White Fog

November 19, 2009 at 8:19 pm (Weather)
Tags: ,

“White Fog”, a copyrighted post, was written for my WordPress blog called Always Growing by Jan in Covington, Louisiana

Last Sunday morning, I was so surprised when I opened the front door to go out to pick up the newspaper.  Fog had rolled in overnight.  It is so unusual to get fog at this time of the year.  The garden looked so peaceful and serene in such an atmosphere.  I was immediately reminded of the poem “White Fog”.

 

 

 

 

 

White Fog

Sara Teasdale

Heaven-invading hills are drowned
In wide moving waves of mist,
Phlox before my door are wound
In dripping wreaths of amethyst.

Ten feet away the solid earth
Changes into melting cloud,
There is a hush of pain and mirth,
No bird has heart to speak aloud.

Here in a world without a sky,
Without the ground, without the sea,
The one unchanging thing is I,
Myself remains to comfort me.

3 Comments

Black Magic

November 18, 2009 at 8:40 pm (Perennials)
Tags: , ,

“Black Magic”, a copyrighted post, was written for my WordPress blog called Always Growing by Jan in Covington, Louisiana

Black Magic.  What an evocative name for a plant.  I have had Black Magic elephant ears in my garden for several years now, but this year they were a little puzzling.  The leaves didn’t turn dark until just recently.  Normally the leaves are a dusty purple-black which makes such a nice contrast to the other foliage plants I have around them.  I don’t know if it is because of the unusually high summer temperatures we had or what, but the leaves were a dark green all summer.  This happened to all of my Black Magic plants which are planted in several different areas of the garden.  It is only in the last two to three weeks that this plant is starting to look like its old self.

 

 

While these are hardy in our area, the leaves will die back with the first freeze.  Fortunately, that first freeze date is a ways off, so I should be able to enjoy the dark leaves a bit longer.

8 Comments

November GBBD

November 16, 2009 at 8:02 pm (Garden Blogger's Bloom Day)
Tags: ,

“November Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day”, a copyrighted post, was written for my WordPress blog called Always Growing by Jan in Covington, Louisiana

Thanks to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for coming up with GBBD.  This is the day (15th of the month) in which we post everything which is blooming in our gardens.  I am a day late with this posting because of computer problems last night.

While most of the gardeners in the northern hemisphere are showing wonderful fall color, it is still mostly green here in the Gulf Coast.  If we do get any autumnal color it is usually not until late November or December.  Many tropicals such as the hibiscus and butterfly gingers are still blooming.

 

 

I have just started planting the fall annuals, and, of course, the violas are blooming.

 

 

The sages are still blooming: pinapple sage (both regular and Golden Delicious), coral nymph, lady in red, autumn, and Victoria blue.

The roses are starting to look even better now that we have had some cooler, drier weather.  The knockouts (red, pink, and blushing) are blooming nicely as is Iceberg, The Fairy,  and Mutabilis.

The trees and shrubs blooming right now are the cassia tree with its gorgeous golden flowers and the pink and the withe hibiscus mutabilis (Confederate rose).

The toad lilies are still putting out flowers.

Even though I cut back the cat’s whiskers just a few weeks ago, they have grown back and are blooming again.

Clerodendrum phillipinum has recovered from the high heat and drought of summer and is blooming again.

A few other things are blooming:  butterfly weed, gerber daisy, torenia, a few azalea blooms have shown up, blue daze, and Mexican sage.  Not too bad for the middle of November.

8 Comments

Sun’s Special Light

November 14, 2009 at 8:11 pm (Flowers, Gardening)
Tags: ,

“Sun’s Special Light”, a copyrighted post, was written for my WordPress blog called Always Growing by Jan in Covington, Louisiana

Sun back lighting flowers and plants is always so striking.  Now with the sun at a lower angle, the opportunity for capturing a backlighted subject is greater.  I have to leave for work very early in the morning, and now that daylight savings time is over, it is still dark, so that leaves the weekends as the only time to get up early and stroll around the garden with the camera.  This morning, the sun was just starting to break and this allowed some great “sun” photos.

