First day of fall

It doesn't feel like it at all but today is the first day of fall, my favorite season for sure.  Although it still feels like the dead heat of the summer around here, I am anxious for the mercury to start descending.  I stopped by my favorite local garden store to see what they had in terms of fall flowers even if I dare not plant any until it hits at least 85 degrees!  I feel sorry for the people who are already buying their mums  because they will be dead here in about two weeks or less.  The colorful pepper plants and million bells are great for autumnal color.  I also like the houseplants that are good for this time of year--especially the tropical colored bromeliads.  Lush ferns are also among my favorites.  How cool are the air plants?  Instead of planting these in soil, you lay them upon shells or driftwood.  These would be a fabulous addition to coastal decor.

How awesome is this crocodile fern?  Look at the scale on its leaves.

These are the air plants--fantastic for coastal decor.

Moon vine

I know I did a post on this last year, but I am always so amazed this time of year when the moon vine is at its best.  The flowers open up right around dusk and fall off in the morning.  We shared some of our seeds with our neighbor with whom we also share a fence, and hers is going crazy right now.  If you have a fence, I encourage you to plant some of these seeds.  It is so neat watching the flowers come out when the sun starts to go down.  It is a true sign of late summer early fall--one of my favorite times of the year.

Fall flowers

With the change of seasons I am starting to get the itch to plant something new. Yesterday I couldn't help but stop by my favorite local plant nursery when I saw on the sign "New Fall Flowers." I decided not to buy anything because I decided that more careful planning was needed, but I got some great ideas by some of the containers they had arranged. I love the ornamental pepper plants and million bells. They said they would have a lot more variety to choose from in about two weeks. After all, we are still not out of summer temps here in the Lowcountry. I really can't wait for cooler weather.