“A Few of My Favorite Things”, a copyrighted post, was written for my WordPress blog called Always Growing by Jan in Covington, Louisiana
A few of my favorite things at this time of year are plants which have reached their peak. For example, this coleus, lemon verbena, torenia combo at my sister’s house. It is a great color combination and has reached a large enough size to really stand out. We should be able to keep our tender plants at least until December, maybe even longer.
And then there is this pink lantana, covered with blooms, butterflies, and bees. This pink has an apricot tinge to the pink and is so pretty. Lantanas are usually hardy for us here in the Gulf South. If it gets in the mid twenties, they may freeze back to the ground, but will return from the roots.
And finally this Tilt-a-whirl coleus is spectacular. Both my sister and I bought this in late July, and our plants are now huge. I am going to try and overwinter some of this one.
With colder temperatures right around the corner, I am starting to reflect on what plants did very well for me this year. These plants will definitely be in the garden next year.
Always Growing 
greenwalks said,
November 8, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Lovely photos! Your winter comes more slowly than ours, most of my more striking plants have gone dormant already or are dead from frost. I love coleus but it’s an annual for sure in my climate (Seattle). Hope yours overwinter or get going again from saved cuttings/seeds!
tina said,
November 8, 2008 at 5:02 pm
No wonder, they look super great.
Brenda Kula said,
November 8, 2008 at 7:13 pm
I love that coleus! My lemon verbena bit the dust during the heat and hasn’t come back. And it’s one of my all time favorite herbs too. That smell of lemon cannot be matched!
Brenda
Jan said,
November 8, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Thanks for stopping by, greenwalks. Yes, we are lucky that winter comes much later for us, and it is not as severe. It amazes me sometimes how many tender perennials make it through the winter here. It is not unusual for pentas, impatiens, and yes, even coleus makes it through our winter.
Yes, Tina, they still look great even though Thanksgiving is bearing down on us.
Brenda, I love lemon verbena, too. Mine survives because I water it like crazy during the heat of the summer. Lemon balm is also a favorite for the same reason – that lemony aroma.
Racquel said,
November 8, 2008 at 8:18 pm
That first combo looks great. It’s good to document what worked in the garden so that you can repeat it next season.
Jan said,
November 9, 2008 at 6:55 am
Racquel, being able to document what is going on in the garden is one of the things I like best about digital cameras. It is so easy to take the photos, save them under file names, and then pull them up any time you want to. I have several photos I took this year that pictures what I want to repeat and what I would never do again.
Alex said,
November 9, 2008 at 8:22 am
Beautiful! The only color in my garden now is my burning bushes and Red Dogwood trees. 🙂
Randy said,
November 9, 2008 at 9:01 am
I think I love lantana as much as the butterflies. But we are running out of room for new plants. 😦
Jan said,
November 10, 2008 at 5:27 am
Hey, Alex. I know northern gardeners have just about put their gardens to rest until spring. But, lately, I have been considering what did very well in the garden to make sure I repeat it next year.
Randy, time for more garden beds. LOL. I know I even feel like I am running out of room for plants and am starting to eye some open lawn areas for new planting space.