'Blue Flame' Beauty

 

Agave 'Blue Flame' is particularly beautiful given shade at the hottest time of the day.  

It got a little bleached out because of some consecutive days of 100F weather back in September.  Still a beauty, though. 

Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie' has been consistently beautiful since purchase in 2017:

I only wish I'd planted it somewhere I could sit and look at it.  It's perfect.  

Update:  A. attenuata 'Ray Of Light' is another beauty catching the eye these days:

She lives under Acer palmatum 'Emperor I'.  The great good thing about 'Ray Of Light' is that it becomes more variegated with age, not less.  I waited quite a long while before buying one because the variegation on the ones for sale looked like it was disappearing.  Finally bought one anyway.  Not sorry now. 

Around the garden.  Clematis 'Arabella' was MIA this spring, but appeared, grew, and flowered this summer.  The seedheads are lovely:

The Dichondra argentea was also very late this year.  It did not achieve its usual beauty until late summer.

The 'Bright Star' Yuccas flowered a bit this summer.  Not a particularly impressive bloom.  They surprised us a few weeks ago by sending up another round of flower stalks:

A Cuphea, 'Border Lavender', purchased in August 2023, has settled in nicely.  It's a slightly smaller version of the fairly common C. hyssopifolia, common name "Mexican Heather", which is native to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala.  

At about 12" tall and 20-24" wide it's much smaller than Cuphea 'Vermillionaire.  There are several 'Vermillionaire's here and there in the garden.  I chopped back the one growing by the urn fountain.  Liking the more open look so much, I pulled the Vermillionaire.  It had thrived in the location, so much so it was difficult to get around for fountain maintenance.  

There it is, the stubble of twigs in the foreground below:

 

Because there are two other 'Vermillionaire's growing nearby,  Hummingbirds will not be deprived of nectar.  I'll put something very low growing and non-spreading in the empty space.

It's been fairly but pleasantly warm, with daytime temperatures in the 80's, so yet another 'Vermillionaire' on another side of the house is rapidly coming back from its chop:

 'Moondance' rose, dug out and potted up, is also sprouting new growth thanks to the warm days and cool nights:

The Sweet Pea seeds are growing, and need to go into the ground ASAP.  More chopping-back to do!

What do you do in the garden in October?