Chloris at The Blooming Garden has recently been posting her top ten blooms for each month, and encoraging others to do the same. I am pleased that I can manage to join her and post six lovable flowers this month, despite the fact that is November!
The first is one you may have seen in my vase last week:
Persicaria/Polygonum amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’.
It has been flowering since July and has just got better and better. The flowers look a little battered after some heavy rain earlier in the week, and the foliage is starting to collapse after several light frosts, but it looks like I may still have some in flower in December!
Number two is my Hypericum. I have finally found the label:
Hypericum inodorum ‘Magical Red Star’
After freezing back hard last winter I was a little worried it would recover, and it did indeed take its time. But it flowered only a little later than usual in early summer, took a break for a while when it got too hot, and then with our damp September it suddenly almost doubled in size and started flowering again! Very impressive.
I will give it some extra winter protection this year (some mulch and evergreen branches spread across it).
The third flower that has become a firm favourite is this tiny Chrysanthemum which featured in my cabbage vase a couple of weeks ago.
Cath at Absent Gardener suggested it is an Argyranthemum, but the lack of a yellow centre is keeping me searching for the exact name. I love the frilly petals and it is still looking really healthy, tucked just under my porch roof for shelter. I have no idea if it will come through the winter in its pot.
Numbers four and five are new plants bought in October and planted up in pots for winter interest.
Hellebore ‘Christmas Star’.
This pure white hellebore will be planted out in spring, along with the Heuchera below, which did not have a name on it but is one of the most common ones found here.
Heuchera foliage looks good all year round, but the little flowers on tall stalks are often quite pretty too.
Finally, number six:
Teucrium hircanicum
This Teucrium is a wonderful plant that I can recommend if you have got space, as it does spread! It loves the warm and well-drained rockery, withstanding heat and drought without any problem whatsoever. It might curl up its silvery green and aromatic leaves when it is very hot, but the next morning it looks as fresh as a daisy again. Mine is purple, but I have seen a reddish one online too called ‘Paradise Delight’, which happens to be on my shopping list for next year. 🙂
So, a big thanks to Chloris for encouraging me to go out and focus on some of the better parts of November. Why not join her too? I bet there is more out there in your gardens than you think! 😉
And to prove my point, look what I found…
Words and Herbs 
Thank you for joining in and showing us your lovely November blooms Cathy. It is getting more of a challenge as the weather gets colder. But I think as gardeners we need something to look at all year round. And it is good to have something to put in vases throughout winter too. Your heuchera is magnificent. And you have a hellebore in bloom already, how exciting. I think your white flower is an Argyranthemum too. Possibly’ Madeira Double’. It is not hardy in my garden, but very easy to keep going from cuttings.
That’s it Chloris – Madeira Double. Thanks! I haven’t got space for cuttings anywhere, so will just have to look out for it next year again instead. There are a few white hellebores that flower early here… I expect mine was given some special ‘attention’ so it could be sold in flower in the late autumn collections!
Your Heuchera is amazing. I’ve never had success with them.
They must like our climate then. I have got loads of them as they constantly need dividing!
I am amazed at how much is blooming in your garden this month. I love it when walking through the garden,turning and finding a lovely little bloom just waiting to be discovered like your primula. Fun.
I was amazed too Lisa! Especially with that little Primula! But the last mild days have passed, and snow is forecast… 🙂
I agree with Cathy about your ‘mum’ being Argyranthemum frutescens ‘White Madeira Double.’ Your hellebore is such a pure white – beautiful! Mine have budded up, but it gets too cold before they can bloom, so I mulch them thickly to avoid bud-kill and uncover them in March. Primulas are steadfast cool weather bloomers – I just wish the slugs didn’t love them so much!
Yes, I have looked at some photos and that is definitely the one. Thank you Eliza. Most of my Hellebores will wait until spring too, but the early white ones are always on sale before Christmas here and are usually fine in pots even in very cold years. I like to have one on the patio in winter so I can at least see a little sign of life from indoors!
How cold does it get there? We can get to -10F, so not much can survive that, even the evergreens curl up on those days.
That’s about -23°C, which is what we had for a day or two last January. It’s unusual for it to be that cold, but every two or three years we seem to get a bad cold spell. The plants in my patio pots just droop but usually recover again!
It is so good to see plants doing well in other gardens. The Teucrium hircanicum is going on my “wish list” Amelia
I hope it will do well for you too Amelia. Remember I warned you that it spreads though! LOL!
Cathy he cambiado de navegador de Internet y este no tiene traductor de Español a Inglés. Dime por favor si notas alguna diferencia o no me entiendes. Gracias. Cathy tus seis flores y la sorpresa de la Prímula son magníficas. La Heuchera es maravillosa: en flor y con qué altura! El Eléboro es precioso. Saludos de Margarita.
Thank you Margarita. I am afraid I don’t speak Spanish but I put your text in https://translate.google.com/m/translate and can understand it fine! 🙂
this so amazing and beautiful – just creates beauty of the nature and healthy life!!
Thank you very much for your kind words!
The hellebore is lovely, so bright and fresh for this time of year. Sadly I have never been successful with keeping Christmas hellebores through to the next year, not so with firetail which is lovely but can become a little dominant.
I think the hot and dry spot my Firetail is in keeps it in check! As for the Hellebores, most come through but I think it depends on how well-established they were when I bought them.
Beautiful November blooms Cathy. That little white argyranthemum is so pretty. I hope that you can manage to keep it ticking over through the winter.
Thanks Anna. Our temperatures are set to drop this week, so I must look out the garden fleece and tuck the Argyranthemum up nearer the wall. Too late to repot it and bring it in now, I fear!
Yes, you’re fortunate to have so many beauties blooming in November! That Heuchera is impressive! Like you, I really appreciate the foliage as much as the blooms, but plentiful Heuchera flowers along with the foliage … bonus!
Thanks Beth. Yes, Heucheras are wonderful even without flowers. 🙂
Ooh, a hellebore already! It’s lovely! I do hope you can get the purple-leaved Teucrium; it sounds wonderful. 🙂
Thanks Amy. The hellebores sold in pots before Christmas are great for seasonal pots and decorations. I expect they have been given some extra feed to make them flower early, but I do sometimes get a couple of flowers from my white ones in December – if it is not too cold!
You have a lot going on in November there. Thanks for sharing, Cathy.
Thanks John!
I like this idea for a meme. Although in November we barely have any blooms at all. It’s funny that I never seem to see Teucrim planted in the USA, though I know it is one of Oudolf’s favorite plants.
I didn’t know that, but can imagine Teucrium fits well into plantings with lots of grasses. I like Oudolf’s style more and more these days.