November 15, 2015

Notable November Blooms and Foliage

marigolds 2

For this month's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and Foliage Follow-Up, it seems more important than ever to appreciate the small things--the little moments of beauty; the tiny, fighting plants blooming for the last time this season; the fascinating shades of foliage that will soon fade away.*

Believe it or not, a few plants are still blooming in my USDA zone 5 garden:

marigolds 1

Marigolds in a south-facing pot near the house.

lamium 2

Little purple/pink Lamiums snuggling under the mulch of Oak leaves.

lamium 1

And more Lamiums warming in the crevices of the rock wall.

impatiens

A few double Impatiens in pots on the front porch.

fuchsia

And Fuchsias in hanging baskets.

I used no heroic measures to save these blooming plants, other than to water them. I figure when it's there time to go, I must accept it.

bouquet

The arrangement I shared in my last post is slowly shriveling, but it's still a pleasant greeting by the back door.

While the stunning Maples, Ashes, Oaks, and other dramatic fall foliage trees have lost most of their leaves, bits of green, yellow, and other vibrant foliage remain.

ivy

I rescued most of the English Ivy and put it in pots in the sunroom for the winter. But a few of the outdoor sprigs still survive.

wisteria

Wisteria leaves, though tattered and nibbled by insects, capture the afternoon light on the arbor.

viburnum berries

I realize this is a bloom day and foliage post, but the Cranberrybush Viburnum berries (V. opulus var. americanum) are so cheery this time of year.

viburnum leaf

As are the shrub's variegated leaves. It's hard to describe the color of the Viburnum's foliage as it captures the morning and the late-afternoon sunlight.

bugbane

In fact, all the remaining foliage, like this Bugbane (Actaea racemosa), has a special glow in the waning hours.

I thought I'd share a series of three photos showing the backyard before, during, and after raking. The photo quality isn't great because I snapped them quickly as I was working, but it's interesting to see the progress.

leaf piles collage

Note: We don't discard our leaves. Many of them remain on the garden beds. But we do rake most of the leaves off the grass so we can push a mower through. We use some of the leaves for compost and transport some to the woods shown in the background, which is an extension of our property. Check out this article and this one on the merits of mowing, retaining, and using the leaves on your property.

How about you? What's blooming in your garden? Is the foliage still colorful? Check out Carol's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and Pam's Foliage Follow-Up to learn more about what's happening in gardens around the world.

*Our thoughts and prayers are with recent victims of violence in various parts of the world.

42 comments:

  1. Hi Beth, at least you have some remaining blooms. I guess when you look at the wide angle views of lovely autumn colors, those remaining ones are not that important anymore, except for us who are really looking for them. Happy raking leaves, haha!

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    1. The flowers will be gone by the end of the week, Andrea. Winter is on its way! The leaves are mostly raked, and now we're settling in for our long winter's nap. ;-)

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  2. The waning autumn sunlight is so precious and gilds the garden this time of year. Bless those tough bloomers still blooming on, oblivious to their fate. We should all go this way, vibrant and happy to the very end! Beautiful!

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    1. Yes, it's pretty spectacular sometimes, isn't it?! Great description. This comment is so encouraging--especially in these challenging times. You are so right. I guess that's why I tend to favor the fighters--the plants that keep blooming right up to the end; the evergreen plants; the plants that grow in impossible places. They're so inspirational.

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  3. You have a lot of work keeping all those leaves raked--it was nice to see your lovely yard afterwards! Marigolds are tough little guys aren't they? I also have a real soft spot for the double impatiens, I loved finding those in the garden shop the first time. May you have a good Thanksgiving. I appreciated your sentiment at the end of the post. A sad time for the City of Light.

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    1. Yes, it's a workout. Many people recommend leaving them on the lawn, but they're too thick if we don't rake. Any leaves left after raking are mowed into the lawn. Re: the sentiment -- I feel for all the victims, including those in Paris. May you have a warm and blessed Thanksgiving, Susie.

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  4. Beautiful how the light is glowing through the trees. Here almost all leaves have fallen too and I was and am raking and raking all the leaves on borders or a special heap for leafmold.
    Have a nice week!
    Janneke

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    1. I hope you're having a pleasant week, too, Janneke. Don't work too hard!

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  5. What a difference before and after the raking. Enjoy the last of the flowers before winter sets in. I love those marigolds in that pot. Happy GBBD!

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    1. The flowers are doomed by the end of the week, Sue. Winter is on the way! The Marigolds really do seem to like that spot. :)

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  6. Fuchsia are still hanging on here too. I'm surprised they survived our frost this weekend. Foliage is such a life saver when most of the blooms are gone for the season. Relocating leaves is a huge task but so worth it. The soil will thank you in healthy strong plants. Happy bloom day Beth!

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    1. Hi Karin: Fuchsias appear to be semi-hardy. They don't like extreme heat, but they do stand up to a few light frosts. Mine are on the front porch and still blooming. I feel sad that they will die later this week, but I already have a sunroom full of plants! ;-)

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  7. The marigolds are so cheery and such troopers. I was surprised to find a few things still blooming, too, but as you say, it depends on location--the shelter of the house or warmed by a carpet of leaves. The light this time of year really makes the garden glow at times--great photos!

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    1. Thanks, Rose. Yes, Marigolds aren't my favorites, but they do stand up to the first cold blasts pretty well. And I'm appreciating them more the older I get, for various reasons. Sounds like winter will hit both of us by the end of this week. :(

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  8. Loved the raking photo series. So typical of what we all go through around here where the garden gets so buried you can't see its layout! I filled three huge contractor's bags yesterday with pods from my honey locust trees and still lots more on the ground. So I hope to get back out there before it rains.

