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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.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Happenings in My Garden

Now that clocks have been set back and the light grows shorter, I mostly get to see my garden on the weekends.  However, things continue to happen outdoors and in.

For some reason, I thought that dinosaur hatching season was in the spring/summer but there seems to be an early bird or a late bloomer in my garden.  Do you suppose this has something to do with climate change?

Out in a parking strip, Melianthus major 'Antonow's Blue' is looking especially lush.

Long-spent stems from Romneya coulteri always look hideous in the fall and winter.  Should I cut them to the ground?  New growth emerges from the stems in the spring so I'm not sure.

The mystery arctostaphylos that had variegated leaves for several years now is entirely green.  Must have been a disease of some sort but it sure was beautiful.  Blooms in the fall are nice too.

I've waited to see orange fruit on my persimmon for years.  Finally the tree was mature enough and I cut away enough overhanging foliage that part of it was in enough sun.

I see these from my kitchen window and they make me smile.  I almost want to leave them for ornamental value and not eat them.

Must be early November as the first of the holiday cacti has started blooming. Others moved to the greenhouse and they're a bit behind as it's cooler out there. Fortunately, it looks like there will be blooms from now through January.

Last but not least, the bud on Zamia furfuracea (a cycad also called cardboard palm) is growing larger.
Can you believe that there's only one week left in November?  How time flies.

15 comments:

  1. It is ridiculous how fast the calendar flips its pages! So is that a bloom on the Zamia furfuracea? Or new leaves?

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    1. Based solely on what the new leaves look like on Sago Palms, I think this'll be a bloom. Since this Cycad is new to me, we'll have to wait and see.

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  2. The persimmons are so festive and bright, butI couldn't resist bringing a few inside to see how they taste. It's odd the arctostaphylos lost the variegation. I have a variegated evergreen grass that occasionally grows all-green sections, which I pull out immediately. I think it reverts to the it's more dominant form... The arctostaphylos looks great with the bluish grayish tinted leafs, and must have a nice bark too.

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  3. Those persimmons are gorgeous and what a treat to see tham from your window. Re your variegated plant: A friend had a Hosta we all admired until she told us the striking pattern was a wierd virus.

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  4. Interesting stuff going on in your garden, and some actual sun between rainstorms? Yay! Almost bought a Zamia a week or so ago--its a beautiful plant.

    Better keep an eye on the Persimmons--baby dinosaurs might eat them up.

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  5. I didn't know we could grow persimmons here.
    My holiday cacti will be all done by Christmas. Oh well.

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  6. It's like we garden on two different planets, Peter. I've never seen any of the plants in your post in person; they are fascinating. Well, with the exception of the Christmas cactus, but yours looks much fancier. I never know if I should cut back my hydrangeas or my Russian sage, either. Any luck on a new plant mobile yet?

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    1. No new plant mobile yet. The insurance check is in the mail so maybe this weekend. I'm torn between simply replacing my previous vehicle with one of the same make, model, and year and having no car payment or getting something a little newer. Still making do with the '95 Ford truck and the trusty Honda Accord (287 thousand miles and still going strong.)

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  7. I'm getting flowers on my holiday cactus too, which I'm very happy about. Love the dinosaur eggs!

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  8. Love your little dinosaur, must be global warming! Your Persimmon fruits are beautiful, really unusual over here. Our christmas cactus have started flowering, I hope they are still in flower for the Big Day!

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  9. How does one eat a persimmon? I've never had one. Love your dinosaur hatchling.

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    1. There are various recipes for persimmons but I've only ever eaten them out of hand, like an apple. They are astringent, especially the Hachiya variety, until ripe so many people take a bite of a less-than-ready fruit and swear them off forever. http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/introducing-4-persimmon-varieties/

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  10. I love that dinosaur and I'm amazed at your persimmons - the fruit never remain intact on my trees once it gets anywhere close to ripe.

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  11. I would be pulling for that "dinosaur" to actually be a dragon. Wouldn't flying on a dragon's back be a cool way to make those frequent trips to Portland?

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    1. Oh yes, perfect transportation but how many plants can a dragon carry?

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