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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Friday, November 29, 2013

November End of the Month View

It's hard to believe that November is almost over and I haven't done any shopping for Christmas yet. Yikes!  My sister from Alaska did all her shopping for relatives in this area while she was here for Thanksgiving and distributed her gifts then too.  Being the oldest sister, she's always a few steps (more like a mile) ahead of the rest of us in getting things done in a timely manner and shopping year round for thoughtful gifts.  I, on the other hand, will be wondering what people might want up until Christmas eve. and then sending gift cards via the internet at the last minute. 
 
On Saturday, I took a walk around the garden with my camera in hand and decided to find things that make me happy about what winter will bring.
 
The contorted filbert will loose it's leaves exposing it's beautiful twisted branches.
 

Yucca 'Color Guard' will look gorgeous all winter and I'll smile when seeing it because giant allium bulbs are planted in the pot and will make a gorgeous color combination next summer.

My persimmon tree has produced three fruits, a bumper crop by it's standards.  It came with me as a small tree from my former garden, lost it's leader when a huge branch from the Albizia julibrissin decided to fall on it.  Now the poor thing sprawls but has nice foliage and the original thought was that a leafless tree full of orange fruit would look festive against the evergreen foliage behind.  I threaten to remove it every year but don't.  What would you do?

The black mondo grass that has spread around my beds is the star in winter when the herbaceous plants that grow around them are gone.

Variegated Fatsia japonica will look great all winter unless the pot that it's growing in gets a clogged drain hole, traps water and drowns the poor thing.

Cyclamen foliage adds beautiful green all winter long.

This variegated giant grass looks great now but even after it's brown, it will contribute lovely structure and movement. 

It's a little over 10 feet tall and decided that the heavy rains we had a couple of months ago were too much for it and it sprawled out all over everything beneath it.  Oh well.
 Berberis 'Orange Rocket'  holds on to it's glorious foliage longer than a lot of deciduous shrubs.  Now if I could finally get rid of that fern that volunteered there, life would be great.  The acacia pravissima on the right will look great towering over everything unless it dies this year.


I understand now why people like palms so much.  They look great all of the time!

 
 Winter tidies up a bid so that the garden paths will become a little more visible again.


The bottle tree is pretty much covered with foliage all summer but now will add a little winter color.  It's blurry but the Mahonia behind the bottles is beginning to bloom.

As the banana begins to droop from the frost, what we call the Dr. Seuss tree, that topiary that adds some needed structure to the jungle, can be seen from the back door again.

The Buddha above the water feature which all summer hides behind the magnolia foliage once again greets me.
 I'm hoping this new puya will be happy this winter.  It's growing sideways so should get very little water on it's roots this year.

A few maple leaves still showing color but the euonymus behind  is a delightful variegated broadleaved evergreen.  Yea.

The red berries of Cotoneaster lacteus will add their nice red punctuation all winter before I have to find a place to plant it permanently.  Acacia dealbata in the black pot will be pulled inside if the temps get too low.
 Rubus thibetanus (Ghost Bramble)  is showing it's ghostly white color nicely.  Maybe I shouldn't have cut it back so hard but I need to get back there and pull a lot of that hedera helix that keeps planting itself and growing hidden beneath the summer foliage.  BTW the leaves on everything are a protective organic mulch NOT a symptom of LGS (Lazy Gardener Syndrome.)
 Some rogue tetrapanax - can't bring myself to pull them all because they add such an interesting tropical canopy over the path in the summer.  Someday Schefflera delavayi over by the bench will be large enough to walk under.

 Arbutus unedo flowers and fruit decorate the path.  Sweeping these away would deprive us all of this delightful aesthetic experience. 

Or maybe I'm just in denial about my LGS.

Going back.  Love that the variegated Azara microphylla has now attained enough size to really stand out.


 I'm joining with Helen Johnstone at The Patient Gardener in her End of the Month View meme.  To see other end of the month posts, please click on this link to visit her blog!

29 comments:

  1. The general die-back really does expose things that are hidden by summer's explosion. I like your attitude, mister.

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    1. Because I have no control, things are crammed all over my garden and get covered up in the summer. Winter allows me to enjoy these. My attitude has really improved since my lobotomy.

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  2. hi Peter
    Thanks for joining in with the meme, I am looking forward to my monthly nose around your garden. I have Fatsia growing in the garden and it has withstood being covered in snow and temps down to -18c, would you be able to plant yours out?

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    1. Oh yes, I have them growing in the ground all over the garden but this variegated one is so lovely that I put it in a tall pot outside so that I could see the leaves better. Once it attains more size, I'll plant it in the ground.

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  3. What a treat, Peter. This is the most I've ever seen of your garden. I love it! The paths with the bricks and moss and stepping stones are so cool. And so many interesting things planted. I love just looking and admiring everything. I love too that you've got lots of little interesting things besides the plants. The face-pot with the Mondo grass--too cool. Your Trachycarpus is really healthy. I think when they get really big it's harder to keep them looking good. Great post Peter. I'm glad I stopped by. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the arctic blast is just a lot of hot air.

