The Cottage Garden

The #DarthVader #flower (Aristolochia salvadorensis) a tropical vine that produces dark, helmet-shaped blooms resembling the #StarWars villain. I spotted this in a greenhouse in Japan, so it probably won't grow in a cottage garden, but, hey, it's a bit of fun for #Halloween #BloomScrolling #Spooky

A ghostly Beach Spider Lily (Hymenocallis littoralis) adds a touch of #Halloween creepiness to a #garden. The #spooky white #flowers emit a strong, sweet vanilla aroma that intensifies dramatically in the evening to attract nocturnal #pollinators like hawk-moths #BloomScrolling #October #Autumn

The Anemone-type dahlia, 'Polka', with a fluffy golden central disc and outer florets in pink and white provides a bright burst of sunshine and happiness as well as having a botanical superpower: harvesting the #flowers actually causes the plant to double its output #Autumn #Garden #BloomScrolling

In these fraught world news days, we all need a little something to show us that there is still a lot of #love in the world. The striking Petunia amore aka Queen of #hearts, with its heart-shaped petal pattern reminds us that beauty and love conquer all 💕 #bloomscrolling #garden #gardening #flowers

Bright fuchsia pink and yellow Globe Amaranth "Gomphrena Fireworks" will certainly brighten up any garden. No deadheading is needed to keep the plant flowering heavily all season and they can reach 3-4 feet tall and wide #BloomScrolling #Flower #Floral #Gardening #FlowerReport

A bicolor double-ruffled Picotee carnation, Belén de Escobar, Argentina. The clove-scented petals are edible and offer a mild, sweet, and peppery taste used to garnish salads or desserts. The scientific name Dianthus translates to "flower of the gods" #BloomScrolling #Flower #Floral #Gardening

Ladybird poppies (Papaver commutatum) are not sleep-inducing, as they don't contain the strong narcotic opiate alkaloids found in the true opium #poppy. They could, however, mesmerize you with their startling red colour and uncanny resemblance to ladybirds #BloomScrolling #Flowers #Gardening

#Garden verbena (Verbena hybrida) blooms are available in a #rainbow of colours and the flat, rounded #flower clusters are rich in nectar which heavily attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. They love blazing, full-sun conditions and can handle dry spells well #BloomScrolling

I spied this lovely Chinese #hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) in Spain and wondered if it could be grown in the UK. It has an RHS hardiness rating of H1B, so it's sensitive to frost, and will only survive indoors or in outdoor pots in the summer. Still... #BloomScrolling #Gardening #Flowers

Hairy, scary Japanese spider Chrysanthemum morifolium, just in time for Hallowe'en. Perfect if you want your garden to have a Cousin Itt vibe. Before the first #autumn frosts and rains, move the pots under cover into an unheated greenhouse, or bright conservatory #BloomScrolling #Gardening #Flowers

To add some rich jewel tones to your spring #garden, consider deeply-coloured #irises such as 'Black gamecock', which features massive, 4"-to-6" wide #flowers of an intense, deep purple-black hue. It is rated H4 hardy in the UK, so it survives temperatures down to -10°C #BloomScrolling #Gardening

I love the colour variegation of the petals on this Dahlia 'Maldini', a decorative #flower known for its vibrant magenta or rose-pink petals and contrasting tips. It grows to about 3.5 ft tall and thrives in full sun with rich, well-drained soil and regular watering #BloomScrolling #Autumn #Garden

White oleanders (Nerium oleander) are stunning, hardy evergreen shrubs famous for their fragrant white #blooms and extreme toxicity ☠️, so plant it out of reach. It thrives in poor soils, tolerates heavy droughts, resists salt spray, and grows rapidly by 1-2 ft a year #BloomScrolling #Garden #Flowers

Pink Trumpet Vine (Podranea ricasoliana), also commonly known as bignonia rosa. Unlike many vines, it has no tendrils, thorns, or aerial rootlets, so needs our help to be tied or woven onto a trellis, fence, or pergola to climb #BloomScrolling #Garden #Pink #Flower #Gardening

Dahlia ‘Fire and Ice Lemon’ has white petals streaked with bright lemon-yellow and an orange-yellow center like a sunburst. While treated as a perennial in frost-free regions, its tubers need to be dug up and stored or heavily mulched in colder climates #BloomScrolling #Flowers #Autumn #Garden

Dahlia 'Fashion Monger' is a bright-faced classic collarette #dahlia that I would plant just for the name. 😍🌺Its open center makes nectar easily accessible, so is favored by bees, butterflies, and other #garden pollinators. It will #flower from mid-summer to the first frost #BloomScrolling #PinkMon

