The Last Remnants

Winter came early this year, long before it usually does. Plus what autumn we did have was much colder and earlier than usual. In early November, I still had a few cold hardy garden highlights to show off. By mid November it was winter, with snow and ice.

It doesn't really surprise me when perennials or shrubs still show off a few flowers late in the season.

Even roses aren't really a shock to me in November. I've had roses in early December before, just not this year. This year the roses were gone by mid November. Boohoo!

But every time that annuals survive such hard frosts, it's amazing to me, even if they're cold hardy annuals.

Our home was only built 15 years ago, so we don't have any tall trees. Not to mention, we didn't really plant any large tree varieties. Therefore autumn foliage is at a premium on our property. But I do have a little.

Still, the best foliage view is looking down the street. Most of this color comes from the much maligned Bradford pears planted as street trees.

I even had a butterfly at the start of the month. If there's a late butterfly, you know it's going to be a painted lady.

And then it was over. First there was an ice storm, then snow later in the day. After that, winter stayed. Autumn may have been short and sweet this year, but it was truly gorgeous while it was here.

The Garden in December

It seems that El Nino is already at play in our weather here in the Midwest. It's been so mild that I don't know whether to call it an extremely early spring or a really late fall, but it certainly isn't winter yet. We've had a few heavy frosts, but no snow. Mostly, it's been warm for December.

The grass is still green, the leaves are still on the butterfly bush, and bulb foliage is popping up here and there. Many of my hardier plants are still green, especially the ground covers. And there are a few flowers in bloom! The pansies here are a little wilted from a frost, but haven't really stopped blooming since I planted them way back in early October.

It's not uncommon for lamium to put out blooms during a warm spell, even in winter. But I always enjoy when it happens. The leaves stay fresh for most of the winter, fading only a bit when it's bitter cold. It spreads quickly, but I don't consider it invasive, because it's easily uprooted. It's easy to share when it starts to be a little overly enthusiastic.

These Tall Ribbon Mix snapdragons are a personal favorite of mine for many reasons. Mostly, I love them because they refuse to stop blooming. At least a few of these flowers have been in bloom non-stop since May! There aren't many left now, but still, they are definitely worth growing. They also drop seeds around freely, and you may not even have to plant them again next year.

This is the bloom that really surprised me, Candytuft. It's an early spring bloomer, so seeing a few flowers today was unexpected. The lamium, pansies, and snapdragons have never really stopped blooming from summer, but the Candytuft just started. I had no idea that these were so good for reseeding, because I have plants coming up all over the place. I'm sure I'll be giving them out to fellow gardeners come spring.

The rest of my December garden sights are the usual kinds you'd see this time of year, especially the ornamental grasses. Morning Light miscanthus makes for good winter interest...

as does Hamln pennisetum seen below. My favorite summer grass, Karly Rose is not a winter interest type grass, unfortunately. The seed heads shatter in autumn, leaving a mass of tangled stems behind. I still leave them up in winter, but only because its directions tell me to.

By far my favorite winter garden plant is Angelina Sedum. It's beginning to put on its winter color already. It seems to look best in February and March, when the snow melts and the rest of the world is drab.

I never thought I'd have a full garden post to share in December, but this year is definitely strange so far. I'm sure it will eventually get cold, and we'll surely see some snow. But in the mean time, I sure love this unusual weather. I've never been a fan of a white Christmas anyway.

September Sights

The calendar has turned to September, and the kids are back to school. But that doesn't mean it feels like fall. It's still plenty hot and sticky, and it feels like August. But soon, very soon, the days will start to cool, and it will actually *feel* like September. I hope anyway! I really like the cool, clear days that usually characterize September. Bring it on!

I'm a big fan of October too, and fall in general. But no, I don't care one bit about pumpkin spice lattes. It seems that's all anyone cares about this time of year! I won't rush through September though, it's one of my favorite months.

It's not quite summer, it's not quite fall. Flowers are still blooming with abandon, but the vegetable garden is fading fast. It was not a banner year for vegetables, that's for sure. As a matter of fact, it was one of the worst harvest years ever. Luckily, the tomatoes are still producing. Come winter, I'm sure going to miss having fresh tomatoes every day. The carrots did well, as you can see.

Many of my perennials finish up their blooming by September, so I depend on annuals. The snapdragons, zinnias, dahlias, coleus, and moss roses are carrying the load when it comes to garden color.

I haven't seen as many butterflies this month as I usually do, and I'm disappointed in that. It's monarch season, and I've only seen one so far. However, I do have some visitors in my kitchen...aren't they cute? One of the other master gardeners was passing out these monarch caterpillars recently, and I said I'd raise a couple to maturity. I've always meant to try this!

I did catch one making its chrysalis, but couldn't manage to get a decent photo of the process. Still, it was absolutely fascinating! Now I'm waiting for the other one to do the same, before I run out of milkweed. I hope I don't miss the transition to butterfly. It will be another week or so before that happens. I don't care how old you are, this is an amazing thing to see! Stayed tuned for the arrival of the butterflies themselves.

Hope you enjoyed my September sights, I know I sure did!