November in the Nest

Welcome to my November Nest on this cold and rainy day! I thought I might plant my tulip bulbs today, but the weather didn't cooperate, so looks like I'll work on indoor projects instead. Yes, you read that right, I haven't planted my tulips yet, and it's December tomorrow. I sure hope we get a little warm weather so I can get that job out of the way. I don't plant bulbs until a hard freeze takes out all my annual flowers, since I plant my bulbs in those same spots. And this year, the hard freeze came late, which is odd because the fall colors arrived extra early. All is bare now, the trees are empty and the only flower I could find in bloom was a lone dandelion. But I caught these last pretty spots early in the month. 

My roses usually enjoy the cool fall weather, and often give me a last round of blooms well into the chilly days. I often have roses blooming even into December, but not this year. These photos are from November 7th. 

Abraham Darby

At Last

Fourth of July

Funny Face

Zepherine Drouhin

Sunny Knockout

On the day I captured all these flower pix, a deep freeze was threatening, so I went out to say goodbye to them, as I always do. I'm ever grateful for the last, ragged blooms, hanging on in the chilly weather of November. The zinnias were a mildewy mess by then, and yet they bloomed on. But even the snapdragons didn't survive the later deep freeze, and that's saying something. 

But we escaped the first snow by visiting my folks in Florida at that time. It really was chilly there too, I swear! But it was still warmer than Ohio. First we went to Sarasota and Siesta Key, with my usual stop at Selby Gardens. And of course we enjoyed lots of seafood, especially grouper. Yum! 

Our next stop was Leesburg, where the views are complete different, but equally beautiful. 

Here we are at the end of November, and it's time for me to decorate for Christmas. I like to start outdoors by refilling my summer planters with greenery, which I'll leave in place until March. I try not to make them look overly Christmasy, so they can stay in place awhile. These are the planters that don't get tucked away into the garage, so I like to keep them filled even over the winter. 

For now, there's not much left to see in the garden. You know how much I miss having flowers growing right outside my door. But I keep busy in other ways in the winter, and it won't be long until spring flowers start peeking out. Guess I'd better get those tulip bulbs planted if I want to see spring blooms! You can probably see that I repaired my penny ball, but this photo reminds me that I think I'll tuck it into the garage for the winter. I used to leave it out, but I think the adhesive holds up better if I give it a break from the bitter cold. 

And so it goes in my November Nest. Sunsets are seen out the back door now, but they're hard to catch with the return of frequent cloudy days. This is a good time of year to see sunsets down at the pond, so I'll have to remember to run down there next time one shows up. 

Thanks for stopping by my nest, as usual. In December, I'll show you my indoor holiday decor, and any other treats that I can find. Until then...