I've been seeing the light blue Cape leadwort (Plumbago auriculata), known in Spanish as jazmín azul, everywhere here in Málaga, Spain. It's a natural phytoremediator, meaning it's capable of helping absorb heavy metals like lead and cadmium from contaminated soils #BloomScrolling #StunDay #Flowers

I'm in Spain and spotted a double #bloom Magenta Chiffon Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus 'Rwoods5'), a long-blooming deciduous shrub with deep #pink #blossoms. It's highly tolerant of heat, drought, salt, and pollution, making it a good choice for urban or coastal gardens #BloomScrolling #Flower

October and November are great months to plant for spring. Tulip, crocus and daffodil bulbs can be planted either in outdoor pots using peat-free compost, or directly in #flower borders. You can get creative, layering multi-colours for a blooming rainbow effect #BloomScrolling #Gardening #Spring

The West Indian #Lantana ‘Lantana camara’ is native to the tropics, so is best planted in #garden pots in the UK for some bright summer colour. Its nectar heavily attracts butterflies and bees, but it is not cold tolerant below 5°C to 10°C (41-50F) #BloomScrolling #Flowers #Pollinator #Gardening

An intermezzo from yesterday’s neon coloured #Dahlia, the Dahlia ‘Crazy love’ is known for its delicate colour-changing #pink, lavender and creamy white blooms and long #bloom window, from June to late October #BloomScrolling #Gardening #Autumn #Flowers #Garden

A fiery Dahlia Mardi gras, Real Jardín Botánico, Madrid, Spain. No photo editing needed, the colours just pop! It takes about 90 days after planting to #flower, typically peaking from mid-summer into autumn, and it thrives in full sun #BloomScrolling #Autumn #Garden #Gardening

I’m in Madrid, Spain this week and am admiring the gorgeous public #floral displays here. Spotted on a #flower tower, this vibrant flowering Coleus kong (Lamiaceae), whose leaves can span 6” across, don’t need trimming, and can easily fill a pot or empty #garden space #BloomScrolling #Gardening

An unexpected and shocking bright flash of colour today with a fuchsia and yellow #Garden cosmos I spotted on my travels! They actually thrive in poor soil. Too much rich fertilizer or rich soil causes the plants to grow tall, weak, and leafy with very few #flowers #BloomScrolling #Gardening

Marigold, October’s birth #flower, offers natural pest control, soil health, and pollinator support. With their cheerful visual appeal, these low-maintenance annuals bring a bright, sunny autumnal warmth to the #garden #Bloom#Scrolling #FlowersOnFriday #Autumn #Gardening

The Harlequin glorybower (Clerodendrum trichotomum) is a striking shrub known for its metallic blue berries, pink star-calyxes, and leaves that smell remarkably like peanut butter that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. "You had me at peanut butter" #BloomScrolling #Flowers #Garden

Petunia 'Black Velvet' (Petunia × atkinsiana), really not a true black, but a deep maroon colour, spotted in a neighbour's #garden last weekend. Not sure yet if it's my cup of tea, but it would be great in a spooky #Hallowe'en window box or hanging basket 🎃 #Flowers #BloomScrolling #Gardening

A beautiful deep #pink Queen Elizabeth #rose (rosa) in full bloom yesterday. This vigorous rose is celebrated for its extreme resistance to diseases like black spot and powdery mildew, and it can thrive in poor, neglected soils #BloomScrolling #Gardening #EnglishGarden #Flowers #Autumn #Garden

Asiatic primrose (Primula capitata), unlike most primroses that #flower strictly in spring, often pushes its vibrant violet-purple, drumstick-like flower heads into late summer and autumn the plants are hardy to -20°C (-4°F) #BloomScrolling #Gardening #BlueTue #Purple #Autumn #Garden

The cone-shaped #flowers of Panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata) in the front #garden have dramatically changed colour from white and lime-green to deep pink and red as the summer progressed, and now they're donning their autumn coppery pinks #BloomScrolling #Autumn #Gardening #EnglishGarden

A surprising staple in UK cottage #gardens, Mexican orange blossoms and leaves exude a light, sweet citrus smell. While its main dramatic #bloom occurs in late spring, the plant often surprises gardeners with a second lighter bloom in the autumn #BloomScrolling #Gardening #StunDay #Flowers

While most plants have faded by now, Chinese plumbago is just getting started. It bears clusters of cobalt-blue #flowers and green leaves that turn a fiery russet-red. It is heavily visited by late-season butterflies and Hummingbird Hawk-moths #BloomScrolling #StunDay #Autumn #Garden #Pollinators

