Unsurprisingly there are more blooms this November than
last. The extended warm days and nights have helped a lot I think. We are now experiencing a more November like feel, yet the thermometer contradicts that! We've only had a couple of measly little frosts and they've had no effect on the plants at all.
As well as sharing what's blooming in my garden, I'm using this post as a useful record of what I've been getting up to in the garden this last couple of weeks.
The shadier side of the gravel area has seen the removal of the small pond. Half of this bed had been planted up in my previous post but everything is in and has been settling in. I will not begin to see the fruits of my labour until spring. It doesn't sound too far away if you say it fast, does it!
For obvious reasons, I can no longer call this border The Pond Bed, therefore it has been renamed The Mahonia Bed. OK, The Mahonia Bed may be a tad unimaginative but it does exactly as it says on the tin.
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| The Mahonia Bed |
Much to my
surprise delight Anemone Andrea Atkinson has finally managed to open some blooms. Seen here mingling with Astrantia Ruby Wedding. The Heuchera have been flowering all summer. I moved Heuchera Binoche here 3 weeks ago and it didn't even flinch. If you are in the market for a very dark, almost black leafed Heuchera, I can thoroughly recommend it. Heuchera Marmalade is also flowering but I couldn't get a decent shot of it in the light available.
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Left to Right: Astrantia Ruby Wedding, Anemone x hybrid Andrea Atkinson, Heuchera Paris
Mahonia x media Charity, Astrantia Snow Star and Heuchera Binoche |
On the opposite side, the Bumble Bee border, has also been extended. In all honesty, I think I was perhaps a bit too cautious at the time I carried out the work. I'd have gotten away with adding more depth to the middle section. The young Hawthorn tree planted earlier this year, will at some point in the future dictate the way this bed is planted but for now, there is still plenty of room to enjoy the perennials. I've cleared out a few that were, quite frankly, clashing in terms of colour and replaced them with new Roses. The two Escallonias that had struggled along have been removed. For fence cover I'll be relying on Clematis and Honeysuckle. Other than the Astrantia flowering in the back corner, you'd be hard pushed to see many blooms right now but there are one or two. I'm also trying out the bird feeders here. The lawn up in the top end of the garden has only just recovered from last year's mess. I'm hoping that the sprouting seeds will be far easily removed from the gravel. Despite the fact I do buy 'no mess' bird feed, this is indeed not the case. Where it is now will also make replenishing the feeders far easier, especially when the weather is bad.
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| Campanula poscharskyana, Sanguisorba obtusa, Astrantia Buckland and Potentilla nepalensis Ron McBeath |
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| Clematis texensis Princess Diana |
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| Fuchsia magellanica Alba |
Through the arch and into the back garden proper, The Wedgewood Rose continues to put on buds but sadly, when they open, they are not lasting very long.
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| The Wedgewood Rose |
On the shadier side, the Enkianthus autumn colour has finally arrived. Digitalis x mertonensis is still flowering and the Lupin blooms, which are a bit misshapen due to the fact that the stems had been caught under the Enkianthus.
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| Digitalis x mertonensis and Lupinus The Page |
Emma and Eve! Rosa Lady Emma Hamilton and Viburnum Eve Price that is, happily bloom together this November time. I rather like them together. Earlier in the year, Emma was paired with the blooms from some Heuchera and Sedum. This little corner has really pleased me this year.
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| Rosa Lady Emma Hamilton and Viburnum tinus Eve Price |
Providing a little greenery in front of the shed, a selection of evergreens (in containers) along with a yellow chrysanthemum and some white lavender continues too bloom. It's difficult to get a picture of the yellow chrysanths as the sun just glares against those yellow blooms.
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| Chrysanthemum and Lavender flowers in November |
At the other end of the deck, my miniature garden sits and basks in the sun all day long. The alpine wallflower, Erysimum kotschyanum, is enjoying the extended good weather. Those little yellow blooms look just like miniature yellow butterflies. It's full of buds, a few more sunny days and they might all open.
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| Erysimum kotschyanum |
The top border, which is the subject of my EOMV, I cut down the Helianthus and Cardoon. You can now see the top tier clearly from the house. Climbing rose, Warm Welcome, really doesn't belong up there. My attempt at growing this rose together with Clematis montana has been a bit of a disaster. The more I look at it, the more I can see how pruning is going to be an issue and even more so when the Cotinus grows up! The Verbena bonariensis has been left in the hope that it self seeds. I do this each year and each year it doesn't happen. I always have to end up replacing the plants. Luckily they are not too expensive. Lupins and Persicaria are also still flowering away.
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| Rosa Warm Welcome, Lupins and Persicaria |
Yet another clump of Persicaria flowering a bit further round. Geum Bell Bank has spread out nicely, a bit too nicely and is just about to smother Bergenia Overture. Note to self: find the Bergenia another home in spring.
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| Persicaria JS Caliente and Geum Bell Bank blooming in November |
Lady's mantle flowers continue to bloom beneath the Heptacodium. The Heptacodium shows little signs that it's autumn other than the fact it has finished flowering. When it's finished flowering the red sepals are supposed to remain for some time. I've never experienced this as they just don't seem to appear.
There's not a heck of a lot going on in the side garden right now. It's mainly about the foliage right now but a few Cyclamen flowers are lingering and a late flowering Saxifrage. It does suffer somewhat with the wind and never quite puts on as good a show as the other Saxifrage that bloom profusely in containers.
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| Cyclamen hederifolium and Saxifraga fortune Blackberry and Apple Pie |
The new layout of the front garden makes it's Blog Debut this November. I've been working away in the front garden since early summer. Some of the roses are still flowering away. Namely, Lady of Shalott, The Lark Ascending and Port Sunlight.
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| Front garden almost complete November 2014 |
I think my garden has exceeded all expectations this November. It's nice to still have a few reminders of summer. I thank you for joining me in a wee stroll around the garden and all that's left is for me to invite you over to
May Dream Gardens where bloggers from around the world share what's blooming in their garden on the 15th of every month. See you there!
