I've always said I love gardening in the Pacific Northwest. We are very lucky to have a fairly long growing season. While in the early spring it sometimes feels like it's taking forever for much to happen, it's the late fall and early winter time that I realize just how much will still grow and bloom here into November and December. I think many gardeners around here garden almost year round. Except for the days that we have some very cold weather or snow, there's almost always something I can find to do outside. I once read that if the ground isn't frozen you can still move plants around here, and believe me I do.
So when I saw that it wasn't raining outside today and we had no other plans I of course decided to do a little cleanup and take a look around the yard.
These are some of the buds and blooms I found in the front yard today:
An 'Endless Summer' bloom that's still hasn't changed to pink like the rest of the flowers on the shrub.
Rose 'Kimberlina' has had this bud for awhile, but it's just decided to bloom. There are several other buds as well.
An unknown pink Pentstemon. This plant died all the way to the ground this past winter which is unusual for them in my garden. It will probably bloom until the first hard freeze.
The $2 Penstemon 'Raven' has the most gorgeous deep purple blooms. The camera really didn't capture the color very well.
If you want an easy rose that blooms forever and has the glossiest green leaves then Flower Carpet Roses are a great choice. It is loaded with buds and flowers and I think it will also bloom until the temperatures drop into the freezing range.
No flowers here, but look at the vibrant color of Bloody Dock (
Rumex sanguineus). I planted this months ago but the surrounding plants covered it and I forgot all about it until today. It's hardy in zone 6a - 8b so it should overwinter here. If it survives it will get moved to a much better place.
Rudbeckia hirta 'Rustic Colors' is still managing a few little flowers.
Hellebores (
H. orientalis) all seem to be pushing their buds up almost a month early. These are one of my favorites. I remember buying these many years ago and my husband being shocked at the price. They've been worth every cent and I've gotten quite a few seedlings which have been moved into my backyard.
And last is the cute little Feverfew (
Tanacetum parthenium). It was plopped in this spot at the end of summer after not looking too happy in the pot I had it in. It seems to like where it is now, I was surprised to see blooms on it now.
What a nice way to finish off a busy weekend to see so much color outside.
It was interesting to go back just one month to see the changes. Last month there were still some leaves on the Japanese Maple and many on the ground below the tree. Since then the rest of the leaves have fallen and most of the leaves raked. I've gotten the bulbs in the ground and some Violas planted as well. After looking at these pictures I see that the hydrangeas could do with some pruning, but I won't prune them back until very early Spring.
Hardy fuchsia 'Pat's Dream' is still blooming.
Another difference this month is the Hydrangea leaves changing to a yellowish-gold color. It's difficult to see in this picture the pretty red color of the new branches on the Japanese Maple 'Orido Nishiki'. They definitely add some color to this area.
Most of the flowers on 'Nikko Blue' have become an extremely pale shade of blue, except for this late bloomer. I've cut several flowers off to bring in for some color inside this winter.
