What do you see on your garden walks?

[stephenb]

...and this gave me the opportunity to make a seasonally untypical flowery salad!

[James McGee]

I know I said my bunnies like to stay in the backyard where there is more cover.  This picture of a bunny in my front yard is making a liar out of me.  I am posting it anyway because it is too cute.

I think this little guy abandoned his hiding place because he was cold.  The mulch is a much drier place to sit than in wet grass.  The shrub also offered some cover from the rain.

[Hoy]

Fargerik salat, Stephen!
 What about bunny meat to the salad?

[McDonough]

...and this gave me the opportunity to make a seasonally untypical flowery salad!

Stephen, what kind of dressing and seasoning do you put on such a flowery salad? I wonder what it is like to eat such a thing when I see these attractive salads you show us.  Do you ever stir-fry those types of ingredients?

You certianly have lots in flower still!  The funny thing is, here too, we've had a very long warm (sometimes hot) autumn, no frost until near the end of October, many very warm summer-like days, then our freak snowstorm just before Halloween on Oct. 30th, and a week of nighttime temperatures dipping below freezing but days still sunny and warm to the mid 50s F, followed by a recent succession of sunny days in the 60s and even up to 70 F. 

However, the 14" snow and sudden freezing pretty much put the kabosh (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=KABOSH) on the season, and most things are done blooming, with the exception of one late Allium thunbergii form, a tall Aconitum sp, several autumn crocus, a single Galanthus reginae-olgae bloom, and of course Corydalis lutea which never stops blooming until the ground is solidly frozen.  The autumn seasons have been peculiar in recent years, this year no exception, where deciduous trees and shrubs seem confused, not dropping their foliage in timely manner, fall color not as good as normal or skipped on some plants, the late leaf drop making them more susceptible to winter storm breakage.

Euonymus alatus 'Compactus', growing outside my dining room window suddenly turned brilliant color, after staying totally green until rather late in the season and giving little indication it would color up, Here are two photos from today, one taken from inside, the other outside.

[stephenb]

Mark: I use a simple dressing of (outsourced!) olive oil, wine vinegar, salt and pepper with some crushed home-grown garlic. The flowers are undressed, added after the dressing... I've served this kind of diversity salad many times over the last 10 years or so, usually with upwards of 100 species and only one person has declared (openly) that they disliked it (and that was before said person even tried it). This one only had 30 species as darkness descended before I was finished...

I was astonished by how quickly the snow disappeared in your garden and greenery returned! We finally had a proper frost today - had to turn back on my bikeride to work as it was dangerously slippery (still using my summer bicycle without studs in the tyres!)

[Hoy]

We have very nice weather now - and it has lasted a week! Although the night temperature has fallen to 2-5C the day temperature is still nice. And there is absolutely no wind; we are not familiar with this kind of weather

A leaf of the tulip tree with dew and the last leaves of the tree against a clear blue sky!

   


I am no rosegrower roses usually don't like the maritime climate here as you can see of the blackspots infested leaf of the rose (Blaze). But it flowers all summer and autumn.

[Kelaidis]

Ouch! That Euonymus, Mark, is painful to the eyes! We have them in great color around Denver right now too, although we don't have that glowy Maritime air that makes things brighter (you cheaters!)...

We are having a wonderful bout of Indian summer, highs in the sixties F, but still chilly at night (we had 8" snowfalls last week and the week before: there are still big mounds of snow in parking lots!), but plants are rousing a bit with the sun and warmth, although we've been having nights in the low 20F and even dipping into the teens: fascinating to see what can take that...below you can see that there are quite a few things out. All were taken yesterday (the memorable date of 11-11-11), and today I noticed that a new patch of Crocus nudiflorus just opened up and one Crocus banaticus, although the other patches of both of these were blooming over a month ago! Go figure...

1) First picture is of an unspotted individual of Gazania linearis blooming at Denver Botanic Gardens yesterday. This can bloom every month in the winter if we have long enough thaws...
2) The gazania's cousin, Hirpicium armerioides, is blooming in several spots. It always amazes me how late this likes to bloom (although we can have flowers opening in May too!).
3) I've noticed flowers on a half dozen species of Delosperma, this being typical (they all look a bit tatty). Not something to plant for winter flowers obviously! Unlike the many winter flowering cousins in Rabiea, Ebracteola, Titanopsis, which are budding up! And only bloom in winter.
4) Now for the real glories: the crocuses Crocus goulimyi is out in force! ONe of my faves.
5) Lots of flowers still out on Crocus speciosus everywere at DBG and at my house...
6) Cyclamen hederifolium still has a few feeble flowers out today.
7) And even 'Waterlily' produced some fresh bloom...
I end with Geranium harveyi: no flowers, but who needs flowers with foliage like this? My favorite geranium by far because of those silvery leaves....now if it were only reliably hardy (most of the plant dies most winters, but some piece regenerates it...and the occasional seedling pops up. Hopefully with hardier genes selected out!)
Can't find my picture of our lingering rose...oh well. This ought to be enough to prove the plains are not completely desolate in November!

