The mornings and nights are finally cooler.

The sky looks just a little different.

The days are getting shorter.

And it’s only going to be 91 degrees today.

Those are the signs of fall in the Central Texas garden.

And great conditions for enjoying Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens each month on the 15th.

It’s relief from unrelenting heat, and we’re still enjoying the effects of last weekend’s 1.57 inches of rain.

The garden seems to have been rejuvenated. There is nothing quite like a good dose of rainwater to perk everything up again.

And so it is with plants in the cutting garden. In my last post, there was a long shot of it bursting with yellows and creams and oranges, and the wild Coreopsis sneaking through the fence to join the show.

This is the star of the show. This Lion’s Tail, Leonotis leonurus, is from the Lamiaceae or mint family. It’s native to South Africa, and is drought tolerant, which explains why it’s happy in our gardens here in Central Texas.

A dwarf variety, these are only 3 to 4 feet tall. I’ve planted others in previous years and they were up to 6 feet tall.

Their unusual form and profuse blooms add wonderful color to the emerging fall garden.