Since I am just starting to try to take photos of backlighted subjects, I was pleased with my first attempts.

Wh Sasanqua w Sun (redu)

 

 

This unknown sasanqua was my best attempt at this technique.  The sun really cooperated with the lighting here.  The next photo is not as dramatic, but the Mexican bush sage really stands out in the garden with the sun seeming to light it from within.

Mex B Sage w sun (redu)

 

 

The sun seems to rise so quickly that the correct angle for back lighting is soon gone, but that doesn’t mean that the sun isn’t still giving me a chance to take a good photo.  The cassia tree is in full bloom now and with the early morning sun flooding the area with light, a good close up of the flowers is possible.

 

 

Cassia Clsp (redu)

 

The sun’s light sure seemed to set off the garden today.

7 Comments

A Nice Surprise

November 11, 2009 at 7:35 pm (Flowers)
Tags: , ,

“A Nice Surprise”, a copyrighted post, was written for my WordPress blog called Always Growing by Jan in Covington, Louisiana 

 

When it comes to my garden, it doesn’t take much to make me happy.  A new flower, especially one on a plant that has never bloomed before, really is something I look forward to seeing.  While prowling around with my camera this past weekend, I suddenly spied a new flower.

 

 

Mardi Gras flower (redu)

 

This is the first time I am seeing this flower.  It is on a ti plant that my mother gave me about two years ago, and this is the first flower it has ever produced.  The stems as well as the tiny flowers are such a pretty shade of pink. 

I was rather amazed to see this flowering at this time of year.  While, we have not had any real cold weather, we have had several chilly days and nights, and I would have expected this plant to flower in the warm summer, not in mid-November.  This certainly was a nice surprise.

6 Comments

Unknown Beauty

November 10, 2009 at 7:35 pm (Flowers, Shrubs)
Tags: , , ,

“Unknown Beauty”, a copyrighted post, was written for my WordPress blog called Always Growing by Jan in Covington, Louisiana

 

There always is a bit of excitement when a new flower shows up, and it doesn’t even have to be a new purchase plant either.  Those that bloom only once and don’t appear again for a year also cause a bit of a stir when they start flowering.  Now is the time of year when the sasanqua camellias start blooming, and I have already shared my favorite, Yuletide, in a post just a few days ago.

Well, when I pulled into the driveway late this afternoon, I noticed a single white flower on another sasanqua which means that it too is starting its annual show.

 

Unknown Sasanqua (redu)

Unfortunately, I do not know the name of this particular sasanqua.  I bought it when it was not in bloom, and even though it had a tag and the container was labeled “Yuletide”, it turned out to be something else.  At first, I was very disappointed, but after only a few of these white flowers with pink edges showed up, I quickly made up my mind that I liked these one too.  I just wish I knew its name, because now I’d like a couple more since it is a fast grower and a prolific bloomer.  This particular sasanqua camellia certainly did turn out to be an unknown beauty.

5 Comments

A Second Chance

November 8, 2009 at 7:00 pm (Shrub)
Tags: , ,

“A Second Chance”, a copyrighted post, was written for my WordPress blog called Always Growing by Jan in Covington, Louisiana 

Last October when I attended the N. O. Garden show, I was finally able to purchase a plant I had been wanting for years.  It was a white Confederate Rose (Hibiscus mutabilis).  I wanted it to put in our “white” garden.  I also wanted one to complement the pink Confederate Rose in our back garden.  I was so happy I finally had one.  Since it was October, I didn’t feel it was a good idea to plant it in the ground.  While they are hardy in my zone 8 garden, a severe freeze will cut a young one down to the roots, and I didn’t want to risk it, so I kept it in its container and protected it all through the winter.

This summer, however, was extremely hot and dry, and by August, my pretty plant was toast.  First, it got white flies, but I think by that time it was declining fast, then, it lost its leaves, but ever the optimist, I kept watering it.  Finally, I had to admit it was a goner.

