Wednesday, November 17, 2010

A Late Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - November 2010

We were away this past weekend celebrating our oldest grandson's ninth birthday, and I guess my mind was elsewhere, because the 15th of the month crept right up and surprised me.
Working and posting don't seem to fit very well into the same day for me anymore, but I had today off, so here finally, are my mid-November blooms. 


Some of the Helleborus niger/Christmas Rose petals are now tinged with pink, and this delightful plant steadfastly continues to hold up through all kinds of weather.




Severe frosts and cold days don't seem to phase it at all. I hope it blooms with the same enthusiasm when spring comes again.


I love the combination of pink and white blooms on the same plant.

We had a 4 beautiful, sunny days last Thursday through Sunday, but today the weather has turned blustery, wet and very wintery - not a nice day to be outdoors.





Hubby recently noticed that the Honeysuckle over by the grape vines still has a few blooms. Posted by Picasa
It looks like Lonicera brownii (Dropmore Scarlet) to me, but being a passalong I can't be sure.
This pretty vine began blooming early in the spring and even now it continues to produce blooms!

Bright red berries have taken over the color show now that the leaves are gone from the little burning bush.


Frosty mornings add a sugar coating,


.....enhancing the beauty.




Behind the Burning Bush the Weigela has grown considerably this past summer and its fall color is gorgeous. Posted by Picasa


Rimmed with frost...


....the leaves are especially beautiful.


The gardens are mostly bare of blooms now,


but until very recently this tall Mallow (Malva zebrini) was still loaded with pretty purple blooms. Posted by Picasa


Only the most severe frosts have finally finished its late show.


Frost adds a beautiful touch to Sedum Autumn Joy's rich rufous fall tones. 


Another passalong from my friend, Marie, this little pale pink Chrysanthemum produced a few brave blooms and held up well to the frosty mornings.


Purple Alyssum generously sprouted beside the usual white Alyssum this past summer in the cracks between pavers of the back door patio. It laughs in the face of the cold. Posted by Picasa


Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower) "Summer Berries Mix" has just recently finally been stopped by the frost.


And the heavy frosts have taken a toll on the Gaura as well.


The large Spirea bush is beautifully dressed in its fall shades of red.


On the covered, unheated side porch the Ivy Geraniums and Fuchsia "Marinka" seem to like the cool temperatures and are blooming happily. Posted by Picasa


"Butterfly"


"Taj Mahal"


"Marimba"


When the temperatures drop closer to freezing on the porch I'll move them to upstairs bedrooms. Posted by Picasa


This Hoya is the house plant of the moment, showing off 2 lovely bloom clusters, with a few more tiny ones showing promise for the future.


These blooms are fascinating, beginning as little closed stars and gradually unfolding tiny pockets...... 


....to reveal shiny gems of rasberry red.
As an added bonus, the blooms last for quite a while. 


Jasmine is a cat who obviously appreciates beauty!
Not very long ago I snapped this shot of her admiring the last gorgeous bloom of Clematis "Carnaby". This long lasting bloom is still there, albiet a little worse for wear, but hanging in there. Homestead Verbena and white Alyssum are still showing a bit of color as well in the Rose/Clematis garden, but even these last few stalwarts will soon be gone and the garden will sleep until spring returns again. Posted by Picasa

Be sure to visit our gracious hostess, Carol of May Dreams Gardens  to discover what's blooming in gardens all over the globe. 
Carol's inspiration for Bloom Day was inspired by the words of Elizabeth Lawrence - "We can have flowers nearly every month of the year"

26 comments:

Anonymous said...[Reply]

I was looking at your garden plants thinking your blooms look similar to mine on Bloom Day. I checked out where you are from and discovered why. I live in Niagara Falls, so I am guessing you live east of me. You had frost where ours has not been as noticeable. Nice selection and cute kitty.

Christmas-etc... said...[Reply]

What a lovely tour! Thanks so much. Since we are still in the 70's here in Greece and rarely see frost this time of the year, I really appreciate the sugar coated pictures!
And Jasmine is definitely appreciative of beauty. So funny how she probably doesn't realize how gorgeous she is!! Animals and plants... they really give give give beauty to us all year long!
Many Blessings!
Ann

Wally said...[Reply]

I really like your hellebore, your frosty photos are beautiful, your hoya flowers are so cute, and I love your cat.

Susan Tidwell said...[Reply]

love your frosty pictures and poetic description: 'frosty mornings add a sugar coating'. The hoya flowers look like they are also made of sugar, possibly atop a wedding cake. I must be hungry...

Great pictures, thanks! Stay warm.

Lisa at Greenbow said...[Reply]

I am amazed at what all is still blooming around your house and garden. That hoya bloom is gorgeous. The fuschia that was in my window box bloomed until just this past week. They do seem to like the cooler weather. Happy GBBD.

Needled Mom said...[Reply]

The frost on the various plants does make it look as though they are sprinkled with sugar. It looks almost magical.

The hoya is GORGEOUS!!! I wonder if that is one that we could grow in our area. I haven't seen them around us before, but one can always try.

