Hi GPODs!

Today we have a change of pace, we have been seeing lots of autumn foliage and late season flowers in our northern gardens recently. We’re visiting Charlona Ingram in Houston, Texas, and when the harsh summer weather subsides, her garden is filled with vibrant flowers and lush green foliage.

Hi GPOD – My name is Chalonna and I garden in Houston, Texas. Fall is one of the best times of the year for my garden. If plants can survive our clay soil, hurricanes, floods, summer droughts and high humidity, we will have a longer growing season. It’s almost December and we are still enjoying many fall flowers that sometimes bloom all winter long unless we get a freeze. Hope you enjoy the garden!

In Charlona’s beautiful line of lantern flowers, Mexican bush sage (Mexican bush sage) is a staple of many Southern gardens.white sagezones 9-11). The spiky leaves on this plant contrast beautifully with the spiers of delicate light purple flowers.

Chalona’s garden is looking lush and tropical this fall. Bright pink bougainvillea brings a bold pop of color to the bed, and staghorn fern (Platyphyllum bifurcatumzones 9-13) is always a fascinating plant to admire. I love Chalonna’s choice of hanging ferns, the variety of ways to mount these plants is another reason why they are so interesting.

cockscomb is a popular plant grown as an annual in summer containers in the north. Their unique shape and ambiguous texture make them eye-catching in any combination. In the South, these beauties can be grown as tender perennials, and you can find varieties not commonly found in northern nurseries. These pink gradation flowers look like various feathered cockscombs (C. argentea, zones 10-11).

All of Chalona’s plants are spectacular up close, but the effect is even more impressive when you zoom out and see her color combinations. Hummingbird Bush (Four-split star anise variant Wright’szones 7–10), purple portergrass (Freund’s water paniclezones 9–11), periwinkle, and Greg’s fogflower (Conoclinium greggiizones 7-10) are a wonderful combination and the perfect rainbow of colors.

While the flowers in Chalonna’s garden tend to steal the show, she doesn’t neglect the need for foliage in her beds. Tenera offers some sunny yellow and pink periwinkles, but there are bright foxtail ferns (red flower asparaguszones 9-11), and silver Texas sage (Safflower Salviazones 8-10) leaves bring a whole new interest to this plant.

The vines in Chalona’s garden transform an ordinary wooden fence into something magical. More bright yellow tenara creeps along the bottom, matching perfectly with the blue trumpet vine (hawthornzones 9-11) clinging to the pillars.

Hibiscus flowers are a popular garden flower across the country, but Chalona’s garden has some very beautiful specimens. Tassel Hibiscus (Hibiscus lobeszones 10-11) are so unique, with delicate petals and long, trailing stamens that definitely break the mold of more common varieties. Another Jiangnan garden classic, shrimp plants (branjigia treeareas 9-11), with a burst of flowers in the background.

Another hibiscus with a more “classic” form, lemon yellow rosemary (Hibiscuszones 9-11) is still stunning with its ruffled, luminous yellow petals and dark, high-contrast center.

We had another, wider view from the bed. In this photo, Chalona gives us a closer look at the wondrous worm-like spiers of purple port grass. This pollinator magnet is supported by periwinkle, foxtail fern, blue graphite (Plumbago auriculariazones 9-11).

Finally, there is a plant with a very apt name, Fire Spike (Stenodontiazones 8-11) The flowers bloom a shiny bright red against a backdrop of vibrant green foliage.

Thank you so much for sharing your late season garden with us, Chalona! I sincerely hope that we get to see your beautiful plants again and that the season brings you more blooms in the coming months.

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