GBBD: Hanging On

Today has dawned foggy of the freezing kind, so it's only just brightened up enough for me to venture into the garden to see which flowers are hanging on for dear life this month. It's been a matter of finding tiny little vignettes dotted around, most of which I fear won't last the day once the sun's rays begin their feeble work. The night's frost was sufficient to preserve my remaining flowers in an aspic-like way, but this very act of preservation may serve to turn them into mush later on.


The Sedum 'Autumn Joy' pictured above is highlighted with tiny little frosted pin pricks. This flower will probably survive better than most as it'll still look attractive when the decaying flower heads turn brown later on. Elsewhere, I found frozen flowers of Erysimum 'Bowles Mauve', rosemary and Phlox paniculata 'Snow White' (see the last picture, below). Perhaps the most surprising of all was a solitary perennial cornflower (Centaurea montana, below), better known as a spring flower which always lasts for much longer in my garden. I wonder if I'm seeing subsequent generations of self-sown flowers from spring's profusion?


Some of winter's flowers have also started to awaken, as have the spring bulbs: I was surprised to find the tiny snouts of snowdrops and crocuses beginning to push their noses through the earth recently. Planting up my pots of daffodil bulbs also revealed tulips awakening from their slumbers. For once I've completed my spring bulb planting: 2 months earlier than usual :o


However, for now I'm content to leave these treats for their allotted Blooms Days and instead I'll savour these last few traces of autumn in my garden.

Garden Bloggers' Blooms Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Comments

  1. Wally15 November 2010 at 11:26

    Lovely photos. I especially liked the frozen Snow White.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Commonweeder15 November 2010 at 13:10

    We had fog this am too, but there are no flowers in my garden. I also particularly liked Snow White.

    ReplyDelete
  3. petoskystone15 November 2010 at 13:32

    the cornflower looks like an ice sculpture.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous15 November 2010 at 13:35

    My Autumn Joy is long gone.Good to see yours.I am missing the flowers already and we have months to go before another flower pops it head out.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Janet/Plantaliscious15 November 2010 at 13:57

    I love that Centaurea montana, so delicate! "Vignettes" is definitely the right word, just the last determined hangers-on still flowering from summer, but I love that we have true seasons here, and that everything changes. Fingers crossed for a great Spring, but in the mean time I hope I manage to relish winter.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rose15 November 2010 at 14:15

    Lovely blooms frozen in time, VP. Amazing to see the cornflower blooming in November. I'm still working on my Bloom Day post, but it will be very short--blooms are few and far between here.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mr. McGregor's Daughter15 November 2010 at 16:20

    Nice frost shot of the sedum. I think they look better as seedheads than fresh flowers. My snowdrops are sprouting too. I haven't poked around enough to see if any of the daffodils are sprouting as well. They are encouraging signs amidst the decay of the fall garden.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dorothy Borders15 November 2010 at 16:31

    That sedum is just glorious and the blue of the cornflower is so vibrant. Hard to find good blues in the garden. Snow White, too, is a pretty little thing. Thanks for sharing your garden with us.

    ReplyDelete
  9. themanicgardener15 November 2010 at 18:41

    They're all lovely. But I have to ask: "winter flowers"? Maybe that's the difference between England and Montana?
    --Kate

    ReplyDelete
  10. Helen/patientgardener15 November 2010 at 21:31

    So far my garden has avoided being frosted. There was only a faint dusting of frost on the grass this morning but when I got to Worcester everything was really frosted. I can only assume it is the hills protecting us.

    I completed my bulb planting the other week but by cheating. I couldnt remember where I planned to plant some of them so potted them up instead ready for planting out!!

    However my Sedum is looking pathetic all sort of straggly and mangled

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anna15 November 2010 at 21:42

    Have not looked where my snowdrop clumps are for some time ~ after reading this I will take a peek in the morning. Well done on completing your bulb planting well ahead of schedule :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. scottweberpdx15 November 2010 at 23:24

    Nice post...love the sedum shot...those specks of frost really make it pop!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Juliet15 November 2010 at 23:26

    Oops - I still have Narcissus bulbs in the garage - I'm not sure they'll get planted this year now.

    We had frost last night too, but I spotted a tiny Nemophilia still flowering in my garden this afternoon, and the Primulas think it's already spring!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nutty Gnome17 November 2010 at 09:29

    Nice photos VP. The cornflower is lovely.
    I've still got sedum, nicotania, roses and cosmos flowering like billio, but I suspect that another hard frost will do for them - but it's great to be still cutting fresh flowers for inside the house in November!musepo

    ReplyDelete
  15. VP22 November 2010 at 08:53

    Hi everyone - glad you like the pictures. Interesting that 'Snow white' got such a good response from you as I almost didn't include it!

    Welcome to all my first time visitors :)

    I'm off to pay you all a visit!

    ReplyDelete

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