Foliage Follow-Up, November 2014: The Non-Freeze

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Tina

My gardens are slowing down in preparation for winter, but haven’t experience the frosty nip that was promised earlier in the week. Thank goodness! I’m not quite ready to give in to the dark season. Not Just Yet.

Focusing on mid-November foliage, I’m joining with Pam at Digging for Foliage Follow-Up.

In one corner of my garden with dappled light most of the day and some direct sun off and on, are a couple of favorite foliage vignettes. One such is of Iris straps, Blue Mistflower, Conoclinium coelestinum, and cobalt-blue containerized succulent Ghost Plant, Graptopetalum paraguayense.

Planted alongside that mix are several Dianella or Variegated Flax Lily, Dianella tasmanica ‘Variegata’.

I love the wide, grass-like foliage of Dianella with its snazzy white stripes down the sides.

When a freeze was predicted this week, I covered the Dianella, though my concerns were unwarranted. Last winter, I covered all of my Dianella each time the temperature sank into the ’20s, especially for extended periods. They soldiered through winter like the garden champs they are and thrived in our long, hot summer. Dianella nicely combine with Iris and Soft-leaf Yucca straps,

…as well as with these snuggly Love-Critters.

Ghost Plant is unkillable: it goes for months without water, isn’t fazed by freezes (or at least mine haven’t been), can re-grow if a stem is broken.

My kinda plant.

Maiden Grass, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Adagio’ is in its glory now.

The beautiful seed heads reflect the sun as it briefly peeked through our mostly cloudy week.

Toasty-seeded Inland Sea Oats, Chasmanthium latifolium and the green swath of Cast Iron Plant, Aspidistra elatior are a striking pair.

Added to this scene is Purple Heart, Setcreasea pallida, which dramatizes that story a bit.

Big Muhly, Muhlenbergia lindheimeri and Soft-leaf Yucca, Yucca recurvifolia are cool weather troopers.

Graceful while also lending structure to the garden, these two are beautiful companions throughout the year, hot or cold.

I took this photo of evergreen Yarrow, Achillea millefolium and Chile Pequin, Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum, just before what was supposed to be a freezing night. I figured the fruits wouldn’t survive the plunging temperatures and wanted to record them for posterity.

I’m happy to report that the fruits are still available for dining by interested birds.

I love the twisty-curvy foliage of Corkscrew Rush, Juncus effusus spiralis, silhouetted over a pair of Mexican Feathergrass, Nassella tenuissima.

Finally, the leaf change is beginning on my Red Oak, Quercus coccinea.

Here in Central Texas, our tree foliage color change occurs later than that of our northern kin, but beautiful and appropriate for our climate and region. There will be more of this in the weeks to come.

Digging hosts Foliage Follow-Up–drop in for a look at November foliage fanfare.

Bloom Day, November 2014–Dodged the Frozen Bullet

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Tina

After a chilly week and our first real touch of winter, there are still blooms in my gardens. Lucky gardener! Lucky pollinators! I live in central Austin and those supposedly in the know predicted our temperature would fall to the high 20’s by early Friday morning. Well there was no freeze for me and mine. Outlying areas received their first freeze, but much of Austin was spared–this time. To celebrate those lucky blooms, I’m joining with Carol at May Dreams Gardens for November Garden Blogger blooms.

The Coral Vine, Antigonon leptopus, bloomed its signature fuchsia necklace rather late this year.

Now with colder temperatures and shorter days, the blossoms are fading on the vine.

I think my honeybees will miss this favorite nectar source.

The native Texas Craglily, Echeandia texensis, still blooms,

…though it’s going to seed. One patch blossoms in tandem with the blue Henry Duelberg Sage, Salvia farinacea,’Henry Duelberg’.

A freeze would have quickly ended that pretty pairing.

Rock Rose, Pavonia lasiopetala, sports flowers this November and that’s unusual–they normally stop production by late October.

Heavy with seed, I’ll expect more of these lovelies in seedling form next year. Any takers?

And Goldeneye, Viguiera dentata? It just won’t quit. This most photogenic of flowers, has bloomed since September.

This is one of my two last blooming Goldeneye plants.

The Goldeneye plants in the back garden bloomed first, then set seed and were followed by others throughout my gardens, each individual plant taking turn at adding cheeriness and wildlife goodness to the world. I’m glad these hardy natives have planted themselves all over my gardens. Bees, butterflies, birds, as well as this gardener, enjoy and appreciate a long season with these pretties.

The last Frostweed, Verbesina virginica, is in flowering mode.

While most of that species are setting seed.

A few Turk’s Cap, Malvaviscus arboreus, still bloom.

Yellow Bells, Tecoma stans, ‘Esperanza’, are available for passing bees and butterflies.

Blue Mistflower, Conoclinium coelestinum,

and Gregg’s Mistflower, Conoclinium greggii,

…are toward the end of their season. A true freeze will force the blue blooms into a tawny fluff, ready for dormancy.

Red Yucca, Hesperaloe parviflora, blossoms on its long bloom spike until a hard freeze.

This hasn’t been a banner year for my salvia species. They’ve bloomed, but not regularly nor as fully as usual. But they aren’t quite ready to close up shop, so bloom they will until it’s just too chilly and dark. Salvia like this red Tropical Sage, Salvia coccinea,

…and this Purple Sage, S. greggii x mycrophylla,

…and this red Autumn Sage, S. greggii,

…and another,

…and this coral Autumn Sage.

They’re determined, if not prolific.

The remains of Fall Aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, are tired of blooming and ready for seeding themselves.

When I thought there would be freezing temperatures, I cut the last of the fall blooms of Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea and Tropical Sage and did this:

As well, I cut a few Goldeneye and basil and did this:

I’m not much for cut flowers in the house (I much prefer a garden full of blooms), but they are nice when it’s gloomy outside. I guess November in my garden and my house is not so barren after all!

Pop on over to May Dreams Garden and enjoy a show of November blooms from all over

Blue Mistflower(s)

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Tina

This is Blue Mistflower, Conoclinium coelestinum.

This is also a blue mistflower,

…except that it’s Gregg’s Mistflower, Conoclinium greggii. From the shared Latin name, Conoclinium, it’s obvious that these two lovelies are related.

Both Blue Mistflower and Gregg Mistflower are in the Asteraceae, or Aster, family of plants and both are native Texas groundcovers. Blooming in August until the first light freeze, these mistflowers are desirable pollinator plants, easy to grow, and downright pretty.

I planted the Blue Mistflower many years ago in a different spot from this,

…and loved it. About five years ago, as spring arrived, only about ten “sprigs” emerged from winter dormancy. I was in major garden redo mode, so I pulled those few surviving sprigs up and replanted them.

The leaves are dark green and slightly serrated, with fuzzy, rich blue-violet flowers atop the branches.

The color of the photos doesn’t translate well, but Blue Mistflower is quite striking in full bloom.

The Gregg’s Mistflower is a newer addition in my gardens, though it’s more commonly planted in Austin gardens than the Blue.

I’ve only grown the Gregg’s for about three years. It’s an excellent attractor of pollinators–bees, butterflies, and moths are constantly working these flowers.