Gita, of course I could be wrong…time flies!!!
Blooms, almost November, or other garden pretties?
It is amazing how some flowers just hang on--and how others
just refuse to die--no matter the frost we had.
Of all things--a big pot of Wax Begonias just keeps blooming away.
I bet it won't after Wednesday!
Some beautiful lavender/blue petunias blooming in one of my
big combo planters. Also--the Bicopa keeps on going...
Not much else left in it.
Also--my "Lady-in-Red" Salvias from Wind's seedlings just keep
blooming on and on. Maybe they are tender perennials?
Please ignore all the dead stuff around them...
Want to see what I have to deal with digging up wind's red canna????
This thing makes roots on steroids--these are coming up above ground--
I am scared to think what else is below....I just cut these back today.
This will be a massive task to dig these up....Ouch!
Gita, Lady in Red salvias are tender perennials, hardy to Zone 8. They will come fairly true from seed.
Coleup--
should I leave them in the beds then?
I have taken a lot of seeds from it--and can grow these myself.
Always got them from Dianna.
The ARE nice fillers-in--as the stems are not obvious-just the blooms...
G.
Gita, the canna roots look great--so healthy. I am inspired to cut back my own and see what it looks like under all those leaves! I got it from SSG at our pre-swap in August, but she may have gotten hers from another DGer. ;-)
What I have is autumn sage, Salvia greggii 'Furman's Red'. It's hardy to zone 6a. It's pretty and the hummingbirds liked it but has gotten very sprawly over the course of the summer. It only gets partial sun right now. I think it would bloom better with full sun.
Cat--Not familiar with this plant...sorry....G.
G. those cannas are super huge!! we have them lining the entire garden and always have to leave lots in the ground to rot. We can only dig up so many! good luck ^_^
I've never had any of the lady in reds self sow or come back. I've always started them from saved seeds. They are easy to germinate and like you can see, they bloom right until a hard killing frost. Ours are still blooming too. Actually, all our salvias are
Lady in Red is a coccinea, like the Coral Nymph I've had for many years. Now this is the first year I didn't have any seeldings volunteer from either CoralNymph, or Forest Fire, another coccinea. Yes those did bloom crazy up till hard frost. which for me is happening right now.
Gita, I realize I didn't get any photos of it when it was in full bloom. These photos were both taken before it had fully blossomed. It did end up with a lot of blossoms.
Catmint what are you doing up at this ungodly hour?
LOL Sally, I notice you posted just 15 minutes behind me! :-D 5:30 is our normal weekday wake-up time as we need to leave the house by 7:15 am to get my daughter to her school by 7:30 and me to work by 8. What about you?
Coleup, this is the purple fall foliage on Ruth's Red, which isn't all that different from the summer color. Nice contrast with Caramel Heuchera in the background.
Very pretty color on the crape myrtle this fall. I don't think the picture does it justice!
I don't have any color at all on this viburnum or two oakleaf hydrangeas. They had gorgeous fall colors last year so I'm still waiting.
you have such wonderful berries, SSG! Only my holly tree is that well fruited.
I have reasonable color on my viburnum, but it sounds as though we had an earlier cold snap than you all did, so that may have contributed.
Catmint my first alarm is 6:45 on weekdays. Then the real get out of bed alarm at 7. Then the get ready to leave alarm at 7:50. Smartphones with unlimited number of alarms are great for me and my crew. We had to get DS to high school by 7:15 for two years. It was expected to get up at 6. i cringe just remembering..
beautiful, Terry!
My only Viburnum, Red Wings, has been showing some nice color. My oak leaf, I think has just started to change.
LOL Sally sounds like you are not a morning person! :-D
I'm up every day at 3:50 am, but I am usually snoring away on the couch by 7:00 pm, and then I "get up" at 10:00 pm to go to bed LOL I'm with Sally - cringe, cringe, cringe thinking about those early hours. Wonder how long it will take for my body clock to re-adjust to a more normal wake up time when I retire?
yikes, Aspen, that sounds like a very challenging schedule!!
Fall crocus is starting to bloom!
Aaaawwww Catmint, it's so pretty!!!!!
Yucko Aspen, that is FAR too early to be getting up in the morning!! You should sleep in until at least 4:30 like a civilized person! (like ME, for example!) < =P HAAA!!!!!!
