Next month’s GBBD may only be able to offer a mass of ivy booms like those above, but I love their sci-fi sputnik shape and unfussiness so if that’s all there is then I shall still enjoy seeing them. Carol of May Dreams Garden hosts the Blooms Day meme so check out her blog to see what is blooming today around the world.
When I picked for yesterday’s vase there were really only scraps available, so a paucity of blooms today was to be expected; however, I did find a few I had missed the day before. The milder weather, following on from last week’s cold and frost, has given many of the roses a new but temporary lease of life, with a number of buds taking advantage of the warmer incentive and opening – I am particularly optimistic about Munstead Wood (top row, second from left). The Osteospermum ‘Sky and Ice’ to its left is reflecting its name all the more as the year has gone on, with a distinctly blue tint to the outer petals and a definite blue centre. I had forgotten about Lavendula ‘Little Bee Purple’ outside the sitooterie (also top row), and this will no doubt make next week’s Monday vase.
On the bottom row, the pelargonium still blooming their socks off were fortunately brought inside the sitooterie just before last week’s frosts so haven’t stopped to draw breath, and in the bottom right corner is another doggy-paddling chrysanthemum that I overlooked, ‘Green Anastasia’. The others include the last bloom of Rudbeckia ‘Irish Eyes’, omnipresent Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ and long flowering Antirrhinum ‘Twinny White’ and ‘Admiral’s Purple’ as well as all those roses. None of these, however, can can compare with my favourite clematis, C cirrhosa ‘Freckles’, which is seeking to replicate its predecessor which was never without a flower for a whole three year period:
Great to see mature ivy featured among your array of colourful blooms, in a couple of months the dark, ripened berries will provide food for the birds and add an extra dimension for winter flower arrangements.
Yes, I love it and until this garden I don’t think I had ever noticed ivy flowers before
They are usually one and full of foraging bees, wasps, flies- you name it – in late summer here. Must be a choice source of pollen/nectar as the noise is deafening!
I share your enjoyment of Ivy, thought by many to be boring I think it is anything but, with lovely foliage, interesting flowers when not much else is flowering and those interesting black fruits.
Yes, and it is good to have areas of the garden where it can just do its own thing
Pretty bloom snippets ♥
Those last few bits and blooms are often the most remembered. It is such fun to think there will be nothing, then go out and and find a few colorful blooms. Happy GBBD.
Quite right Lisa 🙂
Freckles really must be a joy Cathy. Lovely to see the roses doing their best to ignore the fact that it is November!
Even though there is often the odd one or two blooms later in Nov or Dec this year any buds trying to open seemed to be giving up, so this it was intriguing to see how suddenly the relative warmth perked them up again
I agree that a November GBBD sometimes feels like “scraping the bottom of the garden barrel” but there are some pleasant surprises. Like your ivy. This was my first year of growing Osteospermum, and they are already a favorite. I only have one left. I didn’t like how my photo came out or I would have featured it. Such a pretty, hardy, flower.
Likewise with me and osteospermum – these were so easy to grow from seed and were the first of my seedlings to be planted out from Feb sowings, probably in April. Only downside is that they are taller than I expected!
Lovely flowers Cathy, and I’m thrilled to have learned a new word! (sitooterie)
It’s a colloquial Scottish word, Loree
You have a decent showing! There’s something to be said for these flowers that just keep hanging on, despite less than ideal conditions!
Yes, I think so too
Lovely. Still lots to be enjoyed in your garden. I too love the ivy.
Thanks Barbara
Now, when there are only a few left, we look at them with much more joy! Most of the blooms you showed us can be found these days in my garden, too.
Yes, when there is lots blooming we might miss some of the more less showy ones
Our mature ivy is right at the entrance to the driveway, vans are having difficulty entering so I think once the flowers are over I will have to give it a haircut! You have lots of other lovely flowers, they are so precious at this time of year.
Yes, every one is precious, Pauline. Had to smile at your ivy, even though your delivery drivers won’t be!! I had a big blitz on some of ours last year, but in some parts of the garden I can let it have free rein
Well you still have lots of colour even in November. Your Freckles is amazing, mine can only manage one little flower at the moment. Ivy flowers are wonderful for bees and handy for flower arrangements.
Until this year this Freckles only had a (very small) handful of blooms at one time, but it must have a 100 or more now…lovely lovely 🙂
Oh, that Freckles clematis is indeed wonderful! In my world, one can never have too many Clematis. I guess that means I’m on the lookout!
Oh yes, I agree with you on that Anna
I love the ivy and its Sputnik. How and where do you grow C freckles. I want to give it a go
My Freckles is growing amonst the Danse de Feu roses on the pergola to the right of the paved area and can therefore be seen from the kitchen window – and receives no attention at all other than admiration and regular reminders as to how much I love it.
It must be working!
🙂