Shooting Around the Garden

Yes deer season is in full swing, but that’s not what I’m shooting!  The other day I ventured around the garden just to see what was growing (and what wasn’t), what was blooming (and what wasn’t), and what I needed to get done (or put off/procrastinate). In the latter category there is a mountain of things I could do but weather conditions and time will no doubt force me to put off today what can be done tomorrow. You’ve never had that happen to you have you? 😉

Still there were some things to look at and some things to file away in anticipation of spring.

First let’s start off with something blooming like this ‘Winter Snowman’ Camellia.  Two of these are book ending the front foundation garden.  It is only in its second year in the garden and is blooming nicely!

We’ll hop around the corner to the corner shade garden.  It is on the list of things to do, mostly because of the weed situation.  I didn’t mulch it this past year and it shows.  Mulch can keep many of those annual weeds at bay that self sow.  My strategy now is to remove the chickweed and henbit before they go to seed. The oak leaf hydrangea looked really nice this fall.  The hostas have all faded into the soil leaving the heucheras and hellebores to show off their foliage for the winter.

Here’s a closer look around some ajuga in the corner shade garden.  Even the ajuga is having issues with holding off the chickweed.  At least chickweed is easy to remove!  (And its edible, or so I’ve been told)

If we turn around we end up in the self-sowing garden.  There is lots of green here too only it’s a mix of self-sowing plants and weeds.  The poppies have germinated already for a big display next May.  There may be a few other germinated seeds hidden in and around the chickweed.  I need a good day of weeding!   

The arrowwood viburnums are all still retaining their leaves.  I don’t remember them holding on this long last year but the yellow colors are welcome when everything else is bare!

This viburnum is in the middle of an open space turning it into several pathways.  I need to transplant the ornamental grasses at its base.  That grass is Nassella tenuissima, Stipa tenuissima, pony tail grass, or Mexican feather grass whatever you want to call it.  I’ve been told it’s invasive but the only spreading it has done in my garden is through division by this gardener’s hands.  There is also a purple coneflower nearby that needs relocated.
 

An about face brings us face to face with my favorite shrub for fall color.  OK I can’t really pick favorites but red twig dogwoods are one of the best fall color shrubs around.  I highly recommend mixing red twig dogwoods with a backdrop of evergreens and not a backdrop of air conditioners…

We’ll end today’s post with a view of this little collection of self-sown lunaria seedlings.  Also known as Money Plant, lunaria blooms in the spring with flowers that resemble garden phlox.  As the seeds develop a disc shaped seed pod is formed that is between the size of a quarter and a half dollar.  I gathered seeds from a couple plants near my parent’s house and brought them to my garden. 

Thanks for stopping by and visiting my garden in later November.  Don’t forget to leave a comment!