Saturday, November 15, 2008

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - November 2008


You'd think with all the warm weather we've had lately, we would have more blooms for November Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, wouldn't you? There are some, but we've had a couple of hard freezes and that made all but the hardiest of blooms turn to mush.

I don't take "walk-throughs" that often in the garden anymore, because there's not that much different to see from day to day. Any changes are kind of like spring in reverse. But it is fun to spot a few blooms here and there as Thanksgiving looms right around the corner.


Chrysanthemum 'Matchsticks' had its initial flush of blooms, then put out a few more, low on the plant. The color is deeper on these late blooms than the earlier ones. Other mums are still blooming, too, and several of them have new shoots of growth spreading around the base of the plants.


The Giant Yellow Scabiosa didn't wink a bit at the freezing temperatures, but I imagine it too will stop blooming when we have temperatures below freezing on a consistent basis.


It seems the Peacock Orchids (Acidanthera) takes longer and longer to bloom each year. I thought it was going to skip this summer altogether until I noticed one lonely bloom. It was enough to allow me a whiff of its heavenly fragrance. I moved it to the front porch in hopes of keeping it just warm enough to bloom some more.

These Love-In-A-Mist (Nigella damascarena) are annuals, but they self-seed prolifically. I didn't plant these this spring, but they came up where I had them last summer and that was fine with me. I've let them drop their seeds this year, so I'll have them once again next year.


The Calendula don't seem to mind the cold either and keep right on bloomin'.


The variegated Abutilon lived outside all summer and I just recently brought it in. It may have been okay on the front porch, but I didn't want to take the chance with this one.


The full-sized roses survived several frosty nights, but the one we had a few nights ago, where the thermometer bottomed out in the lower 20s, blackened them a bit. The miniature roses, however, have all fared well and are still bringing color our way!

Other blooms that we've seen in the last few days are:

  • Fall-blooming crocus
  • Johnny Jump-Ups (Viola)
  • Lobelia cardinalis
  • Gaillardia (all cultivars)
  • Gazania!
  • October Daphne (Sedum sieboldii)
  • Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)
  • Knautia macedonica
  • Petunia ('Wave™')
  • Heather (Calluna vulgaris)
  • Coreopsis 'Limerock Dream'
  • Xeranthemum anuum
  • Ornamental strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa 'Pink Panda')
  • Corydalis 'Berry Exciting' (yes, it's continuing to bloom!)


27 comments:

joey said...

Many stunning November stars still showing their beautiful faces, Kylee. How lucky you are!

Naturegirl said...

Still abundant beauty and color in your November garden!
I love the ..chrysanthemum Matchsticks!Really does look like a matchstick!
I also have several rose still smiling in my garden.

Unknown said...

Oooh... I really love that Matchsticks! I'll be honest, I don't like most mums. But 'Matchsticks' is one that I could definitely stand having in my own garden.

And that abutilon, and the acidanthera, are both stunning. I didn't know that the acidanthera had a nice fragrance... that makes me even more intrigued by it.

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Quite a colourful display for GBBD, Kylee. I'm amazed that the delicate Nigella flowers could stand the frosts you've been having lately. It's wonderful how some very fragile looking flowers can be tough as old boots, isn't it? I've put my Abutilon in the greenhouse as it is not winter hardy here either. Your giant scabiosa is gorgeous, those flowers will do good in a vase too.

Happy GBBD, Kylee!

Ewa said...

Kylee, that first chrysanthemum is amazing - I love it.
Matchbox... eee... Matchsticks - you say - it looks sooo interesting...

Zoƫ said...

I wish it was as vibrant here! Lovely to see things still blooming.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

You have lots blooming in your garden Kylee. I just love that yellow rose. Yellow roses are my sentimental favorite rose.

F Cameron said...

That matchstick is appropriately named! My scabiosa 'butterfly blue' will bloom off and on all winter, but I've got it in a micro-climate out front (passive solar house). I really like your nigella. I was going to buy some seeds, but then figured it would be too hot here in NC.

Beautiful blooms you have for this time of year!
Cameron

Anonymous said...

