Middle of the month of October and not much in bloom. Among the natives in my garden, only buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), coast goldenbush (Isocoma menziesii), California fuchsia (Epilobium), and California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica) are blooming. But it is the quiet of the garden that is so appealing right now, here and even more so at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.
I visited the botanic garden yesterday hoping to see a show of goldenbush (Ericameria pinifolia and E. linearifolia) but I was a bit early. Still the garden was peaceful and beautiful and so I thought I’d post pictures from there rather than more of my home garden.
So for this month’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day, not only is it not my own garden but many of these photos are not of flowers. Enjoy the southern California autumn!
Caterpillars munch leaves from showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa).
Fruit capsule of spice bush (Calycanthus occidentalis).
View into the communities through purple sage (Salvia leucophylla) of coastal sage scrub. 
Goldenbush (Ericameria pinifolia) aswarm with bees. 
California fuchsia (Epilobium species) blooms throughout the garden.
Summer holly (Comarostaphylis diversifolia ssp. planifolia) shows off its textured berries.
Dried flower of sage (Salvia).
Carman’s Gray California fuchsia (Epilobium ‘Carman’s Gray’).
Purple three-awn (Aristida purpurea) in foreground, buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) in front of wall on right side, Dr. Hurd manzanita (Arctostaphylos manzanita ‘Dr. Hurd’) on left.
Really glad I stopped in. You have some really amazing photos. Love the stone wall and natural looking landscape.
Love that pic of the Salvia seed pod!
I just picked up my first spice bush at a CNPS plant sale two weekends ago. I can't wait to see how it does here. I'm hoping to add some Epilobiums to the late summer garden next year, but do have a lots of native sages to start from seed for now. The summer holly berries are so pretty, I've never seen that plant before.
Thanks, gwgt, scott and CVF. <br /><br />CVF – I'd love to grow spice bush in my home garden – the leaves smell so nice – but alas I don't have the room. Maybe I will try it after I kill the large Fremontodendron in the back (just kidding – I'm hoping it will last). Looking forward to hearing about how your salvias do.