I have been thoroughly enjoying everyone's posts and pics, lurking around and peeking 'cause I have absolutely NOTHING to share. =( Until just recently I'd been so consumed with finishing that math class I'd had no time for anything else... and then the first couple days after my final were spent catching up on HOUSEWORK. (Eeewwww, LOL!) Friday I had some errands to run, including grocery shopping, so I FINALLY got outside to handle some leaves after I got home... only to have the blower/vac DIE ON ME!! By that time it was nearly 3:00 and I'd only gotten less than 1/4 of the yard done, and I was NOT about to START with the rake at 3:00, especially when I'd not even eaten anything yet. Phooey, I was done! Worked yesterday and will work today, so hopefully it'll NOT rain on me tomorrow and I'll be able to get outside and finally rake up the whole yard, YIPPEEEE!!!!!!!!!! Dare I share "before" and 'after' photos!? The "before" ones will be really scary!! < =D
Speaking of scary... since my hours at work have been cut back so drastically, yesterday was my first day back in a week... and I found that a bunch of stuff had been randomly HACKED back!!! One of the Vitex, one of the Crape Myrtles (Crape Murder!!!), and several of the Maiden Grass... HACKED very unevenly and horridly!! I'll share pics, but beware: They are NOT for the squeamish!!! Question: Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the WRONG time of year for such hacking!?!? At least for the grasses and Myrtle.. no??
# 1 and 2, Crape Murder
#3, 4, and 5, Vitex Hack. Ghastly!!
OMG--Speedie!!!
Who hacked them and why????? What was the purpose?
That is a real butchering job! Like--cutting them with a dull saw
that did not cut through--and then breaking off the remaining stem.
Are these supposed to re-grow next year? i would just cry! G.
ohmigosh, totally echo Gita's sentiments--why in the world would someone do such a thing??
Whoever did that should not be allowed sharp instruments ever again!
Speedie, I think crape myrtles are supposed to be pruned in late winter/early spring.
But those trees look injured, not just "pruned." :(
egads, sharing the horror!
Those things shouldn't be cut like that, and if they are that much too big, =wrong placement. Not a good image for a nursery! Agreed the timing is OK on crepe, just not that way.
Went out this morning and couldn't believe the survivors I have still hanging on despite the freezing weather we've had so far! I'm especially surprised by that one little snapdragon blossom.
I'm not sure what to make of the ajania. Is this what it looks like when it blooms? It seemed to have tightly curled yellowish buds for a very long time, then the buds loosened slightly and it looks like this. Is this how it's supposed to be, or does the plant need more sun for better blossoming?
1) Floribunda rose that has the baby growing under it
2) Dianthus
3) Ajania
4) Petunia
5) Snapdragon
Some fall color shrubs:
1) Still some color left on my viburnum, although it's dwindling and the leaves are falling now
2) My Beauty Bush 'Dream Catcher' has turned a very nice golden color, and has been growing well
3) My little Chokeberry is growing slowly but I'm pleased with the bright red leaves
4) The Nandina has been underperforming for me, but this may be because I deliberately planted it in a shadier-than-desirable spot after reading so much about how invasive it can be. I guess it has worked, because it's grown super slowly! Not as much red fall color as I would have liked, though, and only one stalk of fall berries; I wonder if I should find a sunnier spot for it after all?
okay, last post, I promise! :-o
1) My Mahonia 'Soft Caress' seems to be doing well, although it's been a slow grower, and may not be getting quite enough sun where it is (pretty much full shade). Might have had more blooms with some morning sun...
2) My holly tree is fruiting nicely!
3) Fall crocuses are continuing to open! There are seven more sprouts (hard to see in the photo) which I hope will bloom soon. I'm hoping for 10 blooms for 10 bulbs planted--we'll see! At least they've all sprouted.
4) I like my Skimmia--some nice fruit and buds ready for the spring. It's a male/female Skimmia combo I found--nice to have them together in one plant.
Love it all!
I have a different type of Mahonia and it is a slow grower.
Holy holly! I have a lot of small volunteers and hope that in another decade the investment will pay off. Shouldn't 50% of my volunteers be females?
Thanks, Sally. Glad to hear I'm not the only one with a slow-growing Mahonia! That's an interesting question about how gender of offspring are determined! hmmm... do the male plants produce other males and the females produce other females?
Catmint, your viburnum has such nice color! Hm... mine's still completely green. I love that mahonia. I'm definitely getting one in the spring. One of the main landscapers for Meadow's Farms has a blog and he recently wrote about Mahonia Soft Caress. He says it's just a slow grower in this area. http://davermfarm.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/still-flowers/
Pacific chrysanthemum does have very small yellow blooms. Did you happen to see them at Critter's? She let hers spread, and it's probably 4-5 feet wide and absolutely covered in pollinators. It was quite a sight!