You still have tons of blooms in your garden Kylee. I love the mum 'Matchstick'! My white mum has petals like that too. The Love in a Mist are pretty too, I will have to try growing those again.

Unknown said...

You still have beautiful blooms, Love the first one!

Gail said...

A lovely array of blooms...the acidanthera does have a heavenly fragrance! I will need to put it back on the ever growing list! Calendula is such a pretty color and it is also going on the list...it has a long bloom period.
Have a sweet day! Gail

Carol Michel said...

Thanks for joining in for bloom day again, and I am impressed by how "early" you posted. You have a good showing of blooms for so late in the season!

Carol, May Dreams Gardens

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Just when I thought I'd seen them all, here's a new & completely different Chrysanthemum - Matchsticks is wonderful, from its form to its color. I'll bet you can see it from across the garden. I'm glad you got at least 1 bloom from your Acidanthera. (They have a new name, but I've forgotten what it is. Gladiolus something.) I grew them once and loved them. I still don't know why I've never tried them again. You still have so much in bloom. I'm so jealous that your Corydalis 'Berry Exciting' is still blooming. My Corydalis 'Blacberry Wine' died back when it didn't rain in August, and has only sent up new leaves in the last month.

Anonymous said...

What a perfect name is that for the mum.
Donna

LINDA from Each Little World said...

Lots of striking color and form in your garden even at this date. The Abutilon in particular caught my eye. And I love the Proust quote on your hedder — I'm going to have to remember that one!

Sarah Laurence said...

There's a lovely diversity of texture, pattern and color in your garden.

Lythrum said...

I love your abutilon, I've seen them in seed catalogs and wondered about them. I love the Nigella too, I might have to try them out too. :)

Diana said...

The matchsticks mum is so exotic looking - I've never seen anything like it. Your post sounded like the garden was barren and then you showered us with so many beautiful blooms - like the orchid and the abutilon. I have just fallen in love with Abulitons but know nothing about them. What kind of garden space does it like? The colors on that one are amazing.

Rose said...

I'm amazed at all you still have blooming, Kylee! The matchstick mum is quite a sparkler, and I love the abulitons, a plant I've never heard of before.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

It sounds like here in Nebraska, we are a little ahead of you in winter's march. I grow a lot of the flowers you showed, but they are finished blooming. I want to go out and look at my knautia, though. Maybe it has some blooms I missed. I have grown nigella off and on over the years, but it hasn't always continued coming back each year. I got a few plants for my new bed this year, and planted some seeds. They all grew and made lots of seeds. I hope to have a good patch of them next year. Yours are sure pretty still!

EAL said...

A beautiful show. Much more than I would have expected for your zone. I don't have half that.

Dana S. Whitney said...

You've really concentrated your efforts to great result. I'd never seen a white Scabiosa before... just purply ones. And I'm hoping (in a futile way) that neglect will get rid of errant grass in our flower beds.
We had our first freeze last night, but nothing seems to have fainted as a result.

Curmudgeon said...

I really thought they were a bunch of matchsticks! How interesting. Your corydalis is still blooming?!?
--Curmudgeon

Meems said...

Hi Kylee, Really nice gathering of blooms for November and two freezes already. Plants for the most part are a hardy bunch aren't they? I, too, love the deep and vibrant hues of the matchsticks. The Abutilon is very intriguing with its contrasting veins. I like the way the little lime green bug posed on the bright Calendula. How cooperative!
Very nice post.
Meems

Cosmo said...

Hi, Kylee--Wow, I just made a huge list--have to check to see if they'll grow here! I love acidanthera, but so do the deer--they nipped mine before they bloomed this year. What a wonderful bloom day in your garden.

Kylee Baumle said...

Joey ~ Not many left now, just a week later!

Naturegirl ~ 'Matchsticks' is one of my favorites, too! Roses are pretty tough, aren't they? :-)

Kim ~ I got 'Matchsticks' a couple of years ago from Bluestone. I know what you mean about mums. Not my favorites, either, but they provide good color at a time when not a lot else does.

