November Blooms

The weather has been so wonderful, that it doesn't even seem possible that Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away.  I usually have some of my snowmen out right after Halloween (just cause I love 'em!). But I can't get motivated to make the change yet.  This morning I took a stroll around the yard before the wind came up. Here's what I found!!

Jupiter's Beard has made a comeback since the weather cooled off.  The purple salvia behind it is re-blooming as well. 

The new corner garden continues to do well.  The mums that I transplanted last spring all survived and are now blooming--yellow, white, and purple.  The orange snapdragons didn't bloom really well until about September.  If you look closely, behind the snaps is a red twigged dogwood. His leaves are turning crimson/purple and the stems are transforming into the characteristic red twigs! 

Here's a close up.  I have purchased 6 of these little devils.  The one that has done the best and got the biggest started dying mysteriously late this summer.  I noted that the twigs just came loose at ground level. Not like rot, and not like some little heathen took my cool snippers to it for a haircut either.  There were some termites in the cotton seed hulls at the base--but I don't think they did it either. I'm scratchin' my head--the other two along that same area have just flat gotten too hot and too dry.  The dirt is poor there too, and that may be the whole problem. However, the one above is looking great--I hope it lasts!! 

Double knock out roses are still putting on new blooms. I couldn't believe it!! We got patchy frost last week, and the morning temp was 27.  I thought these girls would be goners!! 

Hard to believe that I was so worried about this Hidcote lavender plant last fall that I dug a small root and overwintered it in my greenhouse.  This one survived the winter, so I gave the overwintered lavender to my friend Becky.  This sucker has quadrupled in size over the summer and I love, LOVE it!! Some day I will learn what to do with the dried stems to make nice smelly things. 

I just love the tiny blooms on the lavender plants.  I am hoping that the two new ones do as well as this one has.  I took a cutting of each a couple weeks ago and put them in soil in the greenhouse. So far, so good there! 

These tall pink snapdragons have lived for the last 3 winters. They stay green at the base all winter long, and put out the prettiest blooms late summer/early fall when the temps cool.  Crazy little things! 

This shot is in front of the west deck. There is a gallardia, one of the Denver daisy plants, and a couple of mums planted many years ago.  They should be divided next spring I think! 

Here's the new tomato soup coneflower planted last spring.  I bought three sale coneflowers at that time, and I am waiting on the last one to bloom. It FINALLY has a bud on it--so there's a chance we may get to see it bloom before the weather gets it! 

Seriously. .this is a slightly confused hollyhock ;-) 

The petunias in the old washing machine are still bloomin' their little 'ole hearts out! 

Purple mums bordering the pond 

The planters on the deck look great. .finally!! Container planting is NOT my forte. . . at ALL! 

Here's a picture of my new little spruce bought when I went to my sister's a few weeks ago.  It is a dwarf Colorado blue spruce called Baby Blue Eyes.  I LOVE him! With any luck, he will get to be about 15 feet tall, but only 6 feet wide--so should accent the front of my house and the pond perfectly.  

This little $2 mum from Lowes turned out beautiful! None of them were blooming when I got them--I went based on the tag as to which color they would be. I am totally thrilled with this one because I don't have yellow mums that look like this.

When the container mums are finished, I will transplant them to the bigger garden beds.

The weather gurus are forecasting some much needed water for us later this week! It looks like the temperatures will be decreasing as well which is alright because today it is 81 degrees outside!! Hoping to get some Christmas lights up this weekend, before it gets really cold and windy!! Wishing everyone a beautiful week!