Brrr! It's December!

I'm afraid it's going to be one of those winters--cold and foggy. I haven't counted but I bet we've had at least twenty foggy days since October and it isn't even winter yet. We've had several frosts, none below about 25 degrees though so it could be worse and I shouldn't complain. 

One of the ways I can tell how cold it's gotten is by the looks of my hardy banana. I'd say it could and probably will get colder before spring. 

Musa basjoo (Hardy Banana)

Yes, the garden is a mess but there are still a few flowers and foliage to keep things interesting. 

The below Correa (and the white flowered one that I forgot to photograph) have been blooming since September. They're so pretty, sitting in my covered patio.

Correa x 'Dusky Bells'

On the cold nights I've been covering my patio potted plants with blankets. This Impatiens is continuing to bloom. In fact it's blooming more now than it did all summer which leads me to believe that it prefers cooler weather. 

Impatiens sodenii 'La Vida Rosa'

The same thing can be said for this Bacopa. In summer I was constantly watering and fertilizing it and although it thanked me with pretty blooms, it didn't look nearly as nice as it does now! 

Bacopa 'Rosea'

I'm hoping the temps don't drop too low because these flowers really do help stave off the winter blues.

Bacopa 'Rosea'

This Abutilon is situated in a sheltered spot and continues to pump out blooms.

Abutilon

Check out this winter-blooming Clematis 'Freckles'! The weather hasn't discouraged it in the slightest!

Clematis cirrhosa var. purpurscens 'Freckles'

Aren't these the cutest flowers?

Clematis cirrhosa var. purpurscens 'Freckles'

Clematis cirrhosa var. purpurscens 'Freckles'

Clematis cirrhosa var. purpurscens 'Freckles'

I even trained a few of its stems to cling to this makeshift trellis thingy on my patio's ceiling.

Clematis cirrhosa var. purpurscens 'Freckles'

Another winter blooming Clematis is a species called urophylla. I think it is a bit more temperature-sensitive though because the blooms haven't opened. They just sit there teasing. Yes. It has really gorgeous foliage too!

Clematis aff. urophylla

These tough, easy to grow Daphne are the best! They bloom almost continually and seem to be impervious to the temperatures.

Daphne transylvanica 'Summer Ice'

The one drawback, however, is that they don't really have much fragrance when the temps are in the 30s or 40s. 

Daphne transylvanica 'Eternal Fragrance'

Daphne transylvanica 'Eternal Fragrance'

The Mexican Orange has also been blooming off and on since early fall.

Choisya ternata (Mexican Orange)

Choisya ternata  (Mexican Orange)

This little Callirhoe flower is a pleasant anomaly. 

Callihroe involucrata var. tenuissima

Neil Bell is happy and that is good  because I don't have a hummingbird feeder proper. Just flowers like these for the hummers.

Grevillea 'Neil Bell'

Reliable both in its winter-blooming and in its inability to photograph well, (Okay, maybe it's the photographer.) this Viburnum has a few blooms and tons of buds. Clematis 'Freckles' clamors up its mossy branches.

Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn'

Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn'

Here's another tender plant that I have been covering with a blanket. I really hope I'm successful in keeping it alive.

Anisodontea x 'Tara's Pink'

Reseeders like this Feverfew are tougher than they look!

Tanacetum parthenium aureum

There is an interesting story about how I came by the rosebush (below) but I won't share it here. Suffice it to say that it is a winner! I've moved it around so many times and it still rewards me with this... even in December!

Rosa 'Adelaide Hoodless'

Rosa 'Adelaide Hoodless'

Who doesn't love a tough and long blooming Penstemon?

Penstemon 'Garnet'

Speaking of tough, my Gardenia apparently didn't get the winter commencement memo and is trying to bloom!  See that fat, white bud there?

Gardenia 'Frostproof'

A few surprise blooms on this Armeria too. 

Armeria juniperfolius

And check out my Sarracenia. I know you're supposed to cut them back, but why?

Saracenia sp.

Sarracenia sp.

I'm going to have tons of baby Nicotiana seedlings next year. This plant is a blooming fool!

Nicotiana 'Mutabilis'

 I was surprised the Crinum wasn't killed back by the cold.

Crinum x powelli

Seriously, I'm not kidding. The cold weather is preserving these Clematis blossoms. They've looked like this for over a week. 

Clematis viticella 'Venosa Violacea'

More hummingbird food!

Mahonia x media 'Charity'

And this:

Arbutus enedo 'Compacata'

And lastly, I was so happy today when I saw tiny flowers appearing AGAIN on this Osmanthus. This is another plant that blooms intermittently throughout the year and it's quickly becoming a favorite. Hopefully the weather will allow me to get a whiff of its fragrance.

