November in the Garden: Snow! (Sort Of)

According to my rain gauge, we have had over 4.5 inches of rain this week. There were predictions of clearing weather, followed by freezing temps. But the rain was not completely gone before the freezing air arrived, and we woke up to snow! Sort of. We certainly did not have enough to close schools or roads, and I still had to go to my dentist appointment this morning. But the dusting we received was beautiful. While parts of the country to the north of us could claim a real snow event, we had just enough snow to lay icy tendrils atop branches and to cover leaves and lingering flowers with white crystals.

I considered if it was worth a before-breakfast jaunt into the frigid garden with my camera, then decided that any amount of snow in our part of the woods was worth a picture. So here are images of my garden, just a month out of summer and heading already into winter. Look carefully and you can see some snow!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all; may you be blessed with joy in your hearts and see beauty around you, whatever your season!   Deb 

A Hint of Fall in Deb's Garden

I shouldn't be surprised, because it seems to happen every year. One day the temp was 90 degrees, and everyone was running around in shorts and sandals. Then 24 hours later the temp plummeted to 40. Summer lasted well into October this year, so this was a welcome change. I have put away my summer clothes and pulled out long pants and sweaters. At last!

The garden is moving from stressed-out end of summer into autumn and is as happy as I am about the new season. October was very dry, but recent rain has refreshed the grounds.

Here are some recent views of the garden as the first hints of autumn begin to show:

Athyrium filix-femina 'Lady in Red' as it begins to go dormant

The lady in the woodlands has a new variegated fig hairdo.

Large photo above shows various evergreens in the woodland garden. Smaller photos clockwise from top left: Variegated euphorbia; Variegated Japanese pittosporum; Lemon balm; Mahonia "Soft Caress."

Here are a few late season blooms that appreciate the cooler weather: Clockwise from top left: Helenium 'Short 'n' Sassy'; Salvia "Black and Blue"; Dwarf butterfly bush 'Purple Haze'; Conoclinium coelestinum (perennial ageratum or blue mistflower); Autumn sage 'Heatwave glitter' ; Encore azalea 'Autumn Embers.'All images in this post were taken last week. Since then, fall colors have begun to show in their glory. So now I am going to grab my camera and take photos for my next post! Happy fall!   Deb