Almost Autumn...

....and the gardenias are blooming!

Here's Kleim's Hardy:


and Chuck Hayes:


As you can tell, white is difficult to photograph. Maybe, though, you're able...almost...to smell them through the pictures. There's nothing like a gardenia for fragrance (unless it's a tea olive, winter daphne, etc....ha). I'm tickled with these as gardenias are rather difficult here. Both have been here several years now and I'm hoping they're getting used to things. Chuck Hayes has at least a dozen more buds. In fact, I suspect a couple more may be opening as I write. If they want to be fall bloomers, that's fine with me. Despite our water issues and harsh winters, it's pretty darn neat to see and smell gardenias by the front door!

Nearby is a clump of hardy cyclamen:


Among my many fall chores, I need to dig daffodils as some have outgrown their tight quarters. As an example, yesterday I dug out Flower Record. It started as maybe five bulbs in two spots...and look what it is now:


I was forced to tackle this one as one of my cats likes lying where these were planted and was constantly uncovering them. Well, no wonder when I realized how packed in they were. I suspect their tight growing conditions has helped to keep some of the bulbs smaller...they had no where to go. Well, now, they'll get spread out...and I can be the lucky recipient of a drift of Flower Record instead of two small clumps. Aren't daffodils great!