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    1. Glad you like the moss. I have to power wash it off every couple of years or the paths become more moss than bricks. Love that last sentence - made me laugh. If we have to have that blast come in I hope we get a nice insulating blanket of snow to protect everything first!

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  4. I enjoyed this tour with plenty of great looking plants and ideas for getting a garden through the winter. Does this mean we'll get to tour your garden on a regular basis now?

    Your sister needs to cut that stuff out, it's not right to get it all done early!

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    1. I keep forgetting to post pictures of my garden because I see it every day and think that somehow everyone else does too. The end of the month view should keep me in line for posting about it more.

      That sister is so thoughtful that I don't think there's any hope of changing her ways at this point. I think she really loves the whole idea of giving gifts and decorating, and writing Christmas (and every other holiday) cards, and just being joyful. (Have you ever been tempted to throw a rock at a songbird?)

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  5. This was a wonderful tour Peter. For a moment you had me forgetting my sad state and all the fear of what will be this time next week.

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    1. Glad you could forget for just a moment. Oh well, as Doris Day and China Forbes sing que sera sera, whatever will be will be. The future's not ours to see... But golly, those weather forecasters sure know how to scare us don't they?

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  6. Thanks for the tour Peter, seeing your garden is a treat as always! LGS, I think everyone gets especially this time of the year but I call it resting instead before spring arrives :))

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    1. Thanks guys, you're too kind. I like that you call it resting but that seems to be something that you simply do not do!

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  7. I enjoyed the walk around your garden! I haven't been in mine in about a month! Call it LGS if you want, but I'm always ready for a break this time of year. Hope you had a great thanksgiving!
    Brenda

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    1. Thanks Brenda. I only get to see my garden in the light on weekends now that the days are shorter so there's always a surprise. Resting is good!

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  8. The garden looks great! Kind of jealous... Here at my parents' plant in Michigan almost everything is already shades of brown, and the one palm in the garden - a needle palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix) - has to be covered for the winter today. I would keep the persimmon and hope for more fruits in the future, but maybe that is just because to me a persimmon is so exotic that I would never be able to sacrifice it.

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    1. You have such a long cold winter. Maybe you'd like to move out west?

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  9. You have lots of lovely things to enjoy in your garden, I particularly enjoy the berberis, and the structural qualities of the palm, fatsia and topiary (brilliant name for it btw!). As for the arbutus detritus, far too beautiful to sweep up!! Happy EOMV.

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    1. Happy EOMV to you Janet! I am very lucky to live where I do where it's warm enough to have some palms and bananas but gets cold enough for spring-flowering bulbs, lilacs, hostas, etc.

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  10. How have I not discovered your blog before now? I like your eclectic garden very much. You have lots of plants that I grow too, and one I yearn over: the contorted filbert (we call it contorted hazel). After wanting one for twenty years, I have finally found a source and put it on my Christmas list. Yours looks wonderful. Looking forward to exploring more of your blog.

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    1. Hello Lyn and thanks for commenting which allowed me to find your blog. The Australian blogs are like a healing balm when it's winter here because we can experience summer through your gardens. You'll love your contorted hazel!

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  11. Your garden has foliage till now, Peter, you have no snow, it's pretty! Yucca is wonderful, as palm and maple is! I wish you have no longer winter and cold. Happy sunday!

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    1. Thank you dear Nadezda. We really have no winter compared to those who live in the north so I shouldn't complain. May you have a mild winter and a lovely Sunday!

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  12. The azara is a lovely variegated punctuation for your garden. As for LGS, I believe cleaning up is vastly over-rated, because leaves and other attractive debris add valuable mulch to the garden. It's protection you'll appreciate if Seattle will experience the same cold temps being predicted here in Portland. Say it with me: I'm not procrastinating, I'm protecting.

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    1. You are so right about LGS. Allowing the debris in place to protect and nurture new growth is the natural, organic, planet saving thing to do. It's practically our duty as a citizens of the planet. Thanks for that rationalization!

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  13. Hi Peter - have stepped into your garden via the Patient Gardener's Weblog and have really enjoyed your end of month view. You have some beautiful plants and garden artefacts. I'm especially taken with your blog header, the Dr Seuss tree and with what you've done with the black mondo grass :)

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    1. Thank you so much, Anna. It was very nice to have you visit and especially kind of you to leave a comment. I'm looking forward to visiting more gardens via the Patient Gardener's Weblog!

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  14. I think LGS is spreading! As the days get shorter and colder (well, down into the 60s but SoCal skins are thin), I think I'm getting LGS too. Maybe it's a climate-related syndrome.

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    1. As the needs of our plants become less urgent (water me in the next hour or I'll die becomes water me sometime in the next three months if you feel like it but don't make a special trip) we gardeners relax a bit and start planning for the holidays. January is the time when we sit inside and plan for next year and by February it's time to get out there and start weeding.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.