What's Blooming This Month? November 2014

With the month almost at the close and the busyness of life at its peak right now (or so it seems), I thought I'd post some photos of my garden in November. I took these right before the big freeze set in which either forced all the leaves to drop or turned them into a crisp. Still the beauty of autumn was here until the end...

 They don't call it Burning Bush for nothing! This Euonymus alatus literally looks like it's on fire.

When most of the garden flowers are heading off to sleep, these Anenome 'Prince Henry' are in full bloom.

All the hostas are now turning a brilliant shade of yellow, which adds such a flair of awesomeness to the garden.

What would a fall garden be without mums? I love how these are flopped over the boulders, down the slope here.

 Silly daffodils, it's not spring yet! Go back to bed.

The Japanese Maple's deep reddish hue in autumn looks so pretty against the weeping spruce.

 The foliage and the drying flower heads of this sedum are eye catching right now.

And of course the variegated holly is in full "bloom" with berries galore - just in time for the winter season!

So there you have it - my Long Island, NY garden in November! I hope you were able to get out and enjoy the fresh autumn air before the cold and snow set in.

As always, you can follow me on Instagram and Facebook for more frequent photo updates.

Until soon!

What's Blooming this Month? October 2014

They sunlight streams through the trees at a different angle these days, the mornings and evenings are cool and the leaves gently fall to the ground like raindrops. Autumn is definitely here. The days are getting shorter and yet, my days are not getting any less busy. Two of the children are off at school, the other two still home with me. This doesn't leave me much time to garden or blog, but I do what I can, knowing that both will still be here next year and maybe then I'll have a few more minutes. In the meantime, I am admiring the life cycle of my garden, the beauty of the season's colors and the sweet smell in the air.

Here's what's blooming in my Long Island, NY garden this month:

My cute little garden owls continue to make me smile as they peek out from under the hydrangea leaves.

The rose hips on the carpet roses are just lovely and the perfect color to go with their surroundings.

I bought these mums last year for a few containers and before the ground froze, plopped them into the ground, not sure whether they would come back of not. I am beyond excited they came back and just love the color!

Anenome 'Queen Charlotte' is a welcome pink beauty when all the garden is getting ready for a long winter nap.

I have been waiting for days and days to see what this Dendranthema (Korean Mum) looked like. It was given to me back in June after my horrible sour mulch debacle. The name was new to me, and so I did a little research and learned that Dendranthema was formerly known as Chrysanthemum. Chrysanthemum is still commonly used for hardy florist mums to differentiate from true hardy Dendranthema.

And this sedum is still looking magnificent. The flowerheads have moved from bright pink to this deeper maroon color on top of the lovely green foliage. I don't know the cultivar, as this plant was grandfathered into my garden, so if you have any ideas, please let me know!

That's what's blooming in my garden this month! What's in yours? I'd love to hear from you.

As always, thanks to Carol over at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the monthly Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. It's great to see what's blooming all over the country!

What's Blooming: September 2012

Today is Garden Bloggers Bloom Day! Here's a look at what's growing and blooming in my garden this month.

The buds on the Montauk Daisies (Nipponanthemum nipponicum) are starting to show. I've pruned this down twice throughout the summer to help keep its shape and can't wait to see the blossoms in a few weeks!

I love the pink hue of the Sedum 'Autumn Joy' against its lush green foliage. I still have a few Black Eyed Susans too which are a lovely contrast to the pink.

To my delight, the Lychnis coronaria decided to bloom again (left) and the potted geranium continues to put on a good show. I recently planted some new mums in the front of the garden and to the back, more will soon be blooming.

 This just started blooming too and I believe it is Salvia farinacea (Victoria White)

The blooms on the panicle hydrangea (possibly Hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva'??) are turning a light pink which is so pretty. The shrub I inherited is completely overgrown and needs to be pruned. It blooms on new wood, but I'm wondering if I should trim it down after the blooms fade and again in the early spring or just wait until March? Any advice would be appreciated!

After I had to rip out the impatiens due to downy mildew (see my post here) I planted these begonias. They are doing quite well in this shady spot. As you can see, a few rogue impatiens are still trying to grow!

We are hopefully starting the backyard renovation project in the next few weeks. Stay tuned for photos of the transformation!

As always, any thanks to Carol over at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the monthly Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. 

What's Blooming This Month? October 2013

Autumn is definitely in the air! The leaves are starting to turn, the air is cool and dry and the mums are blooming everywhere beautifully.

Here's what's blooming in my Long Island garden this month:

Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy'

The carpet roses are still blooming and their pale pink color is a nice contrast to the 

golds, reds and oranges this month. 

The New Guinea Impatiens are really looking full and lush right now. They are paired next to an attractive variety of coleus that keeps a mounding habit. 

The Japanese maple tree is the highlight of this garden bed. 

Below it, the Sedums have taken center stage. 

Salvia pratensis 'Twilight Serenade'

The last few remaining Black-eyed Susans are complimented nicely by the 

deep pink of these New Guinea Impatiens. 

Salvia 'Black and Blue' - oh how I love the deep, rich color of the blooms contrasting to the bright green foliage. Definitely getting more of these next season. 

Ornamental peppers look right at home next to the cheery, yellow mums. 

The Montauk Daisy is just starting to bloom and is such a welcome sight this month!

And that's what's going on in my part of the world! Be sure to check out what else is growing around the country over at May Dreams Gardens "Garden Blogger Bloom Day" list.

What's Blooming: November

It's been unseasonably warm the past few weeks and the fall foliage is loving it. Everything is in peak color right now. Here are some of the great looking trees in the neighborhood:

As for my pots and containers - not much is blooming anymore, save for a few hardy mums. But the foliage on the hostas and the ferns still look attractive:

And this poor container - it was planed with lovely fall colored pansies. But the silly squirrels keep digging in the soil thinking they have buried some food treasure. I had been dutiful about putting down "squirrel-be-gone" repellent, but at this point, I've given up trying to keep them away. Ah well!