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November GBBD… last flower dash before snow?

Despite the many miles between our gardens, mine in Perthshire Scotland and Carol’s in Indiana USA, today we both have flower buds on a Christmas rose! What fun it is to compare our gardens to other gardens around the world on the 15th of the month and Carol at May Dreams Gardens is the blogger and hostess behind it all.

The reality is, had I not read Carol’s November 2013 blog post for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day and seen her photo I wouldn’t have realised my Christmas rose even had a bud. Out in my garden I was to I move fallen leaves to discover a flower bud hiding below. I didn’t think I had anything to contribute this month however my camera kept finding more that I wanted to capture before possible snowfall at the end of next week. Oh dear… there is much to finish outside before then!

I’ll rush you through my small garden so you have time to browse all the many blooming gardens around the world. I wonder if other gardens will have the same blooms. Have fun… HAPPY GARDEN BLOGGERS’ BLOOM DAY everyone 🙂

Astrantia – either ‘Ruby Wedding’ or ‘Gill Richardson’. I must find out which one.

Osteospermum ‘Stardust’ – I’ve loved this, recently moved and divided it. Hope ok for winter.

Christmas rose bud, still a young plant new to this border. Expect more blooms in future.

Ivy, Sulphur Heart, flower clusters of yellowy-green not open in shade below Pergola.

Ivy, Sulphur Heart, flower clusters of yellowy-green open on Pergola roof.

Perennial wallflower, Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ appearing in many corners of garden now.

Cotoneaster berries, Blackbirds seen eating them. Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ in background.

Verbena Bonariensis, not for long. Must protect plant base before next week or I’ll lose it.

Geranium Rozanne, taking advantage of last good light after rock moved beside it.

Digitalis ‘Illumination Pink’, 6x lifted, potted up in greenhouse. Not taking any chances!

Pieris Forest Flame, eye level in a large basket container. Great for seeing bees.

Gentiana sino ornate, reintroduced to garden and spreading nicely. An early plant fav.

Woodland strawberries, over now. Spreading around garden – cheeky thing.

Buddleja ‘Buzz Ivory, over now. New this season – will it be winter hardy?

Stipa gigantea – in exposed front border, wind breaks stems. Leave it for winter interest?

Sedums, Rose Carpet and Carl almost done. Getting to tatty stage.

Sedum Autumn Joy, new for 2013. Flower head and foliage both looking good today.

Penstemon ‘Raven’ pretty last blooms? Yay… finally got round to taking cuttings this year 🙂

Wishing you all a great weekend. Last weekend’s garden to-do of building a wildlife home is still on my list! Other stuff happened. Nice stuff, first car shopping with daughter! Lots of garden stuff to do before the snows – a busy week ahead. What garden to-do’s are on your list before our gardens get caught in Winter’s grip?

This post was published by Shirley for shirls gardenwatch in November 2013.

13 thoughts on “November GBBD… last flower dash before snow?

  1. Happy Bloom Day Shirley. I need to check the Hellebores tomorrow!
    You've still got a bit of colour -bet you are like me, grateful for whatever we have!
    I must ask now, how do you protect your verbena in winter. I've failed miserably at trying to bring these through winter. Thanks

  2. I must rush out in the morning and check my Christmas roses. I did think I noticed a few buds on one of my other hellebores though.

    I shall have to speak severely to my astrantias as they stopped flowering ages ago.

  3. Enjoy your pretty blooms:) I always frown when that first frost hits. Autumn Sedum is one of my favorites. Have a great weekend!

  4. I'm surprised to read you're treating Verbena bonariensis as a perennial — it tends to self-sow over here. Not for you? Happy Blooms Day, Shirl.

  5. Hi Shirley,

    I've noticed fresh/buds on some of my Hellebores, although not the typical orientalis types. But my stinking Hellebore and another I forget the name of now. Will check the others in the back garden though as I know those in the front definitely don't have buds as I mulched them yesterday and saw nothing.

    My Verbena is a bit hit and miss, some survive fine, others not. Last year, or rather earlier this year I lost most of them in the repeated snow we got very late in spring. But I get so many self-sowing that there's always some that will bloom.

  6. I enjoyed your November blooms Shirl. My 'Gill Richardson' has a few faded flowers – she is a lot sturdier than 'Ruby Wedding'. 'Rozanne' took a battering in gusty wind the night before lost and said goodbye to all her flowers bar one 🙁 My main gardening task before it gets much colder is to finish bulb planting 🙂 Have a good weekend.

