Transplants
October is the perfect time to transplant perennials and plant trees.  The gardener is able to avoid stressing the plants with the heat of summer, autumn rains help supplement watering and there is still enough warm weather left for the plants to become established before Austin faces the risk of frost.  Now is the time to transplant Salvia gregii, iris and blue mist flower, Eupatorium coelestinum.  Another project scheduled for October is the planting of a thyme garden.  It will be located in a small raised bed in the sunniest spot in the backyard.  Thymes demand good drainage so the bed will be filled with a high quality soil and topped off with two inches of coarse gravel or chicken grit.

Vines
Several vines are becoming quite striking as the summer comes to a close.  The large ghostly white  blooms of the moon flower, Ipomoea alba, scent the front yard.  The moonflowers were slow growing but finally took off on a growth spurt in August. The feathery foliage of cypress vine, Ipomoea quamolit, winds through a collection of herbs, the dainty star shaped red flowers adding an element of the unexpected amongst rosemary and pineapple sage.  Butterfly pea vine, Clitoria ternata, still has brilliant blue blossoms by the pond.  Seeds of all three are being collected for sowing next spring.  Perennial vines are less showy right now, The potato vine, Solanum jasminoides, on the front arch grows very slowly, but does have a few blooms.  The evergreen crossvine, Bignonia capreolata, is beginning to take hold on the fence in the backyard and has had occasional blooms all summer and fall. The sweet autumn clematis (Clematis dioscoreifolia, controversy exists on the botanical name, my reference is The Southern Living Garden Book edited by Bender)  put on a fragrant show in September as white blooms totally hid the foliage for a week.  This is an aggressive vine, but that one week show makes the battle to control it  worthwhile.  It will be cut to the ground this winter but will quickly cover the fence when warm weather comes.