Today is the first day of autumn, but you’d never know it around here. 95 degrees yesterday, and probably today too! It’s getting a little old, but I shouldn’t complain after the beastly winter we had last year. Please, no more storms with four feet of snow.

Here’s what’s blooming in the Washington D.C. area….

Beautyberry or Callicarpa. It really is this color.

I caught this mahonia at the end of the day when the sun was just hitting it. The blue background surprised me afterwards. “L’heure bleue” was a little early that day.

I think this is a lacecap hydrangea, but I’m not sure. It’s awfully late for this spring-bloomer, but maybe the extra-warm days have extended it.

The photo below signifies summer’s end for me the most, because I’m no longer working in the garden. This year gardening has mostly consisted of watering new azaleas and transplanted forsythias so they don’t die in all this heat. I’ll probably clear out the cobwebs and plant a few bulbs, though.