November garden highlights
Monday 30 November 2009 - Filed under Plants
Stewartia against a backdrop of plume poppies
Color slowly draining from the species peony
Continued stellar late performance from brugmansia ‘whiskers’
Blooms on the purple fountain grass
Oakleaf hydrangea
Pennisetum with flowers and fall leaf color
Unspecified euphorbia that is green in summer, deep purple in winter, starting to color up
Huge white mushrooms with caps over 6″ across
Seed pods on a southern magnolia
Color on Northern Sea Oats
Birds everywhere! The Cedar Waxwings have been appearing in flocks
Goodbye November!
2009-11-30 » megan
30 November 2009 @ 9:11 am
Cedar Wax Wings, indeed! I haven’t seen any around our yard since the former neighbors spit-polished their house, cut down the biggest oldest healthiest oak in the the neighborhood, and then took the profits and ran–back over to the west side where apparently neighbors don’t march in the streets with their pitchforks upon the murder beloved heritage trees.
I did see Gold Finches at the feeder on Friday–in their bright yellow plumage–a nice surprise for late November.
30 November 2009 @ 10:22 am
That is some incredible fall color! My euphorbia doesn’t look half that good right now.
30 November 2009 @ 12:31 pm
Have you ever cut a Magnolia seed pod and put it in a vase? I would be tempted too it’s so pretty! And you’ve just sealed the deal as far as Brugmansia are concerned. I’m getting one next year for sure!
30 November 2009 @ 4:31 pm
It looks really pretty there still! I’m up north of Seattle and we never see the Cedar Waxwings, how lucky that you get to see them.
30 November 2009 @ 9:54 pm
You’ve got so much life in your garden, Megan. I love the Stewartia with the Plume Poppy. Does yours [PP] spread? I’ve heard they can be invasive but for me, in two years, not so much.
Your Euphorbia really looks like ‘Blackbird.’ Not just the color but the round, compact form. Northern Sea Oats: @ the top of my wishlist!!!!
1 December 2009 @ 8:29 pm
Great color Megan. Love the Stewartia, a very under used tree. I marvel at the seed pods on Magnolias…they are just wonderful.
2 December 2009 @ 11:16 am
I second grace on the ‘Blackbird’ guess for the euphorbia – it looks very much like the one I bought (and shamefully allowed to die in its pot during the summer heat wave). I’m glad yours is thriving. I pocketed a magnolia seed pod like that at the arboretum this fall, don’t tell. It was too alien and weird not to bring home and admire! Is there any way to get the purple fountain grass to over-winter, or is it a definite annual? It is so lovely. Nice range of interesting stuff going on for you even this late in the year. Your plan for adding winter interest must be working!
3 December 2009 @ 9:01 pm
Patricia – well I got your Cedar waxwings down in my neighborhood, and I’m glad. Come to think of it, they do prefer to perch in the older trees.
Julie – I have some euphorbia that aren’t performing as well, this mystery one is definitely the winner
Loree – I haven’t tried the magnolia seed in a vase, but I have kept a dried pod on my desk for decoration. They can do no wrong. The Brugmansia was a sleeper but proved worthwhile late in the game.
Catherine – I feel pretty lucky they’ve been stopping by, just had them the last two years, at least that I noticed.
Grace – my PP spreads a little, but not too bad. Not so much that I’m motivated to cut it back, it’s so easy to weed out even if it does grow out of bounds, the bigger they are, the easier to pluck the wayward stems.
Janet – yes, stewartia is a great performer, pretty happy to have found one of the smaller ones for my yard.
Karen – I would have thought Blackbird, but I have a few of those nearby, and they don’t look nearly as good, but they are younger, this one’s established. Here I was thinking I couldn’t grow E. Blackbird, and maybe I have one thriving after all!