnias and the last few pale orange tomatoes.

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  4. Thank you, Kimberly and JGH, for the ID of my mystery flower. I think you are right. JGH, I wish they would give us until Thanksgiving, too. We could try to keep certain brassicas alive - things we don't try to grow now. Tia, thanks for the compliment. Chicory flowers are lovely, aren't they!

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