It won't be long before your outdoor scenes will be covered in white. It's hard to imagine that it is that time of the year.

kylieps said...[Reply]

I love the weigela and spirea leaves covered in frost. Great photos mum!

Denise said...[Reply]

The frosty pictures are beautiful. I can feel the cold!

Anonymous said...[Reply]

I think you might have a Christmas garden post this year, Kerri.

Your geraniums look good. I see you have special place to winter them. I have five in the cellar windows, but have no room for more.

I got my new Pine Tree Garden Seed catalog today. Good reading tonight!

Tabor said...[Reply]

Do the geraniums get enough sun hung so high? HOw do you water them? That hoya has me intrigued!!

Val said...[Reply]

I havent been blog reading for a while, so its a pleasure to catch up on your garden!

Lovely.

Anonymous said...[Reply]

hi kerri, you have me pining for frosty mornings if only to replicate the effects you have on the foliage and burning bush berries... so pretty. love the hellebores too.
i hear you saw something else come to bloom the other day... hope to see some pics of that cute little lamb born on the farm. lucky you!
-andrea

Babara said...[Reply]

Isn't it surprising that even in November nature still gives us some flowers and colors? One just has to take a closer look around and the we can still discover a lot...as you prove with your beautiful pictures of flowers and iced plants which you have in your garden. And when the time comes and our gardens are bare of really all flowers, we still have the plants indoors. How lucky we are :-) !!
Take care, dear Kerri!
Barbara

joey said...[Reply]

Love your frosty photos and lovely Helleborus niger/Christmas Rose petals. A beautiful post. Happy Thanksgiving, dear Kerri :)

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri, despite mister frost and colder days many of your beautiful blooms in the garden are hanging on.
The sugar coated red berries look so delightful, a real eye candy! the geraniums are freely flowering in your porch, I think as long as they do not get any frost they are alright. You have many gorgeous varieties. I grow a few hardy, older varieties which do very well. the newer hybrids are not as hardy but very beautiful. I am sure the Hoya feels quite at home with you, as it is also an Australian. I am not sure exactly which one as there are a few natives. some also come from Thailand etc. the garden also looks very nice settling down for the colder month ahead. T.

verobirdie said...[Reply]

Love your plants! At each picture, I said, wow, this is beautiful, and again at the next one, etc.
I like the contrast of red and frost.
Thank you for letting us share those beauties with you.

em said...[Reply]

hi kerri, we still do not have frost, so i've not had the opportunity to photograph it! but still we have many flowers. i love the frost shots you have. that hoya is lovely. i have one with little round leaves andi think i remember that it has a nice smell. does your have a fragrance? we'll have to be clever this winter... it would be fun to start a challenge or project for bloggers.... hm.....

Kathy said...[Reply]

My mallow was one of the last to stop blooming, too. It had to drop into the teens before it gave up. I tried gaura once and it didn't make it through the winter. Maybe I should try again.

Pam said...[Reply]

Beautiful as usual. Our garden is uniformly white at the moment!

Judy Birmingham (Seeing Anew Blog) said...[Reply]

I just read that upstate NY got buried in snow last night! Are you still digging out? I hope all is well. Makes for great photos, anyway!

Debbie said...[Reply]

Kerri,
I haven't been blogging or reading blogs, but I stopped by at just the right time to see your wonderful gardens...in and out. It is always a joy to stop by and "visit".

em said...[Reply]

hi kerri, thanks for all the compliments! you are so good at them. i was thinking of a project like the "where in the world" project a year or so ago. that was so fun. or sophie munns postcard project was great. maybe a winter theme, like odd winter customs in your area, or winter hobbies? any ideas? or do a black and white winterscape contest? what do you think?

Mountain Mama said...[Reply]

Hello Kerri and thank you for sharing your lovely pictures. I do love how frost coats and trims the leaves of the plants. especially when the sun shines on it and it sparkles. You have a lot more color that I do. We had over a week of below freezing temp's and everything is brown now. As much as I dislike the snow it's far better than seeing all the dead foliage. I'm anxious for spring, as usual.
I used to have a Hoya but it got so big I gave it to my daughter who has a larger house.
Thanks again.

Alice said...[Reply]

Still spots of colour here and there to brighten your days, just the way you brighten ours. Pleased to see I am still blooming happily (Sweet Alice, that is...lol).

The hoya is spectacular and the hanging baskets are beautiful as always.

Soon the shortest day will be passed and you can look forward to slightly more daylight, even if it takes a while to warm up. Keep your mind warming planning for your Spring/Summer garden.

Some warm (but wet) hugs to keep you going!

Andrew McAllister said...[Reply]

Those are beautiful photos. And they seem even more amazing to me because the snow is already on the ground where I live. Thanks for sharing! :o) Andrew (To Love, Honor, and Dismay)

Sigrun said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri, I see you overwinter your geraniums and the fuchsias. I do not, because I have no place for it. Some I've given away and some are on the compost.
Nine years is your grandson old, we becomes old, I think!;)

Sigrun