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.

Enjoying the Blossoms Before They're Gone

It was a really busy August, especially the second half and now,  here it is almost the second half of September! I didn't mean to stay away so long.

My garden is a mess and today was the day I was finally going to get some serious work done. But no. It's raining, darn it.

Such a weird summer. No long stretches of sunshine like we typically get from July through September. Fortunately with the cooler temperatures the flowers lasted longer and who knows, maybe I saved a few bucks on the water bill. 

Here's a look at what's happening.

My sister gave me a division of this Campanula. It started blooming in June and has been going nonstop since. It's a new favorite. Here is info on it.

Campanula 'Samantha'

This Rhodochiton overwintered on my patio and is has also been blooming nonstop.

Rhodochiton 'Purple Bells'

Another annual I plan to overwinter, is this Lavatera from Annie's Annuals. It's in the same pot as the pink flower behind it which, believe it or not, is a Black Eyed Susan Vine, both from Annie's.

Lavatera assurgentiflora  "Island Mallow" and Thunbergia alata 'Raspberry Smoothie'

The Lavatera has been a shy bloomer but that's okay.  I still like it. The Thunbergia vine has been threatening to swallow the house! I really love how the flowers start out a deeper pink and fade to pale pink. 

Thunbergia alata 'Raspberry Smoothie'

A few years ago I thought I dug out all of the Japanese Anemone but I didn't. Now I'm glad.

Anemone japonica 'Prinz Heinrich'

'Spider Woman' Dahlia has really impressed me. Pretty blooms and easy to grow.

Dahlia 'Spider Woman'

While my favorite Coreopsis is cherry-red 'Mercury Rising', C. 'Cosmic Evolution' is nice too. My only complaint is that it grows much taller and flops. 

Coreopsis 'Cosmic Evolution'

On an earlier post, I reported that Hibiscus x 'Almost Eden's Baby Pink' was blooming but after looking at the photos on Almost Eden's website, I'm convinced that what I have is Hibiscus 'Lufkin Red.' This means I'll have to reorder 'AE's Baby Pink' next spring. I'm not complaining. This plant is a winner. It's been pushing out blooms since June! And can have too many Hibiscus?

Hibiscus laevis 'Lufkin Red'

'Torchy's' flowers were semi-torched by the recent 90 degree weather but it has recovered.

Hibiscus moscheutos 'Torchy'

 

This canna was all but dead after the winter of 2013. Slowly the tiny subterranean parts that were still alive have finally recovered. Fortunately the Actaea isn't too concerned about being elbowed.

Actaea ramosa 'Atropurpurea' and healthy canna

With the cooler weather, the Silene has been blooming much longer than it typically does. It looks right at home, skirting the Colchicum. 

Colchicum var. 'Giant' with Silene schafta

I moved 'Princess Diana' Clematis last winter. It was a huge root ball and took some serious doing. The first flush of blooms this spring was fairly underwhelming. I cut it back, fertilized and now it's just starting its second flush. I'm glad it has recovered. I love this plant.

Clematis viticella 'Princess Diana'

And I love this Clematis my friend Deborah Hardwick sent me.

Clematis crispa seedling

I cut back Rosa 'Darlow's Enigma' because it was huge. I love these fragrant white flowers and so do the bees. 

Rosa 'Darlow's Enigma'

More blossoms:

Impatiens sodenii 'Flash'

Lewisia cotyledon

 And now for the Fuchsias!

Fuchsia 'Fuchsiade 88'

There is something so sweet about these small, purple blossoms.

Fuchsia 'Fuchsiade 88'

Fuchsia lycioides with its tiniest of flowers

Fuchsia 'Golden Herald'

Fuchsia 'Golden Herald'

'Lena' has whitefly but doesn't seem to mind terribly.

Fuchsia 'Lena'

Fuchsia 'Nettala'

I purchased Fuchsia glazinova a few years ago and trained it into a single trunk. It's over seven feet tall!

Fuchsia glazinova

Fuchsia glazinova

Fuchsia glazinova

'Flash' is planted in the ground but is almost five feet tall in its second year. I LOVE that plant!

Fuchsia 'Flash' with Lobelia cardinalis

Fuchsia 'Flash'

The Fuchsia below was an impulse purchase. At $4.00 for a one gallon I couldn't resist. The flowers are really big and the plant is healthy and vigorous. Sadly, the nursery label was incorrect so I'm going with Celia Smedly until I figure it out.

Fuchsia 'Celia Smedly' ?

The mild winter meant the typical die-back on hardy Fuchsia branches and stems didn't happen. This guy is really tall!

Fuchsia hatschbachii

Fuchsia hatschbachii making its way up the Arbutus enedo.

Fuchsia hatschbachii on the right with 'Baby Ann' photobombing on the left

Fuchsia 'Baby Ann' on the left

Fuchsia 'Baby Ann' with tiny F. lycioides trying to assert itself

And finally, try not to notice the bird poo on the leaves of  'Rosea'. The fountain bubbler is just out of view in the photo and is a bird magnet.

Fuchsia 'Rosea'

There are other Fuchsias in my garden, including several plantings of the species magellanica--can we every have too much hummingbird food--but this post has gone on long enough. 

Thanks for visiting!