October blooms both ethereal and lusty grace my garden this first week of October, and feed Monarchs, other butterflies, hummingbirds and bees.

I thought I’d take a close look around, now that the summer garden is mostly finished, and see what’s blooming and providing pollen for the pollinators. After the huge squash blooms of summer have vanished, what’s left is quite an array of mostly small, but vivid blossoms.

I seeded borage into a few spots of the garden in the spring. I had enormous plants which have all been exhausted and pulled, but not before borage has reseeded in several spots! These are the most favored of flowers in the Late Bloomer garden.

Several summer veggies are still producing blooms and fruit, such as peppers, okra, beans, and baby watermelon.

Marigolds and petunias have been delivering color all summer. I planted lots of nursery seedlings of basil and petunias and self-seeded marigolds. All are supposed to offer some protection against pests.

~ If your weather is cold and grey, I hope my photos brighten your day ~

New additions are begonia, volunteer geranium and stevia.

And there were more flowers that I did not photograph, on perennials that are mainstays in the garden. The most stunning display has been from my Mexican sunflower, beloved by Monarchs, hummingbirds and bees, which grew to 8′ tall and 8′ wide and delivered thousands of blooms like this.

See how my two Mexican Sunflowers looked in June at 2:28 in Late Bloomer “Summer Garden Update.” They were planted from seeds from Seeds of Change.

Of course, milkweed is the top hit for Monarchs, which have been seen daily in the Late Bloomer garden since spring.

What’s blooming in your garden? Happy gardening, and please share “Late Bloomer” with friends. Thanks! – Kaye

PS: All photos were taken today.