Sunday, November 26

November Blooms

It has been a beautiful weekend--we got our "Indian Summer" after all, just a little later than usual! I spent a good amount of time outside today, cleaning up peony and hosta leaves and spreading mulch. Yes, I know it's too early for winter mulching, but the rest of the pile had to go so we could get our cars inside this winter.

Most of the fall foliage colors are fading, but I was surprised to see so much in bloom around the yard. Next to the side door are my potted 'Goodwin Creek Grey' lavender and a 2-year-old 'Arp' rosemary that are enjoying some cold snaps before they come indoors for the worst of winter. The lavender pot is too heavy to move more than once, but I brought the rosemary out front--near the 'Bressingham Ruby' bergenia, which is sporting its winter color already--to better show off its pale flowers.


In the backyard, a few valiant little calendula plants were still offering cheerful blooms. I had cut them back late in the summer to their basal foliage when their scruffiness really started to get to me. They all gave me rebloom at their new shorter height.


Last but not least, my alpine strawberries are still blooming like crazy. There are no fruits for their labor, but since I walk past them to get to my car every morning I appreciate them nonetheless.


I have a few other pictures to share, and posts brewing... but I will be out of town until late Tuesday night and then have tournament games for our indoor 4's volleyball league on Wednesday night. So I hope to squeak in a post on Henry Mitchell sometime Thursday, to make the November Garden Blogger's Book Club deadline!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to your post on the Essential Earthman. I'll add it to the post I put out on Friday, along with any others I get between now and the end of the week.

Have a great week.

Sigruns German Garden said...

We have also some flowerrests in the garden, but in some parts of Germany they had frost.

Sigrun

Kati said...

Beautiful. I was afraid to let the frost get my rosemary. I guess it's tougher than I thought. Mine has been taking it easy indoors for weeks now!

lisa said...

Don't you love this late flower show we're getting in the Midwest? My posts are behind...carpal tunnel pains lately...but tonite I'm gonna power thru...

OldRoses said...

I still have calendula too! It's growing great and a couple are budded. This is crazy, crazy weather.

Annie in Austin said...

I'm also looking forward to your Henry post, Kim!
Good luck with the Rosemary.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Bob said...

I put a bit of mulch on the beds I tidied yesterday, I think it makes them look better for one thing.

Anonymous said...

Great photo of the calendula. Some of our plants are putting up a good fight and are still blooming too. This warm spell greatly helps.

Unknown said...

Carol, I didn't quite get my post done in time, considering how busy I've been at work, but I'll put a comment on your roundup post to show a link for it when it's done. I still feel compelled to finish it!

Sigrun, we had already had a frost here, too, but the calendula was still blooming! :)

Kati, I read somewhere that the key to overwintering rosemary is cool air, and putting it near a drafty window worked great last year. Not sure what I'm going to do with it this year, though, because it's so big! I need to figure that out quick, though, because it will have to come in soon.

lisa, you have carpal tunnel? Argh... my Mom has that (worked in a factory all her life) and it's rough. I hope your flare-up feels better soon.

Old Roses, I have Yarrow in bud, too!

Annie, thanks... but now that I read your beautiful post on Henry Mitchell, I don't know what more can be said. :)

ukbob, I definitely agree with you there. I leave a lot of seedheads and such up for the winter, but having the fresh mulch around them makes them look more intentional and less lazy. *grin*

Ki is your warm spell over now, too? We got really chilly last night, and are forecast to go down into the 20s this week...

Anonymous said...

I love those alpine strawberries too, they keep on blooming untill covered in snow!

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