[McDonough]

PK, lots of stuff still blooming for you!  I tried Geranium harveyi a couple times, but each time it didn't overwinter, too bad, as the foliage is indeed wonderful.  Also, our weather sounds similar to yours, a brief and damaging interlude with winter for a couple days (14" freak pre-Halloween snowstorm) followed by more Indian summer days.  It's finally turned seasonably brisk... almost all the Euonymus leaves shed the following day.

[Hoy]

Remarkable what the sun does
Although we have had much sunny weather the last weeks, the sun is so low in the sky that it doesn't bring much warmth to my garden.

[Kelaidis]

The Indian summer is going on and on...which is a blessing for me since I still have a few last flats to plant. Although I finally did get in my last hundred bulbs or so yesterday! We had a bit of a windstorm that blew many leaves off, but the rowans, the oaks and the Ussurian and Bradford pears are really glowing in scarlets, gold and purple (everyone is badmouthing the pears hereabouts--they shattered in the heavier snow load areas, but they seem to recover amazingly)...A few more pix from the last few luminous days (almost falling in love with November: no mean feat!)

1) burnished pears on my commute to work
2) Crocus speciosus 'Albus' has been blooming for five weeks or more: I was shocked to see more flowers emerge on this (as well as fresh flowers on C. nudiflorus and C. banaticus) in the last week...what other surprises are lurking this month?
3) I noticed a large new patch of Crocus speciosus out in the Perennial Border at the Gardens, and me without my camera: there had to be a hundred fresh flowers in a square yard...
4) Agave havardiana in the Watersmart Garden: not blooming, but the rosette looks just like a giant gray rose! Boy, do the agaves pay rent this time of year!
5) A lingering rose alongside newly planted pansies along the "Orangerie": our recent capital project has replaced an area that was an eyesore with a stunning , vast new garden and greenhouse complex. We can't get over the transformation!
6) At least six species of Delosperma have lingering flowers...real "ice" plants (they do freeze every night!)
7) Although technically in seed (or nearly in seed) Vernonia lindheimeri is prettier than most flowers right now! What a great plant this is.
A bird planted Berberis thunbergii near the entrance to the Rock Alpine Garden. It's been therer for decades: when it turns golden in fall, it is a beacon.
9) Annually it covers with thousands of berries all winter, attracting no end of interest and questions: I got so sick of saying "It's Berberis thungbergii"...amazing that a plant that is banned nowadays in much of the USA because of its invasive tendencies could be so admired! I have to admit I am one of the admirers, however grudging.
10) The rainmaker and other sculptures by Alan Hauser are all being removed this week: it is sad to see them lined up oin the parking lot in a sort of rogues gallery. Next year, Japanese artists will be doing something new and strange (II understand)...and negotiations are going on with Chihuly for another year beyond...meanwhile plants pose sculpturally with little hoopla and expense!

[McDonough]

Panayoti, I'm totally smitten with your photo of Vernonia lindheimeri, and a bit puzzled by the color.  Is the lovely old burgandy color just a temporary dried state where the flower color fades to seed heads.  I have searched online, but I can't find anything that comes close to that awesome color as shown in your photo.  To give context to the links I posted below, here's a link to Panayoti's original photo to compare:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=274.0;attach=24544;image

Due to the strong silver color of the leaves, do you think it is actually Vernonia lindheimeri v. leucophylla?  I photographed several Vernonia species at Garden In The Woods in Massachusetts in late summer, including the Arkansas native V. lettermannii, and if I have time will post them here... some really interesting species, and they're not all giants.

Googling around, I gathered up some Vernonia lindheimeri links:
http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/images/pics/ast/vernonia_lindheimeri.htm
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/142039/

Vernonia lindheimeri v. leucophylla
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/97308/
http://blog.highcountrygardens.com/archives/1084

Vernonia lindheimeri at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center:
...budded:
http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=11480
...flowers:
http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=16181
...dried heads:
http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=27718

Any seed available? (wink wink nod nod)

[Nold]

It looks like the plant near the Garrya flavescens at DBG. Mike Kintgen identified it as Vernonia larsenii.
Lindheimeri, larsenii, whatever. I like it.
I wonder if it still has seed. Hmm. I own a car, and a coat with pockets. And I always maintain a very innocent expression on my face. As is evident by the "avatar". 
Bob

[Weiser]

Our worst iweeds (cheatgrass and all the classic rabble of chenopods and suchlike) were hitchhikers on crops.

We horticulturists can sleep soundly in the Rockies! It's the agronomists who should be having nightmares (and developers, miners and recreational vehicle yahoos who tear up the desert)...

Hear! Hear!! Don't forget whitetop (Lepidium draba)

[Howey]

On my garden walk recently some of the plants just want to sleep but some are visibly preparing for next spring - just can't wait to get on with things..e.g. Arum italicum.  Brought back as a plant (bare rooted of course) from Wisley Garden in UK, it has not only survived but just got better and better.  I must be doing something right??  Fran

Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canada
Zone 5b

[McDonough]

Notice:  Topic Split(s)
The latest lengthy discussions about invasive species has been moved to it's own topic, to keep this topic on track.
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=830.0

Early posts debating native plants and invasives moved to:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=833.0

Mark
nargs forum moderator