  7. You have lots of little last minute blooms Shirley. I don't have much abloom. I have been working so haven't been outside to see much. I do know my Witch Hazel is blooming. It is such a cheerful yellow in this overcast gloomy light we have been having. Happy GBBD.

  8. Lovely pictures. Some of your blooms look a little fresher than mine after the hard frost we had last week. I think November is a terrific month for late colour in the garden. In addition to flowers there is all the lovely berries and autumn foliage colour. I notice some of the blogs are now starting to show winter flowers such a mahonia. As I look out of my window my Viburnum bodnantense is flowering

  9. I've a few plants still in bloom too and went out in the November sun to capture them on Friday. Still seeing red admirals flying and hope they are able to get enough nectar.

  10. Beautiful pictures! And….in my Dutch garden I also saw last week some buds appearing in the Helleborus. I just came browsing along your blog and I like it so much, wonderful chat and garden(plants). I shall be your new follower.
    Regards, Janneke

  11. Hello everyone and thanks for all your comments 🙂

    Lea, thank-you! I do love the sedums myself, in summer with bees and at this time of year with frost. Wow… what frosty blooms you had for GBBD… great images. Happy GBBD to you too ;-D

    Angie, thanks and a Happy Bloom day to you too. Ah… I see you had Cirsium rivalare in flower. I’ll take a guess you cut it back after its first flowers. I had a second flush of flowers in December one year. Ah… there is a lot of colour in foliage too and you have some nice plants there too. Ah… the verbena bon… as yet I have never tried protecting it and lost previous plants too. I was thinking of using straw in some way. I was thinking of protecting it as I would my gunnera. I’ve no idea if it would be successful.

    Sue, I’ve seen the answer to your morning check and they been getting eaten! I see your other birds ended up being a good show of flowers – hope the frosts don’t get them too soon. Ha-ha… yes, I can’t quite believe that astrantia – the one beside has stopped flowering.

    Chris, thank-you! My blooms are getting a tad frosty now but I don’t mind the frost – I love taking photos of it on plants. Yes, the sedums are great in autumn. Thanks, we did have a good weekend:-)

    Helen, many parts of England can have verbena bon self-seeding, but not up here in my part of Scotland and further north. Some years I’ve had it survive winter but it’s not guaranteed. Happy Blooms to you too! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

    Liz, yes, my orientalis ones are without fresh buds (wait a minute there is one I haven’t checked). Interesting to hear about your verbena bon being hit and miss in Sheffield. Interesting to hear you have self seeders too – lucky you 🙂

    Pauline, thanks! I agree, if it wasn’t for GBBD that day I would have missed out. No snow here yet – perhaps dangerous to say that at 11:30pm as we could wake up to it! Hope you don’t get caught with snow yourself.

    Anna, thanks, now… that’s what I was wondering… this longer lasting one could be Gill. It’s a serious pity I don’t have two of Gill – that’s what I thought I’d bought from a garden show display by a nursery. I keep meaning to email them photos asking about this. However, whichever variety has self-seeded below back in Spring I am quite excited about them. I lifted the tiny seedlings and have been growing them on in my tiny greenhouse with the intention of seriously populating a border with them next Spring. I’ll be patient for any blooms which prob won’t appear next year – esciting! Sorry to hear about Rozanne. Hope you got your bulbs in – I may have missed out with some of mine as my ground is pretty frozen in the area I want to plant them 🙁

    Lisa, aw sorry to hear you have been missing your garden. I always admire your witch hazel every year. It must cheer your heart to see. Happy GBBD to you too 🙂

    Roger, thank-you! Ah, we are getting the frost now too so I had a lucky photo break here. Ah… I agree with you on seeing the late colour on blogs… I do enjoy seeing them myself. Enjoy your viburnum 🙂

    Suzie, look forward to seeing your bloom pics if you post them. I do enjoy your harbour pics. Fantastic to hear you are seeing red admirals about. My Christmas request for this year is a trail camera (fingers tightly crossed) and if I were to site it on the top of my pergola opposite my good sized collection of ivy flowers I might see if butterflies feed there – I should think they will but I can’t see them from windows or when walking in garden.

    Janneke, thank-you! I’m delighted you’ve browsed on by. Ha-ha… I do chat on a bit (although not in my next post) which you’ll discover if you return. I will pop over to your blog to browse soon 🙂

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