November isn't the best month for gardens in the Northern Hemisphere and mine is no exception. There's less in bloom in my garden this month than there was last year at this time but that's a byproduct of both weather conditions and inattention on my part. We've been dry since early May and, although our rainy season officially kicked off in October, we've yet to see a drop of rain. We've had warmer days than typical for this time of year and bout after bout of high-velocity Santa Ana winds, which spread wildfires as has become the pattern in recent years. On the positive side, the nights have been cool and the marine layer has raised our humidity during the morning hours of late. We don't generally get freezes here but the warm daytime temperatures and wind have knocked out many of my plants and, as our 5-month home remodel finally nears its end, my attention has been focused on the inside of the house, with the garden forced to fend for itself. I'm hoping that'll change in the next month.
I posted photos of my
fall floral standouts in late October. My
Senna bicapsularis and
Plectranthus 'Zulu Wonder' are mostly done for the season. The bush violets are still blooming, although they're past they're peak now.
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| Barleria obtusa (aka bush violet), lending a cool note to our warm days |
Several other plants are making a splash right now.
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| Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree) |
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| The ever-blooming Grevilleas, 'Ned Kelly', 'Peaches & Cream', and 'Superb' |
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| Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' and P. 'Sky Rocket' |
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| Rudbeckia hirta 'Denver Daisy' |
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| Tagetes lemmonii (aka Copper Canyon Daisy) |
A handful of others have just begun their bloom cycle.
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| NoID Camellia sasanqua, which lost a lot of bud-filled stems when the house exterior was painted |
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| Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre' |
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| Hemizygia 'Candy Kisses' |
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| Hypoestes aristata (aka ribbon bush) |
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| Mahonia x media 'Charity' |
There were a few surprises too.
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| The foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea, left) I planted as plugs in October 2018 have bloomed off and on all year and those I didn't pull to make room for dahlias this summer are blooming again now. Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake' (upper right) is blooming for a third time this year. Nerine bowdenii 'Stefani', picked up at The Huntington's 2017 fall plant sale. is blooming now for the first time. |
I'm ending my post as I usually do with a few collages showing what's flowering on a smaller scale.
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Duranta repens 'Sapphire Showers', Polygala fruticosa, noID Wahlenbergia, Lavandula multifida, and Campanula poscharskyana |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Arbutus 'Marina', Gazania 'White Flame', Pentas 'Graffiti Pink', and 2 of the Zinnia elegans I haven't yet pulled from my cutting garden |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', Lantana 'Lucky White', self-seeded Osteospermum, Gazania 'Gold Flame', and 2 more varieties of Zinnia elegans |
For more Bloom Day posts, visit GBBD's ringleader,
Carol at May Dreams Gardens.
All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
