Gardens Home & Garden

They're just trying to get in one last hurrah before winter...

I have four more coneflowers shipping on the first: summer solstice, mellow yellows, tequila sunrise, and prima berry. They'll go up front on the steps with the other two coneflowers and three poker plants. Tomorrow I need to replant the ice plants, so this evening I'll hose down the ground again.

Yes my yukka is still throwing flowers up and my nicotine plants are still in full flower, my baskets are looking a little worse for wear and my wallflowers are just coming into bloom and we have hard a few frosts here now but they don’t seem to mind at the minute but I don’t think they’ve been harsh enough to spoil them

I got all the ice plants planted in the ground. Had a hummingbird chattering away the entire time and she even checked out my progress.

Now I have the pots on the step ready to go when the coneflowers arrive.

I'm currently looking at trailing plants for two 28 inch tall planters (the actual pot is only 3-5 gallon, but it sits just inside the top of the tall planter - I have rocks to weight down the tall planter).

Thinking either clematis or passion fruit.

I also cut three stems with flowers off my neighbor's bougainvillea that was growing over the fence and put them in vases on my window still. One has sprouted a ton of roots. I'm going to have to plant it in a hanging planter as I don't want a thorny plant growing freely.

That sounds glorious. So much colour, and hummingbirds too!

I'm hoping. I'd really like to get a couple of the red flower passion fruits. Have a seller bookmarked and have to watch for them to come back in stock.

Yeah, I am so glad my hummingbird is happy. This all came about because she kept glaring into my security cameras at me. She hasn't done that since I put in the front garden and she comes daily. I can't wait until my guava pineapple starts blooming - she's gonna love that one.

I traveled abroad to [link removed] and during that time I left him with a relative to take care of him.

My container gardening is going well. The mimulus, hummingbird sages, butterfly bush, emu bushes, rosemarys, and mexican orange are all doing great. The quince is low on leaves but I think it's deciduous so that is fine.

I did lose all the wood strawberries again - this was my second try with them - so they are off my list.

My cane's hybrid bottlebrush started failing as soon as I put it in the ground. I have since potted it in hopes it will perk up. It seems to have stopped the progression of failure, but hasn't improved at all. So, I'm no look search for a replacement. I currently have a slim bottlebrush, western redbud and granite honey myrtle in that corner and wanted something of similar size but not the same. I will see what choices are offered at the last fall sale the end of this month. If nothing different, I'll probably go for one of those three since they are happy there.

My grape has gone dormant but doing well. My autumn sage is happy. I'm losing the pink honeysuckle but hoping it will revive over the winter. If not I might replace it with another passion flower.

Speaking of which, my existing passion flower is extremely happy. It is growing nicely and should start grabbing the trellis.

My new dwarf poker plants are doing great. If they get any bigger I'll need to uppot them before spring.

I ordered and received my six coneflowers and potted them all. They are happy.

Today was the fall clearance plant sale. I really needed a tree to replace the cane's hybrid and I was looking for something to grow in a pair of 28 inch tall planters. And since I was going for those, I figured I might as well get a few new things to try...

I ended up getting a serpentine coffeeberry. It was one of the first trees I liked for the backyard, but somehow I forgot about it. It should be happy in that spot.

For the planters, I had been looking at vines or trailing plants, but couldn't find anything that met all my requirements. So I went a different route. I got two coral fountains. They should grow to fall over the sides of the planters nicely and have tons of coral orange flowers growing all over them.




I got a few agastaches, a flat sea holly, a onyx and pearl penstemon and a yellow chuparosa. All new to me so we'll see how they do.

At the first sale, I had wanted an orange vanilla popsicle poker plant but there was only one and I figured it would be gone so I didn't try. He was still available after the second sale. So I nabbed him.

I also got an aloe striata. I don't really like cacti and succulents but I like his frilly top hat of fringe.

That was all I was getting, but as I was looking for one of those, I passed the lion's tails. Couldn't resist so grabbed one. And then I decided that I really wanted the peach turk's cap that I had decided against.

Everything 30% off so nothing over $10.

Hope they all take. Your garden should be lovely when they mature.

Thanks!

Here are a couple recent shots of my front yard.

This is how I imagined it when I made the original plan. The plants meeting up together to create clumps with one plant ending its flowering as another begins. This is the lion's tail (at the end of its long flowering season), the catmint below and the poker plant just beginning its flowering.


And here is the corner at the side of the house. The guava pineapple tree with various ice plants around it. They should start to spread more this winter to create a blanket.

Well we have snow here now and the dog has done zoomies around the garden and thinks it’s exceptable to sit and hide in it

We got at least 4 inches of the white stuff. I cleared the car and it started to thaw - then changed its mind and froze hard and crunchy.
I have a vet's appointment in the morning, so I hope I can get it de-iced in time. (Only a routine check up, and repeat tablets for Tally's itchy feet).

I had to clear the car too this morning as I had to go get cat food as they decided they were extra hungry today and kept pestering me for more food. It did start thawing here earlier but now is starting to freeze. The roads wasn’t to bad as they had been round and gritted the main roads. To clear the car windows I use a ziplock bag of warm water, it soon whips through the windows to help clear them.

No snow here. And my catmint and butterfly bushes have decided to bloom again. We have had a freeze warning the past two nights.

@Tone Good tip, thanks!

@Tone It took 40 minutes to get my car fit to drive, after first having to de-ice the iron gates to get out to it. I couldn't find a suitable poly bag but a hot water bottle worked well. I would never have thought of that but for your comment.
The visit to our favourite vet went well and I was complimented on our steady progress towards a perfect weight for Tal. The vet put up a graph showing her progress, which showed remarkably even and steady stages. She is currently 12.8k with probably another half kilo to go.
She had her 7 year booster, (probably the last one she will have done), and some repeat tablets for her occasionally itchy foot. It's strange that it's always the same one - the front right.

Well I’m glad the idea worked ok for you @CaroleC, I find it easier than using de-icer as it just smears all over the windows and then freezes again after you use the wipers, I just wipe the bag around the glass then use a squeegee to wipe it off when it’s melted. I had to sort mine out also to take my grand daughter to school, started the car and then went around with the bag and squeegee.
So pleased for you too that tally is steadily sorting her weight out, well done both she’ll get there

Well, my inground plants seem to think it's spring. The California fuchsias are still blooming as are the butterfly bushes. My lion's tails are starting new blooms. Two of my turk's caps each have a bloom. My salvia lello and my salvia California sunset have a couple blooms. My yellow chuparosa has a bloom. And my sweet sandia coneflower has a bloom.

And of course, my Christmas Cheer poker plants are full out. Last I counted, two have eleven flower stalks each, one had 6 stalks, and one had two.

@Toedtoes they are looking fab, it’s nice to see colour in the garden through winter. My garden looks a disaster now as everything has dropped and dying off ready for next year so needs a good tidy up, but it’s been to wet to get on it.

Thanks! The Christmas Cheer poker plants are meant to bloom in winter. Last year, the lion's tails were just ending as they started and as the poker plants ended, the hummingbird sage started blooming,so I have blooms year round. I really didn't expect all these others to start blooming now in November but I'm liking it.