I noticed today that I have coneflowers that are still blooming.
thanks, SSG! It's amazing how much warmer your neighborhood seems than mine! Only 20 minutes away but it's as though we're in a different zone! :-) Anyway, can't believe your viburnum is still green! And your coneflowers are still blooming, too? I think the only thing left green in my yard is *evergreen*! :-D Hope your viburnum gets some color soon!
I think the mahonia has really unique, pretty foliage. Here's a photo of it this summer with the caladium and the skimmia. It provides a nice textural contrast. I'm curious to see what the berries will be like that are supposed to follow the flowers.
I don't recall seeing Critter's ajania! I think I need to move mine to a sunnier spot in the spring so the blooms pop better.
Cat--a couple comments on all your beautiful still blooming plants...
Don't worry about your Nandina! It is in the category of a "garbage plant"
and will grow and prosper almost anywhere...They are s-l-o-w growers....
I have had mine by my shed corner forever--and it is no taller that 4+'.
Of course--it IS right next to my smaller Maple,,,lots of competition.
I think yours is absolutely happy and really nice. No problema!!!
Your Floribunda rose bloom is so beautiful! Almost like a Hybrid rose's.
Third pic--is that a Chrysanthemum Pacificum??? The foliage looks like it,
but the blooms look different than mine. So much yellow! Is that one from me?
Mine has almost miniature daisy-like flowers with a touch of pink. The centers are yellow.
Will post a picture....may not be mine--but mine looks like this one.
1&2 are mine---3 is from somewhere--more like yours...
thanks, Gita. Yes, it is Chrysanthemum pacificum (or Ajania pacifica). Yours is beautiful although I agree it looks a little different. Mine looks more like the last photo, and is very late blooming-- pollinators are gone by now.
thanks, Gita. Yes, it is Chrysanthemum pacificum (or Ajania pacifica). Yours is beautiful although I agree it looks a little different. Mine looks more like the last photo, and is very late blooming-- pollinators are gone by now.
I've been pleased with the floribunda. The flowers open up a lovely pink, but then turn to a whitish/pale pink. As far as I can guess, the cultivar is 'Amy Grant', but of course guessing cultivars is always a tricky business... One thing I definitely like about it is that it's nearly thornless! And it is definitely a long bloomer--started in June and is still putting out blooms in November.
These new botanical names. grr. ajania
Lovin that Mahonia Soft caress.
Anyhoo, Catmint- male hollies produce flowers with pollen only, no ovary. Female hollies make berries and any berry that sprouts I think is a 50/50 chance of being a male plant or female plant.
Very interesting about the berries, Sally!
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm--- AJANIA???? A cool name!
Sounds like a unique name someone could name their baby daughter....
So many people make up names for their kids nowadays. Kind of weird....
I have still not figured out WHY they do it...maybe it is cultural?
But--"Ajania" has a nice ring to it......Anyone pregnant and expecting a girl?????
Better than naming a kid "Pacificum".....;o)
G.
Haahahaahaahahaaahaaaa Gita, but WHY NOT name her Pacificum? I know... if someone's expecting twins, a boy and a girl, name him Pacificum, and name her Jania! < =)
Wow, you guys really do have a good amount of nice Fall colour still going strong out there! Catmint, Nooooo, please not your last post of pictures!?!?! < =( I really loved the ones of your Dianthus and Snapdragons! I love Snapdragons, they are so much fun to play with! =)
Yeah, you guys are right, that really was a butchering job on those babies at work... pooor babies!!! And right near the entrances to the nursery building too!!! NOT a good representation of us!! Sadly, I get too many days off this time of year, so it won't be until Thursday that I'll have even a CHANCE to chat with the culprit, but when I do, I shall give a gentle and loving education.
(Just be thankful I didn't get pics of the Miscanthus that have been hacked, y'all would really cry!)
LOL--I think you're right about 'Ajania'--would work great as one of those unique names for girls! :-D
Aww, Speedie, you're such a sweetie! :-)
Come on Cat, admit it, you like to play with the Snapdragons too!! Pinch just "here", and their little mouths open up and you can make them talk!! HAHAHAAHAAHAAHAHAAA!!!! They are just soooooo cute!!!!!!!!! < =D
(I do that at work... I'll sneak up on unsuspecting customers with a Snapdragon in my hands... open it's little mouth at the person and say something silly like "Hi there! You want to take me home with you, don't you!?" LOL!!!!!!!)