Osmanthus fragrans aurantiacus 'Apricolt Echo'

Winter foliage:

Hebe albicans 'Pink Elephant'

Hebe albicans 'Pink Elephant'

This Geranium, so far so great!

Geranium harveyi

With a Japanese maple towering above my patio, you can see what I have to contend with every November.

Leaves!

Pathway leaves!

Patio leaves!

Most of the leaves are now where they belong, in the beds where they will break down and feed the soil and its critters. 

Patio leaves gone!

That's the update for now. Keep warm, peeps. Spring is right around the corner.

Between the Downpours

The weekend weather was superb. I got so much done. Plants that needed to be moved, got moved and newbies that needed an in-ground home got one. I still have more to do, of course. Don't we all? 

Today I took some photos between downpours but had to hurry because the sunny reprieve was short and I didn't want raindrops to ruin my camera. Now, at my laptop, it's sunny outside again and this after hail about ten minutes ago. It's fall. 

Somebody found this pillowy zinnia a little too comfortable and forgot to fly home. 

My pink Bacopa is in a hanging container. It has been blooming nonstop since April.
The bees love it. And so do I. 

A final Echinacea blooms amid the upright pink Indigofera blossoms. 

Oenothera pallida is still blooming. It's very fragrant too. 

Dahlia 'Rip City' is trying. It's a newbie. I think the plant will look better next year. 

Dahlia 'Mystic Wonder' has a few blossoms left too. 

Dahlia 'Ivanhoe' is such a cool plant.

Dahlia 'Dutch Explosion' is the definition of prolific bloomer.

Here is another blossom. I love it. 

Look at my 'Frost Proof' Gardenia. I thought it was finished blooming but it surprised me. 

Brachyscomb 'Radiant Magenta' is another long bloomer. 

This is progeny of Nicotiana 'Tinkerbell'. I grew its parent three or four years ago, let it go to seed
and now each year I get baby plants that grow up and bloom and scatter seed for the following year.
Most of them are a medium pink color but this one is a dark red. 

Several weeks ago, walking past my Elaeagnus x ebbingei 'Gilt Edge'
I caught a whiff of its tiny but extremely fragrant flowers. It is still going strong.
And the bees love them.  

Fuchsias are still dazzling, despite being hammered by rain and hail.
How do they do that? 

This fuchsia and the one above it are NOID. Darn it.

This is 'Olympics Sunset'--a newbie from Fry Road this year. 

Believe it not, this too is a Fuchsia. It's called 'Whiteknights Cheeky.'
The tag says it's hardy here in my Zone 8 garden. It's still in a pot but the chances of winter survival
increase dramatically if it's in the ground. I need to get it planted soon.  

Here is another one that still needs an in-ground home.
It's called Fuchsia 'Blue Troll.' The flowers are really tiny. 

A bunch of plants in this photo are cut back already exposing too much dirt (for my taste).
Next year, next year....
In the front is, Farfugium japonicum 'Crispatum'. Behind it, Euphorbia stygiana and behind
that is Zingiber mioga 'Nafuku'. If the temps get seriously cold this winter,
I'll be throwing a thermal blanket over the whole lot.
 

In the same bed are a few more leafy loves. Since the return of wet weather,
the Acanthus mollis has really perked up, making Hosta 'Paradigm' look good, despite all the slug holes.  

The berries on my Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantisima' are Christmas-red now, even though the
foliage is still apple green. In short order, the foliage will be as red as the berries. 

And soon thereafter, the robins will devour the berries. 

One of the little independent nurseries I love to visit every year had this little plant for sale.
Mimosa pudica or "Sensitive Plant." Here it is in Stage 1. 

Here it is after being gently touched. 

And here it a few seconds later. Such a fun plant. It grew wild in Hawaii. I remember as a kid, playing with it while
tromping around the countryside of the Big Island. 

The coleus I tucked in to the scented Geranium (Pelargonium) pot has finally grown tall enough to be seen. 

Speaking of "tall enough," this Canna was a gift from gal Pal Carol.
It's gotten huge. I love it. 

Random gardens shots... the south end. 

The north end... The Heptacodium foliage is making a real mess of things. 

In the middle, looking south. 

In the middle looking north. 

Looking out from the patio to the world beyond. 

In the past few months, I've posted a few photos of Zip but lest you think

 we are a simple, clear headed, one-cat family,

I'll dispel that myth with photos of the other three. 

Yes, we're a four-cat family.

This is Nala. Notice her sitting on our expensive, high-end furniture. (Not.) 

This is Nala's brother Taz. He looks like a kitten here but he's actually bigger than Nala. 

And this is Mira.