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Friday, November 16, 2012

Going, Going, Gone...November 2012 Blooms


The October Blue sky over the garden has been beyond incredible. So has the weather! Had the warm weather continued the garden would still have many wildflowers in bloom, but, after two days in the mid-seventies, wind, rain and freezes arrived to remind us that this is Autumn in Middle Tennessee.

The Japanese Maples in an homage to the Golden ginko down the street dropped all their leaves as if on cue. They had been stunning.

Almost every perennial in the garden is mush or toast, except for several Rudbeckia trilobas that refuse to quit blooming, a lone Gaura lindheimeri that is limping along, Helenium autumnale that is trying to bloom, the annuals I covered, and the very, very late blooming native ex-aster.  If you take anything away from this post, please note that R triloba and Symphyotrichum praealtum  should definitely be planted in your garden, both are beyond belief floriferous and frost/freeze hardy! The Bumbles and little bees with thank you.
Photo from November 15, 2012
As I sit here, looking over my photos and writing about the last of the blooms at C and L, I can only conclude one thing~This has been a delightful autumn, worthy of praise!

If I think about the extended bloom season, the stalwart asters, the stubborn rudbeckias, the loyal Bumbles...One plant stands out as exceptional and worthy of praise and that is  Hamamelis virginiana.

Just look at those flowers, they light up the garden against that Autumn Blue Sky!

xoxogail

Inspired by the words of Elizabeth Lawrence, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year,” Carol of May Dreams Gardens started Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. On the 15th of every month, garden bloggers from all over the world share their garden blooms. So head over to Carol's to take the Mr Linky magic carpet ride to more gardens than you can imagine visiting in one day! 


 This is my November 2012 contribution.

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

16 comments:

  1. I just love those witch hazels. I haven't got one yet. I want one. Hopefully soon I will run into one. I am amazed that you still have bees buzzing and something for them to nectar on. Fabulous. Happy GBBD.

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  2. All of those flowers at C and L make for a delightful fall, combined with the blue skies and foliage of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, it has been a very fine year. The witch hazel is very special.
    xoxoxo
    Frances

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  3. so lovely to see the blossoms in autumn :)

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  4. Love those yellows against the blue, blue sky!
    All wonderful photos for GBBD!
    Have a great week-end!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

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  5. yellow red and blue, all the singing primary colours!

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  6. I can't believe your witch hazel is blooming already! I swear, I should move to Tennessee...your climate is so much better than ours. I shouldn't complain though. We had a fabulous Autumn too, before the cold rain set in, but we do so need the rain.

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  7. The leaves on the Japanese maples by your stairs are terrific, so bright against the background. Those bees are fortuante to still be finding blooming flowers. That is a lovley combination of blue sky and yellow blooms.

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  8. Your Japanese maples were so gorgeous--what vibrant shades of red and orange! But the witch hazel is a star, too; such sunny, cheery blooms for these cold days.

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  9. I need some fall flowering witch hazel, clearly I do. Thanks for the inspiration you provide on bloom day and all through the year.

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  10. I LOVE your witch hazel, I am dying to get one or two of my own!

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  11. Hw nice to have Hamamelis virginiana blooming in fall. I planted a native Hamamelis and hope to see blooms this spring. My blooms were slowly frozen off completely almost with all the overnight temps in the 20s...but we are warming to the 50s again with little rain this month...heck of a fall so far.

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  12. Your photo of the Hamamelis against the blue sky is stunning. Mine haven't bloomed yet. I have Ozark witch hazel, H. vernalis and Feuerzauber, H. x intermedia. The Feuerzauber is struggling a bit....though still showing signs of life (which I take as a success).

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  13. The Rudbeckias are the last plants flowering in my garden too - they are quite stubbon indeed

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  14. The shots of Witch Hazel against the blue sky are stunning! Actually, your garden is still very colorful. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

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  15. Your post today on the Itea reminded me that I meant to comment on the Witch Hazel and Maple pictures. Can I just say that you have really developed a feel for photography over the years. You pay attention to the detail and it shows. And, oh yes, the plants are terrific too!

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  16. I really need a Hamamelis virginiana in my garden!

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