Oxblood lilies pop up after first fall rain
Maybe last week’s inch of rain — the first in two months — wasn’t technically the first fall rain. After all, it still sweltered into the 90s that day and the day after. But by the reckoning of the oxblood lilies (Rhodophiala bifida), the soil is refreshed and summer’s back is broken. Who am I to argue?
One good rain after the long, hot summer of dormancy, and these tough Argentine natives thrust themselves out of the soil and unfurl their bright red petals. We Austinites cheer for their arrival, which signals an end to the insufferable summer heat and the beginning of the fall bloom season.
American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) has been proclaiming the same for a couple of weeks, but I admit I wait for the oxbloods to be convinced. Now that the berries are fully purple, it won’t be long until the mockingbirds enjoy a fall feast and strip the branches bare. I’ll enjoy them while I can.
Last year I added a Mexican beautyberry (Callicarpa acuminata) to my garden, and I’m loving the darker purple berry clusters — almost black in a certain light.
A fleeting double blossom opened on the pond crinum (Crinum procerum ‘Splendens’) today.
The pale-pink, ribbon-like petals with raspberry stamens stand out so prettily against the strappy, burgundy-black leaves.
Candy pink rain lilies (Zephryanthes ‘Labuffarosea’) were enticed back into bloom by the rain too.
Stalwart native Turk’s cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii) hasn’t stopped blooming since early summer. But just because it’s dependable doesn’t mean I take it for granted. Turk’s cap draws hummingbirds to my garden every day, and now that they’re fueling up for their fall migration, a feeding stop is more important than ever.
Any definitive signs of fall in your garden? And does that make you happy or melancholy? Just please tell me you’re not turning your attention to Christmas decor already.
All material © 2006-2015 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Isn’t it fun and such a welcome harbinger of lovely weather to come when those oxbloods appear? Your pond crinum is an absolute stunner!!
I’m loving that crinum, Tina. It’s still blooming today and making me happy. —Pam
Oh yes! There are definite signs of fall here, and I couldn’t be happier. We had rain last week. I’m looking forward to more. I wish I could get oxblood lilies to grow in my garden.
Have you tried them, Alison? If they won’t grow, I wonder what in the world they might lack in the ideal gardening climate of Washington state? —Pam
They’re blooming here, Oxblood Lilies. First a few tentative blooms, then another rain brought a horde of red blossoms.
Red Lycoris is showing up daily as well.
I’m still looking for my lycoris bulbs. No signs yet! —Pam
A cool 60 degree morning greeted me today! We are ready for a break in the heat. I love the beautyberry shrubs – saw my first one on a hiking trip in East Texas, maybe Atlanta State Park. Yours are so brightly colored, and I never thought to associate the berries with the arrival of fall, but now I will.
They are one of my late-summer-into-fall faves, June. —Pam
The rain has brought on some beauties in your garden.
A few here and there, Lisa. They look more impressive in close-up view. 🙂 —Pam
No one can accuse you of flowerlessness with all this going on. Even with continuing heat, there is a breeziness to the air that denotes a change of season.
There are a few flowers, Ricki, enough to keep the hummers and myself happy. —Pam
Glad summer’s back is broken for you, at least the worst of it.
Not even the case out here in ’15…going strong, though nights / mornings are no longer 80-ish. Great blooms – oxblood lilies are my favorite, I need to spec them. They’ll make it here, I just forget about those kinds of treasures.
I’m sure we’ll still have mornings in the 80s, although we did get a nice reprieve from that this past weekend. Overall, the Death Star is no longer on high beam, and a giddy feeling of impending autumn is upon us. Hope you get some oxbloods planted, David. —Pam
I am reveling in our cool mornings and the fact that for the first season ever, oxblood lilies here are blooming along with all the rest around town (ours were usually inexplicably delayed by a week or more). What a lovely relief and no better reward for venturing out than the bright crimson pops of color in the early Fall garden these lilies bring.
The pond Crinum is a show stopper, and I’m especially admiring how the various lilies and berries in your spaces are so beautifully color coordinated. Well played and well planted! ?
Congrats on your timely oxblood lilies, Deb. I need to drive around the central Austin neighborhoods to enjoy this old passalong plant in full splendor, as I really only have a few bulbs myself. —Pam
You have some beautiful blooms in your garden Pam. It all looks very tropical to me (gardening in NW England) We can grow Callicarpa here but I think out winters would too cold and wet for your other beauties. I’m glad I found your blog and look forward to reading more.
Austin is subtropical, so we do get down below freezing, usually 3 or 4 times each winter, but not too cold. I didn’t know there was anything you couldn’t grow in England. 🙂 Thanks for visiting, Gillian, and I hope you’ll come back again soon! —Pam
Your blog reminded me of my first fall in Houston, Texas. One morning I looked out over a piece of what had been bare lawn a few days before, and saw what my neighbors called ‘naked ladies’ blooming in a little red line.
And I’m glad to hear that fall is on the way. I’ve been back to Texas for a week from my sojourns in Montana, and have experienced some of my hottest days of the year. (Our high temperatures just before I left were lower than the Hill Country’s low temperatures.)
Welcome back to Texas, Marilyn. Sorry about the heat. One day soon it’ll abate. I hope! —Pam