Oh goodness, the Acidanthera has a wonderful fragrance! The first time I ever noticed it, I walked by and caught a whiff and it took me awhile to figure out that it was coming from the Acidanthera. I just didn't expect such a strong fragrance from a small flower.

Yolanda Elizabet ~ The Nigella are below the willow tree which protects it somewhat, but I was surprised to see it still blooming, too.
I love the seedheads on the Scabiosa, too, don't you?

Ewa ~ 'Matchsticks' is a good performer and it always gets a lot of attention!

Zoƫ ~ Every day we have something blooming is a good day!

Lisa ~ When I see my yellow roses, I always think of my girlfriend Pat, who passed away five years ago. Yellow roses were her favorites.

Cameron ~ I think Nigella would do just fine for you there! They're such an easy self-seeding annual.

perennialgardener ~ I would love to have a white one like 'Matchsticks'! Do you know the name of it?

Darla ~ As you can tell from reading the comments, 'Matchsticks' is always an attention getter!

Gail ~ You're right. Calendulas do seem like they bloom forever. Even though right now, some of these blooms I had a week ago are gone, the Calendulas are still going!

Carol ~ Thanks for hosting Bloom Day!

Mr. McGregor's Daughter ~ Yeah, I knew Acidanthera was renamed, but I love it's 'old' name. LOL. I hate how they keep changing names of things, but oh well!
'Berry Exciting' was just planted this summer and it was so very tiny when I got it. It started blooming a little over a month ago, much to my surprise. I think transplanting it midsummer must have thrown it off a bit!

Donna ~ Isn't it though? I posted about it last year and talked about that very thing!

Ms. Wis. ~ I was introduced to the Proust quote by our older daughter, Kara. She gave me a fridge magnet that has it on it. I love it, too!

Sarah Laurence ~ Thank you!

Lythrum ~ I've not tried to grow Abutilon from seed, although I did collect some seed last year. Nigella is really easy, so you should try them!

Diana ~ The garden really is pretty barren, but it's rather large, so these few things don't really make much impact.
The Acidanthera is on the front porch and so was the Abutilon. I don't grow Abutilon in the ground. It has to be brought in for the winter, so it's easier for me to grow them in containers. They are also called "Parlor Maple" so they're really considered more of a houseplant. I put them outside for summer though. If you want to grow them in the ground, they wouldn't take up much space - maybe a square foot or so?

Rose ~ We had a couple of really cold nights this week, so some of these things have gone bye-bye. Abutilons are fairly easy to grow. You should try one!

Sue ~ Did you check your Knautia? It might have seeds on it now, too. I collected mine and plan to plant them next spring.
Yes, the Nigella is one of those persistent self-seeders! I find the blooms to be gorgeous and the seed pods are pretty cool, too!

EAL ~ I actually have less blooming this year than last year!

Knitting Painter Woman ~ It's been kind of like that here, too. The frosts and freezes we've had so far have not been as hard on things as you might expect.

Weed Whackin' Wenches ~ 'Matchsticks' really is fabulous, isn't it? And yes, the Corydalis has been blooming. I did a previous post about it here. It has surprised me, too!

Meems ~ My things have really surprised me too this year. But I'll take whatever blooms I can get at this time of year! That little bug on the Calendula? I absolutely HATE those things. This time of year they are everywhere, eating everything!

Cosmo ~ Oh those darn deer! We've been lucky here. Apparently they have been finding what they need by gleaning the corn fields. I saw something a couple of days ago that I hadn't seen before - five deer were LAYING DOWN in the middle of a corn field!

Kerri said...

I keep meaning to plant Scabiosa. It's so pretty! Love your Matchstick mums. Perfectly named! I haven't had much luck with mum. Must try again!
I want to try Nigella too.
And the Peacock Orchid is beautiful.
Is there a bloom I don't like? ;)
I have a different variegated Abutilon with a plain apricot flower. Very pretty. I pruned the pink one on your advise, and need to do the new one too.
Glad I finally caught up with your November Bloom Day!
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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