Late Bloomers

60 and raining this morning, after a very dry week with temps around 80 and nights around 60.

The roses are outdoing themselves now, at the very end of the season. All summer long some of them had only one or two blooms. The red climber has been pretty nearly all summer, but not so the others. But look at them now.

This one is by the front porch, and looks so pretty with the monkshood. A friend gave me the monkshood plant last spring and it's been interesting to watch its development. I believe I need to move it to a less shady location, but I do like having this bloom in September/October.

A better photo of the rose; no idea what its name is.

And I am so delighted to at last have a fall-blooming iris. I ordered these online last year, then could not remember where I'd planted them.  They are thriving, and I can't wait to plant more like them.

Little miniature roses do well here, for some reason. I have a red one that is about 10 years old now, and still booms every year. These pink ones are in the path of some work Larry is doing, but he's been careful not to harm them.

Another miniature, happily co-existing with rosemary.

And a third, also in the same flowerbed. These are all new this year.

This one is from a bouquet Larry picked for me. It's from the only knockout rosebush I have left out of 9 we planted a long while back.

And these are the drift roses I planted last year, which are also doing well in their place beside the stone wall.

A random zinnia. The zinnias and cosmos are still blooming like mad in the veggie garden.

Speaking of late bloomers, some books I've been reading lately are by some late-blooming authors.

Effie Leland Wilder was a southern author who had her first book published when she was 85 and went on to write several more before passing away at age 98. Her books are set in a retirement home and are funny and touching. Then there's Not That Kind of Girl, by Mary Wesley, who first published at age 71. It's interesting so far; neither of these authors write what might be called great literature, but both write well and are good reads.

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