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The trees are just starting to show their first yellow leaves here after a couple of cold nights. But in the daytime, if it’s sunny, it is still warm. Being outside at this stage is very pleasant, even more so now that the really hot days of summer are gone.
The late-flowering plants continue to bring colour to the garden, and some give a decidedly summery feel too. Amongst these is the hardy hibiscus ‘Blue Bird’. It blooms from August, producing an exotic-looking show of large blue flowers with deep magenta markings in their centres. There are still buds that are yet to open on the shrub, so there should be flowers for another week or two. As September ends, so will this floral display. Then autumn’s arrival will be hard to ignore.
One of the reasons that I want to hang onto summer this year is that my husband is finishing off building a gazebo in the garden. This will give us a much better space for sitting out. I’m hoping that we will have the chance to do just that while there is still some warmth in the sun. (It also means that I have a whole new area to redevelop around it. There will be lots of work to do! And then sitting in the gazebo for a rest afterwards.) Here’s hoping that this year’s autumn is slow in arriving!
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 
Happy new gazebo. That flower sure does look hibiscus-y.
Yellow leaves? Cold nights? Tomorrow’s high in Austin is predicted to be 38°C.
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Wow, that’s a bit hot for me! I hope you can stay comfortable in it.
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Such a beautiful colour. I hope we’ll see the gazebo when finished.
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I love blues and purples, so this is something of a favourite. There may be some pics of the gazebo when I have planted up the area around it. (It was sadly neglected for a while!)
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Here, of course, we’re longing for autumn. To say that 32C-35C has become tiresome would be an understatement! It’s normal September weather for us, but we’ve had a taste of cooler weather for a couple of days, and now everyone’s eagerness has increased because of it.
A blue hibiscus seems so odd to me. Does that color ever appear in nature? I can’t remember native hibiscus as anything but red, pink, yellow, and white. This one reminds me of morning glories.
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This one is Hibiscus syriacus, which, as far as I can gather, was pink in the original species and the blue is a result of later breeding. (There are white varieties too.) Plant colours intrigue me with their mysteries!
I can certainly see why you’re longing for autumn – those temperatures are just too hot! We did get some uncomfortably hot weather here, so now we’re enjoying the more gentle warmth. (It will start to get cold soon enough!)
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So very beautiful! Happy autumn, Ann🙂
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Thank you Indira! I hope the season and weather that you are having is good and kind to you! 🙂
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That colour is so powerful, Ann. The flower has collected all the sun’s power and is radiating it back to you.
I hope your gazebo will get done and then you can use the winter to plan your new plantings.
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It is a beautiful colour, Tanja – one that bees love too. We sat in the gazebo and watched a few butterflies on the nearby buddleias. I think it will be a good place to enjoy the wonders of nature from!
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A perfect place for you to chill out in after gardening. A couple of weeks further on, and it’s got proper cold up here. Still need to replace my compost bin after the wind took it for a ride. I still have some geraniums flowering but that’s about it. Enjoy your gazebo.
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Thanks, Jill – we’ve made a point of sitting out there whenever it was sunny, especially if we fancied a wee glass of wine… 🙂 Autumn is arriving here right now, with rain and chilly nights…chilly days too very soon! Brr!
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I’ve been aware of hardy hibiscus with blue flowers for a while and wondered if I should try growing one here. Your leading photo is the best I’ve ever seen. I’m getting even more keen on the idea!
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Thanks Liz! I’d encourage you to grow this blue-flowered hibiscus because they really are lovely. Ours has coped with a fair bit of winter cold but they’re better with some shelter from strong winds. (Ours has been blown to a bit of a slant – I’ll need to give it a bit of support!) It likes lots of sun so that it will produce a large number of flowers and a reasonably moist site. (Though it can survive the very dry periods here.) We have catnip, blue Baptisia, dark red Knautia and lavender growing near it, which all harmonise with the shrub’s soft, denim-blue flowers. Hope you do plant one! 🙂
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