I spotted this stunning African #iris aka Fortnight #lily, in Hawaii and, although it's a warm weather plant, the RHS says it could grow against a sunny south- or west-facing wall, or in a coastal #garden where frosts are rare. I'm going to try 🤞next spring #BloomScrolling #Flowers #Gardening

Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) are tall, classic cottage garden plants known for their towering spikes of colorful, cup-shaped #blossoms. Known as "outhouse #flowers", gardeners planted hollyhocks near outdoor privies to hide the unsightly structures #BloomScrolling #Pink #English #Cottage #Garden

I'm harvesting the last of my summer #garden salad greens, including these Garden nasturtiums, which typically #flower from midsummer right through to the first autumn frosts. Both the flowers and the leaves are edible and add a peppery bite to salads #BloomScrolling #KitchenGarden #FlowersOnFriday

Looking like a bright, glowing sun, Blanket #Flower 'Kobold' lights up an #autumn garden. Unlike many #garden #perennials that demand rich, pampered soil, 'Kobold' craves tough love. It loves poor, sandy, or rocky soils and is highly drought-tolerant #BloomScrolling #Gardening

Fuchsia Delta Sara #flowers open with crisp white sepals and a violet-blue corolla which gradually shift to rich maroon-and-white tones as they age. It blooms continuously for nearly five months,from early summer to the first autumn frosts of October #BloomScrolling #Gardening #Garden #FlowerScape

'Cosimo Red-White': autumn is prime time to harvest and save seeds from your UK #garden, giving you free #flowers for next season while tidying old growth. Collect seeds from cosmos, scabious, zinnias, cornflowers, and poppies once seedheads have dried #BloomScrolling #PinkMon #MacroMonday

Some delicate looking lilac-coloured wild #Cyclamen popped up at the bottom of the garden yesterday. It looks like it's a spring flower, but is actually an autumn/winter one, flowering from late August to December in the UK #WildflowerHour #FavouritePlant #BloomScrolling #Flowers #Autumn

A spot of colour on a dull day, Campanula or Bellflower make an excellent ground cover, rock garden or border, attracting bees and butterflies to the #garden. If deadheaded, they’ll bloom until late summer or early autumn #BloomScrolling #StunDay #Flowers #Gardening

Still blooming in the September garden, bright #pink Fuchsia #flowers add a vibrant splash of colour as other summer flowers are fading #BloomScrolling #EnglishGarden #Gardening #CottageGarden

The beautiful #golden sunset colours of #Dahlia 'David Howard' contrast dramatically against its dark leaves. It is a recipient of the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit for outstanding excellence, reliability, and good constitution #BlueskyArtShow #BloomScrolling #Autumn #Garden #Flowers

Blue Magic Iris, Porto, Portugal. It's that time of year again...time to choose which spring #bulbs to plant. Bulbous Irises from September to November so they can set roots before winter. Bearded #Irises from August to October #BloomScrolling #FlowersOnFriday #EnglishGarden #CottageGarden #Flower

Pale yellow-eyed grass or Yellow Mexican satin #flower, La Fortuna, Costa Rica. Not a true grass, but a self-sowing member of the Iris family, each individual #blossom opens for just a single day, yawning open with the morning sun and closing forever at dusk #BloomScrolling #Gardening #FlowerGarden

A dark red #sunflower, Helianthus annuus 'Claret' adds some much-needed deep colour to an autumn garden as well as attracting birds looking for tasty seeds. It is pollenless, so it will not drop messy yellow dust onto your tabletops if used in a #flower arrangement #BloomScrolling #Autumn #Garden

Calibrachoa, or Million Bells, is a popular trailing plant covered in tiny, trumpet-shaped #flowers that look like miniature petunias. Their bright, nectar-rich blooms are a favorite snack for hummingbirds and butterflies #Pollinators #BloomScrolling #AutumnGarden #Gardening #EnglishGarden

The Japanese anemone cultivar "Honorine Jobert" is a very adaptable plant, and performs well in full sun or light shade. Consistent moisture is nice, but it will carry on if rain is scant or gardeners are forgetful about watering #BloomScrolling #Flowers #AutumnGarden #Gardening #EnglishGarden

Trailing lobelia is a low-growing, cascading plant of vibrant blue, purple, or white #flowers. It is deer resistant and it suffers from very few serious insect or disease issues. The nectar-rich flowers attract butterflies and other pollinators #BlueTue #BloomScrolling #Gardening #EnglishGarden