Sunday, November 15, 2009

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - November 2009

Welcome to my November garden! I'm cheating a little this month by including some blooms seen in my travels this week, but THIS handsome beast you'll recognize from previous posts. Rudbeckia 'Indian Summer' has been blooming for nearly 5 months! Rudy is getting a little tired now, but can still manage a stunning closeup!

Zauschneria californica (California Fuchsia) is a pretty little native that, to be honest, is also looking a little seedy these days, but if you look past that you'll find these exquisite orange flowers that look great with its blue-green foliage.

Fatsia japonica also blooms in late fall/winter around here. Those little sorbet-cup florets are constantly humming with bees and hummingbirds.

Salvia 'Anthony Parker' (a hybrid of Salvia elegans and Salvia leucantha) is just opening its first blooms. See here for more details on this gorgeous hunk of sage.

Callistemon 'Little John' is also putting out his first puffballs of the season; another plant with great glaucus foliage in a neat, rounded shrub 3'-4' high.

Another fabulous winter bloomer is Tulbaghia simmleri 'Cheryl Renshaw' which is NOT stinky society garlic, and in fact has a lovely fragrance. Cheryl Renshaw is actually a friend of mine, and was honored by a British collector to whom she sent some bulbs, sweet!

This is that cute dwarf Crassula that was so cherry red all summer; with cooler weather is takes on more normal coloration...and it blooms!

There are still some lovely roses around, like this pink carpet rose.

Or this single, lovely bud of 'Pure Perfume'

And this single red climber (a legacy from my old gardening neighbor, now growing on the fence between our houses). I love how autumn light makes everything glow!

Here's a few out-of-season head-scratchers to add to the mix. I've mentioned my Cerinthe major before, which is still blooming like crazy. I won't argue if it's going to keep being this photogenic!

At a client's house this week I also spotted this Cercis occidentalis (Western Redbud) with fall color AND spring blooms??? Somebody is confused here!

Also this lovely dark blue Agapanthus, who must think it's July...

This week I also visited Love Apple Farm in Ben Lomond, CA and grabbed a handful of blues, like this English Lavender.

The farm has many mature oaks and conifers, so the Hydrangeas come by their blue flowers very honestly in that acid soil!

Lest you think we Californians live in some perpetual spring, let me assure you that there will be bleak days to come. I think we have three of them scheduled for mid-January. Until then, our flowers will simply continue their slow, graceful decline.

Thanks, as always, to Carol from May Dreams Gardens for being the heart of Garden Bloggers' Bloom day. Visit her site for links to Bloom Day posts from all over the world.

"We can have flowers nearly every month of the year." ~ Elizabeth Lawrence

7 comments:

  1. So nice to finally see a photo of Cerinthe major in bloom. I've tried growing it from seed several times with no luck. Maybe it just doesn't like it here in zone 6. Love the colors on the dwarf Crassula.

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  2. Great photos, we may have to fight over Anthony parker, I love that salvia & will be on the lookout for him if he wanders down my way.

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  3. Very nice Laura. Happy GBBD! H.

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  4. Love the last photo of the blue-green hydrangea....so very Fall-ish, isn't it??

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  5. Agapanthus is DELISH! Also, love that Bee on the Fatsia. Isn't it so funny we live in totally different climates and we both have Fatsia at the same time!

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  6. Hi Laura, I so enjoyed your bloom day photos and was struck to the heart by Salvia Anthony Waterer. I must search high and low for that one. Thanks for explaining the parentage too, it tells me that it would, make that could grow here. Your images are superb! :-)
    Frances

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  7. Garden Junkie -Glad you like the Cerinthe; around here it's one of those flowers that you plant once and have forever (like Nasturtiums) keep trying!

    Susie -Isn't Anthony a total babe? If you can't find him come visit me and I'll give you a cutting!

    Lara -Thanks for visiting

    Rebecca -Right? Love how Hydrangeas go gracefully into that good night...

    BtoB -I've never seen an Agapanthus blooming in November; don't know what's up! But the Fatsia is right on schedule!

    Frances -Welcome Oh Queen of Blotanical! Glad you enjoyed my pictures...recently got a new camera and have discovered a whole other level of fun! Do come back now...

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