glamis castle

Since it is in a pot, I've been taking 'Glamis Castle' in at night, which has been in the 20's.  Still the flower has browned edges. Not much of the mothball fragrance, though, which is a good thing.

after the freeze

Dahlias are done.

Fig is finished.

Vitex is vanquished.

 

But 'Old Blush still has a few blooms. 

As does Campanula rotundifolia.   

 'Gorizia' rosemary started blooming when the weather cooled and is still going.

 The "Home Depot" rosemary still has a few. 

 'Monch' is still cranking out a few flowers.

 

One last flower on the geranium (is it 'Rozanne'?). Then again, it was probably the only flower on it all year. 

Crocus speciosus is still going strong, but looks like this will soon be the end. 

'Iceberg' roses still with a few looking okay, but the most looking droopy and sad.

Some fall foliage. Too bad I missed photographing the peak of the sumacs. But Ceratostigma plumbaginoides is in its glowing stage. 

Heuchera 'Green Spice' always looking good. 

Oklahoma redbud has some color to it this year. Maybe my observations last year were not entirely correct.

But it is still not a particularly showy coloration.

The Texas redbuds are not as showy this year, at least not so far.

The biggest excitement was noticing that 'Jacob' hellebore is starting its show. Perfect. Just when the Crocus speciosus is finishing. I love it when a plan comes together. Now all I need is something that will bloom in February/March. Hmm, Iris unguicularis?

'Joseph Lemper' is also putting out a flower or two, next to the cyclamen foliage. Note to self: hellebores grow slowly. I got 'Jacob' in a 2 gallon, and 'Jacob' in a 4" pot. It's worth getting the larger plants.

I bought this as Helleborus x ericsmithii 'Champion' but it was from Lowes, and some were labelled 'Jacob' although they were clearly not Helleborus niger. I'll see what it looks like when it blooms, but the leaves are consistent with x ericsmithii.

freeze tonight

With the weather forecast predicting 22F temperatures tonight, the rose blossoms are going to turn to mush. So I cut them all (headlamps out in the garden) and placed them in a bowl where they are scenting the kitchen. I pretty much shredded the flowers as I tried to arrange them in a bowl anyway, the flowers being very heavy with not much stems.

Earlier today:

I hope the do well next year.

crocus speciosus

 

 I love Crocus speciosus. The first time I saw it was in a garden in Santa Fe, and the flowers were just glowing in the late afternoon sunlight. They were like magic, an unexpected color for fall, with delicacy and luminosity.

 

I find that luminosity and charm very hard to capture in a photograph, what is so apparent in real life.

When I took out the grass in the courtyard, I debated about whether or not to plant the cracks between the flagstone, and decided not to. You see how well that plan worked out. I saw the Crocus speciosus for sale, and I knew immediately where they had to go.

Here they are, catching the light coming through the gate.  

 

 
Popping up like magic.

Delicacy and boldness in one. 

 I find them beautiful up close as well as from a distance.

I planted 60 of them. I hope they are happy and multiply.

origanum dictamnus

One of the last plants that I rushed to transplant from the old garden is Origanum dictamnus, Dittany of Crete. Yes, that dittany, of which Hermione used essence of dittany to heal Ron's injuries in The Deathly Hallows.

It's still a tiny plant, but at least it survived and produced quite a long season of blooms in the usual oregano style of layered bracts. I may change my nickname of this plant to "Rattlesnake Plant".