My garden tour this Saturday morning was punctuated with an overgrowth of weeds, some plants attaining a size I did not know was possible, fall fruits and wild flowers …and, at long last, clear blue sunny skies with low humidity. Ahh. To join other SOSers on garden tours around the world visit our host, Jim at this link http://gardenruminations.co.uk
One of my fall favorites, Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is just starting to flower. These usually bloom around the first week of September, so they are late this year. The flowering schedule for a lot of plants was off this year, some sooner than normal, some later.
Another fall fav is the Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa). This wildflower is named after a Caribbean dance called the Juba because of the way they sway in the wind.
The birds are enjoying the berries in the garden. This is called Wild Coffee (Psychotria nervosa) – it is a Florida native shrub, great for butterflies and pollinators. The berries look like coffee, but do not have caffeine.
More late color in the garden. I usually have Beautyberry (Calliocarpa americana) by the first week of September and here it is finally showing some purple.
October is optimal Dahlia planting season in South Florida. For fun, I bought some end of season, cheap tubers, having had virtually no luck with Dahlias in the past. The tubers were wrapped in plastic and kept in the refrigerator for a couple of months and released into the garden this week. I planted the tubers and went out the following morning to find a varmint had dug them up, ate one, and left the others beside the holes they were planted in?! A gourmet, Dahlia intolerant varmint?
I replanted the tubers and added another found slung in front of bed (I am not sure if I forgot to plant it, or the varmints were at it again). Then, I covered the whole thing with a hardware cloth barrier. Take that, varmints!
The experiment continues. I found a bit of tuber on the front porch this morning. I am sure this time it was not me.
That is all from South Florida this sunny Saturday. The Dahlia adventure will be updated. I am now dithering about watering the tubers, though rot is unlikely in the sand.
Happy Gardening!!!
The Shrub Queen 
Oh my gosh…your Dahlias! I’ve never had mine dug up like that before so I wish you luck with the hardware cloth protection while roots grow. I cut mine back last week and will be dogging them up for the winter in the coming days…Do birds eat the purple berries? Just wondering because I had some blood red bird poop on my windshield the other day, from Sumac seeds I assume…
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Birds eat my callicarpa berries but I don’t have red poop in my garden. Maybe sumac or pyracantha or cotoneaster berries if you have.
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I know, it is weird they were just left like that. Last time I had dahlias in the garden something ate them so I had them in pots they grew but the stems were so short it was hard to cut them. The birds do eat the beautyberries, I have not noticed purple poop though they tend to eat the ones outside the fence where the dog doesn’t go.
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Darn varmints! I saw Mrs. Bunny looking to see if I had removed the fence from around the Dalea purpurea yet (no). But she may have found the wayward beans growing out of the compost pile (clearly I don’t turn it often enough!). There are plenty of oversized courgette for her too.
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The bunnies are busy eating the new daylilies here. They also eat some weeds, I have never been able to figure out which ones.
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Interesting name of the wild coffee plant! 😂 properly named and perfectly explaining the effect of the plant. ( love the foliage though!)
Poor dahlias! These pests seem greedy. Good luck with them.
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It is rumored to have hallucinogenic properties, but I haven’t tried it.
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I wouldn’t test 😂
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one of those medicinal plants used by native Americans..Like Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria!)
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Do you have raccoons? What else would put a tuber on your porch??
Glad your weather is becoming more pleasant. About time, right? 😉
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yes, dreadful raccoons, they eat the tree frogs. Yeck! I guess that they like to dig up the dahlias but don’t like the taste? So strange. October 15 is usually the breaking point for the weather here, so yay!
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Go to a big store and buy a cheap container of cinnamon, black or cayenne pepper. Sprinkle it liberally and that might deter them. Good luck!
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I did red pepper flakes and chili powder. The chili powder seems more effective though I did not know about cinnamon?! I have some I do not like and will add it! Thanks.
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I love to see what you may eventually cut to arrange and your garden plants. Would you be able to grow the Dahlia for a little while protected somewhere in a pot, then transfer to the garden, that might help.
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Thank you, Noelle. I haven’t tried that. These are big dahlias – the ones I have left in pots were kind of stunted, waiting to see what happens. If they make it they can be left in the ground and cut back in May. They rest in the heat here.
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It seems like gardeners are always fighting something. I have an overgrowth of weeds and some varmint digging holes everywhere just for fun.
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Sounds like armadilloes? They are here, too.
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I think they might have done the big holes. I always say I am going to get a trail camera and never have.
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I am not sure I want to know what is in my backyard at night. It is surprising how big the holes armadilloes can dig.
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They like to tunnel under shrubs.
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Slugs slugs and more slugs in my garden this year. I am soooooo over them and since it is the end of the season, I just don’t even want to think about my garden now until Spring! Cady
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A rare advantage of gardening on sugar sand, no slugs!
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I love the idea of the Juba swaying to some Calypso sounds! Fingers crossed for the Dahlias.
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Thanks, Rosie. It really does sway in the wind.
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Lovely beauty Berry 💜 Your post old dahlias are certainly little survivors!
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Beautyberry is rad! It is one of several species that is common in much of America, but not here. Someone sent me a few from Virginia. They are the wild sort, that grew from seed in Virginia. I prefer that to cultivars. They bloomed this year, although they were so late that their berries will not likely ripen. I do not mind. I know that they will produce berries next year.
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It is! A friend has a naturally occurring pink variety I am getting one soon.
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Is there a naturally occurring variety of American beautyberry that produces white berries?! Even a cultivar would be nice. As far as I know, only a cultivar of the Japanese species produces white berries.
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I don’t think so – just the Japanese one.
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What a lovely grass! Those tassles are so pretty. Wow, I’ve never seen anything dig up dahlias like the before, do you have any suspects? I know that dahlias are edible for people, so I suppose some other critters out there must have figured it out too!
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Oh dear, good luck with the dahlias! I am battling with mice in the veg patch at the moment. Grrrr! I love seeing those purple berries at this time of year. And your glossy green coffee tree is very attractive too. 😀
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