You rarely see these hibiscus plants in garden centers; they are pretty much a pass-along plant.  Well, this weekend when I went out to several nurseries for a few fall annuals to plant, I was so happy to see several at a small one-person operation.   I bought one and immediately planted it in the garden.  I am hoping it will be well established before we have our real cold weather which is usually in late December/early January.  Since it is still rather small, I could always cover it up with maybe an tomato cage wrapped in plastic and blankets.

While my pink Confederate Rose starts out light pink and gradually turns a darker pink as the day progresses, this one starts out white and slowly turns a dark pink. 

Wh Conf Rose 1 (redu)

 

Wh Conf Rose 2 (redu)

 

Wh Conf Rose 3 (redu)

 

Once this plant gets a little height on it, I think it will be a great addition to the garden, and the fact that you will be able to see the white one with the pink one behind it in the distance should be an added plus.  I am just glad I got a second chance to have this wonderful flowering plant.

8 Comments

Southernwood

November 5, 2009 at 8:09 pm (Plants)
Tags: , ,

“Southernwood”, a copyrighted post, was written for my WordPress blog called Always Growing by Jan in Covington, Louisiana 

 

One man’s weed is another man’s garden plant. 

One very common plant that is always showing up around here is southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum) which I remember from childhood as just a common weed.  Whenever I saw it popping up in our garden, I would get rid of it in a hurry.  Can’t have a known weed growing in a garden.  Then, about five years ago, back when there were true garden shows on television, I saw a show that was showing gardens in Germany.  Lo and behold, there was the host describing this great plant from America that turned out to be southernwood.  I couldn’t believe it.  Our plain old weed, now a star in German gardens.  (I believe the same thing happened to goldenrod – went to Europe and came back to America as a star.)

The next year, when this “weed” starting showing up in the garden, I let some stay around.  It does have a very delicate “ferny” look and is a lovely green.  It also can get fairly tall, maybe six feet.  Come fall, it begins to bloom, and by Thanksgiving is a lovely shade of tan – perfect for autumn.

 

Artemisia - Southernwood (redu)

 

Artemisia - Southernwood 2 (redu)

 

Funny, how we don’t want something until someone else values it.  I am glad I watched that garden show because I certainly found out about a great plant I thought was only a weed. 

8 Comments

First Sasanqua

November 4, 2009 at 7:38 pm (Shrubs)
Tags: , ,

“First Sasanqua”, a copyrighted post, was written for my WordPress blog called Always Growing by Jan in Covington, Louisiana 

 

Yuletide (redu)

 

The first of the camellia sasanquas has started blooming.  This is Yuletide, a sasanqua I have wanted for years and finally was able to buy one last fall.  I have it planted in a large container that I can place next to our front door which is painted red.  Last year there was flowers until Christmas.  I hope the same happens this year.

6 Comments

My Autumn Favorite

November 3, 2009 at 7:26 pm (Flowers)
Tags: ,

“My Autumn Favorite”, a copyrighted post, was written for my WordPress blog called Always Growing by Jan in Covington, Louisiana 

The last two months have been very hectic for me.  Work has been tough, and it seems as if I am drowning in paperwork.  I go to work with a list of things to do and leave with only a few done and even more added.  Because of all the stress and lack of time recently, I am even more grateful than usual for my garden.  While I haven’t been able to get out and work in it, the garden has been a great place to relax.

One of the flowers I find myself contemplating when I do get out in the garden is the Hibiscus mutabilis or Confederate Rose.  I have posted about this beautiful flower before, but they are now at the tail end of the peak bloom time, and before they play out, I want to you to see them one more time.

Conf Rose 3 (redu)

 

Conf Rose 2 (redu)

 

Conf Rose 1 (redu)

 

While I enjoy all of my garden, lately these flowers never fail to put me in a calm, happy mood.  I have always been fond of these particular flowers because they bloom in the fall just when many other summer plants have stopped blooming and just before the winter annuals really start flowering.  Because these large, fluffy, pink beauties have helped me destress every afternoon, they are now my autumn favorite.

9 Comments

« Older entries