Friday 15 November 2013

What's still flowering out there ?


Floribunda 'Joi de Vivre'

Although we are into mid-November, there have only been a couple of frosts so far. The last one has killed off some, but not all of the dahlias and the last of the bedding.

The roses are behaving in very different ways - some are still blooming as freely as they did in June, while others are leafless and flowerless, well into winter-mode ! 'Joi de Vivre' (Floribunda) still thinks it's summer, whilst Charles de Mills and Rosa Mundi are sleeping deeply. The English roses are still flowering sporadically and 'Geoff Hamilton' has about five fat buds just about to open. Climber 'White Cloud' has the odd bloom, as has the shrub rose 'Buff Beauty'.

'Buff Beauty'

climber 'White Cloud'

All bedding is dead and brown now, although some of the Cosmos has kept going right up to the wire. There are occasional ragged Petunia or Geranium flowers in some of the pots.

One of the best performers in the garden this season has been Foxglove 'Illumination', a perennial, which started very slowly, but has gone from strength to strength, as it bulked up, flowering continuously.

Foxglove Illumination
The hardy fuschias are  untouched by the weather and are covered in flowers. I have grown lots from cuttings which are dotted around the garden, and all are doing well.

My winter Jasmine has just kick started into flower, and it is positioned by the back door, so that I can enjoy it every time I go out.

Winter Jasmine
Annual Marigolds are still blooming, not as profusely as in summer, but still enough to give a welcome flash of citrus across the borders.


This year I have bought in winter bedding which is mainly Violas. They are so lovely, and I wrote about them in more detail in my post But ... you're beautiful !

The one below is my favourite, the very dainty 'Viola Primrose Picotee'.



There are other odd lone flowers, forlornly waving in the breeze, looking like guests at a party who have overstayed their welcome. The Lychnis below will be the last one until next year.


Now, Autumn colour does very little for me, and if I'm honest gives me little pleasure. However, I have to admit that Acer Palmatum below is a beautiful rich red, for a fleeting moment.




I am linking this post to 'Garden Blogger's Bloom Day' on 'May Dreams Gardens' where you can see what's happening in lots of other blogger's gardens.







24 comments:

  1. I'm having garden envy! It's so alive and full of color! Enjoy and HBBD. Sally

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    1. Hmm! Some judicious photography I think , as all around is laid bare and brown !

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  2. This is my first year have a LOT of roses...last year I had 20...so total I have been doing this under 2 years....It has been to my delight to see the roses still blooming. Your's are gorgeous...but I think I love your tree more....What zone are you in? I'm zone 8b. Happy gbbd!

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    1. Thanks for your comments Janie. I'm glad you love the tree as I find it hard to love ! To my eternal shame I have no clue what zone I am in for hardiness! We go down to about minus 4 most winters.

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  3. Jane - wow! Lots of colour. It's nice that you've a few little things holding on too. I saw pots of Digitalis Illumination on sale in a local GC for £2 for a good sized pot. Wish I had bought them now, they are very pretty. Happy Bloom Day!

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    1. Hi Angie, you should have snapped them up. I paid £10 for mine when it was first released. I wasn't impressed initially, but it has surpassed all expectations and has just bloomed and bloomed.

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  4. Beautiful!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
    Lea

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  5. So nice to still have roses. They are the hardest working plant in my garden! I need to add winter jasmine to my wish list. How wonderful that it is just now starting to bloom! Your foxglove is beautiful. I have always wanted one of these in my garden, and I splurged to purchase one this year. It sat there all year long, green and unflowering! :(

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    1. Hi HG. I always love to see your roses ! Winter Jasmine is a must , flowering when nothing else does, long flowering season and tough as old boots. Wonder why your foxglove wasn't happy ?

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  6. I love violas, too. Even when they reseed themselves in my weed patch of a lawn. Well, maybe especially then! :) Lovely photos. Happy Bloom Day!

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  7. What bad boys ! Thanks for comments Linnae

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  8. Hi Jane, glad to see that your Foxglove 'Illumination' is doing well. I bought one earlier in the year. It flowered OK, but finished early. Perhaps next year, when it's better established. How tall does it get? Your roses are looking beautiful too.

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    1. Hi Rusty Duck, I got 2 Foxglove Illumination and whilst one gave up flowering back in August, the other is still flowering strongly. I too wonder what will happen next season when they are more established. The one which finished early was, I think, planted in an area which was too dry.

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  9. You have a lot going on in your November garden, lovely photos! I looked at perennial foxgloves this year but ended up not buying one, how old is yours? It looks lovely, I might add yours to my wish list. Happy GBBD!

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  10. Thanks for your comments Helene, go on buy one ! I wrote a post on my old blog (which broke !) saying how disappointing I found it, but I judged far too soon, as it has exceeded my expectations.

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  11. Roses were difficult to grow on the prairies although we did have some developed to stand up to the harsh winter cold and drying summer winds, the Parkland and Explorer series. Now I'm on the coast, with more of an English climate, I'm reveling in all the roses. I just can't make up my mind what I want to plant in my own garden. As for violas, I'm hoping they will spread across the vast blank space of the septic field.

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  12. What a lovely time you will have deciding which roses to grow! For me it is a pain and a pleasure as I am so INDECISIVE !! It took me 3 visits and 3 hours to choose 3 new roses last month !

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  13. WE planted 4 rose bushes about a month ago and they're blooming again. Our cassia bush has been blooming for about 2 weeks. Our pentas are great, and we have a nice new crop of green tomatoes on the vines in our earth boxes. I hope to see some red on the tomatoes soon. We have some gerbera daisies in a large pot outside and 2 bush daisy plants are still blooming.

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    1. You sound like there is a lot going on in your garden ! Lucky you ...

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  14. Beautiful are your photos!
    Greetings from Holland, RW & SK

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  15. Love your viola. My lycnins finished flowering months ago, though I am sure it would have done better had I dead headed it occasionally! I was just reading about roses that carry on blooming late in to autumn. I have rosa rugosa, but it is a new plant so long since taken a rest. "Illumination" looks wonderful, I may have to give her a whirl in my own garden.

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  16. Hi Janet. I have fallen in love with that little Viola too, 'Primrose Picotee', I have potted one up and it is now on the kitchen table so that I can look at it every day. I don't think it will be happy inside, but I shall imprison it until it begs for release ! Illumination is well worth the investment.

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