Amaryllis!

I went to Lowes to check out the seasonal plants.  There were no veggies or herbs left, which is what I was looking for, but when I paused to look at the amaryllis kits on sale the associate said you can have those for $1!  Oh, yay!  So I did.  : )   Here is one from another year...

Wintertide

                         Winter comes, heralded by the violets.

Thanksgiving

A while back I attended an exceptionally well done women's weekend.  While there I just kept thinking how I would rather be in my garden.  I am thankful for the refuge my garden has been over the past five or so years.  I am also thankful for the many plants I have been able to share with others, to help them have a lovely garden place as well.  And I am thankful for the creative outlet gardening is for me, a pallette and board that are constantly changing, and so forgiving of talent.

Winter promise

Freezing temps are predicted for tonight.  Even as the frost finishes off the impatiens and a few other lingering summer annuals, there is new hope in the newly blooming winter annuals, and the promise of cyclamen and hellebore after the New Year.  The most wonderful part of living with seasonal changes is the continuing promise of hope. 

Cold is coming

With frosty nights predicted for this week, I went out and moved my few potted plants that need some babying. The lemon verbena moved near the back door, and the fuschia snugged in near the fireplace.  I usually put the fuschia near the back door so I can continue to enjoy the flowers, but Jerry gets annoyed tripping over the umbrella that I use for frost protection. : )  Where I have it now, I may not even need that umbrella.  Pots of tulips and hyacinths took the fuschia's summer spot.  Finally, the lemon tree went out on the front porch.  We can pull it under the roof when needed, and the lemons add a festive touch to the porch. 

Rain

With rain forecast, I went out Friday morning and pulled all the grass weeds so the rain would not wash the seedheads off and create a new crop of weeds.  So glad I did that, since it really did rain, a good serious overnight rain.  Too bad the rain gauge was full from the lawn sprinkler, but there was enough rain for puddles.  As the season winds down I enjoy some of the fading plants, like these Solomon Seal.  They don't really look like much here, and the snails have gotten to them, but the yellow adds a note of fall to the shady garden. 

Signs of fall at last

It seems so odd that we finally see autumn just as we start thinking about Christmas.  Fleeting as it is, the quiet beauty of the declining garden is delightful.

Blueberries

As the blueberries turn redder and redder Jerry is saying we need these everywhere! 

Mums?

I'm not sure about mums.  They are so monochromatic and stuffy fluffy and overbred and overdone.  A pot on the porch is OK for the fall color, but a yard full is a bit much.  Besides, so many want to overtake their location and grow into huge mounds of bland color.  So for the sake of the season I do have one, and by pinching all summer I can get it to bloom now, in November, which is so obviously the time for mums to bloom.  Sometimes I can even get some for Thanksgiving, although I think not this year.  I chose this mum for the snappy color, burnt red, cheerful golden yellow and lime green centers.  My camera didn't quite get the green, but it makes the flower.  So, not a daisy girl at all, but for the end of season splash these do a good job. 

Rooting a rose

So fun!  A while ago I found a glass cloche on clearance at Beverly Fabric and decided it was cheap enough to go ahead and get one; I have mooned around about these for years  but could not justify the hefty price.  About the same time I noticed a rose I have been hunting for was growing in Rosalee's yard.  This is a sixties floribunda; reddish orange at the outer edges, fading to a bright yellow in the center; a fairly flat open rose with few petals.  I have researched but still do not know the name, and neither does Rosalee.  Today I went over and took a cutting, brought it home, dipped it in rooting hormone and planted it.  Placed inside the cloche it is a dream come true.  8-10 weeks for rooting though, so while it may be cute and fun, there is no guarantee this baby will grow.

November 1 flowers

Continuing from February 1:

Alyssum
Wax begonias
Carnations

Continuing from March 1:
California poppies
Roses

Continuing from April 1:
"little tree" Solanum atropurpureum
Gaillardia
Impatiens

Continuing from May 1:
Clematis
Verbena bonariensis
Pomegranate tree
Annual Lobelia

Continuing from June 1:
Hydrangea macrophylla
Pelargonium
Echinacea 'White Swan'
Dahlia 'Bishop's Children'
Fuschia 'Gartenmeister Bonsteder'
Lavender

Continuting from July 1
Rudbeckia
Verbena, ground cover
Crepe Myrtle
Agastache rupestris

Continuing from August 1

Continuing from September 1

Continuing from October 1
Japanese anenome
Eupatorium 'Chocolate'

New for November 1
Mums
Johnny jump ups
Icleand poppies, sweet peas and pansies in for winter