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    1. Thanks. Yes, the leaves do keep us busy, don't they? The Oak leaves are particularly challenging because they don't break down as quickly/easily as other leaves. But they're great mulch during the winter. Just so many leaves!

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  9. So smart, combining blooms and foliage post. :) The last photos really capture that autumn look! I'm amazed that the fuchsia are hanging in there, but your attitude--when it's time for them to go, that's ok--is a good one.

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    1. Sometimes it really makes sense to combine the two memes--both excellent ones! Yes, I'm amazed about the Fuchsias, too. Some of the other flowers in this post are now toast, but the Fuchsias on the front porch are still going strong. I'm tempted to rescue a couple of the baskets ...

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  10. That's a lot of acreage you had to rake. Amazing, isn't it, how late plants are blooming here this year? A friend's yard and patio still have a few hardy blooms on them.

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    1. Hi Heather: It's a little deceptive, because our lot is a pie shape. It's about 1/2-acre, but still many, many leaves. And because they're Oaks, they don't decompose as quickly/easily as some other leaves. Yes, the growing season has been exceptionally long this year. The forecast says that's about to end!

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    1. The autumn (and spring) light is so fascinating (no matter where you live), isn't it?!

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    1. Thanks, Aaron. The light is really nice this time of year. The leaf-raking photos are pretty bad, but at least they show what happened. ;-)

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  13. I love your woodland garden, what a great idea to photograph it in stages as you worked. And great photographs. Autumn is so beautiful but as we are admiring the autumn colour, we are only too aware of all the hard work to come. One of my least favourite jobs.

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    1. Thanks, Chloris. Yeah, the raking is a big job. I know many folks recommend leaving the leaves on the lawn, but they are so thick here, they'd kill the grass. So, I rake most of them and what doesn't get raked gets mulched or mowed. We don't throw away any leaves.

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  14. Hi Beth. Your Fuchsias and Marigolds look more alive than mine! By the way, did I ever thank you for those purple hyacinth bean seeds? If not - they arrived a while ago - thanks so much!!!

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    1. Well, things have changed during the past couple of days. Many of the ones shown in this post are now bye-bye. The Fuchsias on the front porch still look great, though! I might bring a couple of the pots inside to overwinter them. We'll see. Ah, good--glad you received the Hyacinth Bean seeds! I think you'll like them on your trellises and tuteurs.

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  15. Even with the warm weather the garden is folding fast...I love the light in your garden Beth....and I don't envy the raking. I leave them on beds and we mow up the ones on grass and use them as mulch. Amazing what brave flowers still bloom even on cold nights.

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    1. With our snow in the next few days, winter will be here with a bang. No more flowers. :( Re: the leaves ... we leave the ones on the garden beds, too. I have to rake some off in the springtime because Oak leaves don't decompose as well. But the ones on the grass are many inches thick--too thick to get a mower through. Those have to be at least partially raked (and redistributed to the beds and the woods). Any leaves remaining on the grass get mowed in. :)

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  16. Good on you getting all those leaves raked up Beth - A job well done! Some pretty flowers still hanging on in there in your garden and of course foliage still adding interest.

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    1. Yes, it was a feeling of accomplishment. Thanks, Angie. :) Since I published this post, we had a snowstorm and some cold weather. So, the growing season is done. Time to plan next year's garden!

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  17. What a fall it has been Beth! So wonderful to see how things are doing and see the last little bits of summer soldiering on in the autumn sunshine. As soon as the rain clears, I'm going to go out to check my Lamium for hidden blossoms! (and if they're non-performing, I'm going to show them yours....)

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    1. Yes, Barb, it was an amazing spring/summer/fall this year! Maybe winter won't be so bad ... we can hope, anyway. LOL, re: the Lamiums. Mine are under snow now, so I think the blooming is done for the season!

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  18. Love the before-during-after photo - the latest happening in my garden is snow, just last night!

    And wow - I can't believe you still have marigolds! Our first freeze took care of mine. But even when the marigolds went kaput, I still had one solitary rose blossom (a beautiful, blush one at that) on a bush that is right against our back wall - just goes to show the difference a sheltered, southern exposure can make.

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    1. Thanks, Margaret. Yes, we just had snow on Friday, and some of it is still on the ground. So, we went from mild November weather to winter. They're saying it will probably all melt tomorrow and Thursday, though, because it will be warmer with rain. OK by me. :)

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  19. Ha!Ha! This leaves look familiar to me! I enjoyed getting a peek at the long view of your back yard. The autumn light is wonderful in your photos. We also use most of the leaves on the garden beds. They will rot almost completely by next spring. We had subfreezing temps last night, and the marigolds are still looking good. I am still enjoying the beautiful colors of the Japanese maples, dogwoods, hickories and oak trees, but more leaves drop every day. It is beginning to look like winter!

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    1. Thanks, Deb. It's winter in that backyard now! ;) Presto-change-O, it happened overnight. Most of fall was very mild, and now it's cold, with snow. Oh well, it had to happen sometime. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

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  20. Marigolds are under-appreciated. They bloom at young age, last all summer, and continue until the first good freeze. They even whither nicely.

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    1. I agree, Les. In the past I wasn't a big fan of them, but I enjoy them more as I get older. I wouldn't want a garden full of them, but they certainly have their place. Plus, they help to repel the critters and the harmful bugs.

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  21. Lovely to see your blooms ....there is a special glow this time of year... Michelle

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    1. Thanks, Michelle. Yes, a glow, indeed! And now there's a white glow--with snow! Happy Thanksgiving!

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