By November my garden has turned into a curiosity shop of oddities and seedpods.
Like the racks of antler-like blooms on tetrapanax, seemingly more blooms than leaves this years after I clipped away some of the sunburnt foliage.
Limbing it up allows for maximum shovage of other plants.
(I may have just invented that word shovage, but if you’re participating in Carol’s Bloom Day in November, I know you’ll understand the concept.)
Such as shovage of this mangave, a gift from Dustin Gimbel, which is just about at the base of the tetrapanax near the path
And indoors the rooms become altered in November too. The house is beginning to look like a natural history museum, with vases filled with stalks of nubby stuff like dyckia seedpods
A tender salvia new to me, Salvia curviflora, was brought home from Annie’s Annuals this summer. Many of the Mexican salvias just grow too large, so their time in my garden is often limited to a couple seasons. And from what I read, this one won’t like very dry conditions. But when they bloom this freely at a small size, it’s worth growing as an annual.
Besides, it’s my job to trial every hot pink salvia I come across.
Just like last fall, Nan Ondra’s strain of chocolate-colored nicotiana is roused to life by the cooler temps.
Pennisetum ‘Sky Rocket’ and the yellow form of the firecracker plant, Russelia equisetiformis, are keeping things bouncy and fluffy outside the office. A lot of the various succulent offsets are finding their way here, as have most of the potted agaves, which I can view from my desk. (More shovage.) Just occasionally there’s more gazing at plants than working on the computer.
As always, profuse thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting our Bloom Days each and every month.
Your mixed ensembles look great. Happy GBBD!
I’m glad of your addiction to the Salvias…always give me another one to add to my “someday” list!
New perspectives ! Happy to see some long shots of the shovage areas..and really , what an excellent word.
Your Tetrapanax is very interesting. Short, but wide. Most all you see in Portland are tall single stocks with leaves only at the top, of course there are usually clumps of these tall stalks. Does yours stay evergreen throughout the year?
Oh, the Tetrapanax blooms! I fear mine’s buds are still so compact they’ll never make it to bloom before frost hits us. And the Russelia equisetiformis…you and Loree both feature it this Bloom Day and I neeeed it. Lovely to see these bigger views of your garden, Denise!
Your Tetrapanax is so big! I like the Agaves and other plants with it. Do you have to bring a lot of them indoors?
Lovely photographs; I love the Pennisetum with the succulents. I have never seen Nicotiana ‘Ondra’s mixed’ but I shall look out for it next year.
Chloris.
Kris, that’s an interesting way to put it. I should put such effort into finding mixed ensembles to wear…
Scott, just when I think I’ve tried them all. It’s a bottomless addiction.
Kathy, I needed to use that word and googled to see if it existed, which it didn’t. My gift to humanity!
Loree, but photos of your tetrap look bushier to me, which I thought was because they regrew at the base each spring. Yes, mine is evergreen.
Jane, crossing my fingers so you get to see those blooms open. I should switch lenses more often for bigger views but get so attached to the 50mm.
Hannah, I’m loving these tetrap comments, which gives me an idea of how many shapes they come in! No, my garden is zone 10, frost-free, and it keeps its leaves.
Chloris, I can get you seeds of Nan’s nicotiana if you’d like to try it. This pennisetum is a good one and stays a manageable size.
Actually only once has a Tpanax had to regrow from the base in my garden. Usually they just defoliate for the winter and re-sprout leaves at the top. The bushiness is an illusion of the fact I was standing under four separate trunks to take the photo.
Loree, thanks for more illumination. The tetrapanax chronicles continue. I just checked mine again, and it’s sprouting new growth mid way up the trunk — growth I’ll probably pinch out to keep the canopy high. So it definitely wants to grow bushy.
It all looks lovely, even without Ein and kitties in the photos. :0)
Shovage, not to be confused with shovelage, an entirely different occurrence.
Alas, no Bloom Day in November for me. But you are reminding me that I need to pull up that tutorial on how to winterize a Tetrapanax in zone 6. Happy Belated Bloom Day!
I didn’t know that tetrapanax could bloom… it’s the first time for me. Never seen that before.