Thursday, November 5, 2015

Hurry up already, it's not August you know!

I was out scavenging in the garden for things to use in a vase when I discovered this - buds on my Acanthus sennii...

This happened once before, on another Acanthus, but they weren't this big and sadly they were cut down by frost before they could open.

It's November...what are the chances I'll get to see these open?

Ditto for the still tiny buds on Passiflora 'Lady Margaret' - which it appears are being enjoyed by some tiny aphids.

A single flower opened on the Passiflora jamesonii 'Coral Seas' earlier in the month, since then more buds have appeared but refuse to open.

This one is getting close...hurry up already!!!

Thankfully the Passiflora 'Sunburst' isn't being stingy. Since the blooms started opening back on the 15th it's been a non-stop show.

I've been bringing the flowers into the house to enjoy them, I just have to make sure they're gone before Andrew gets home. I'm not bothered by their unpleasant odor but it sends him.

After an entire summer of producing only beautiful foliage the Brugmansia 'Charles Grimaldi' has finally decided to bloom.

There are 6 buds (of varying sizes) on both branches. These next two shots were taken yesterday, I feared the overnight lows might bite them but it appears they can take 38F in stride. Still, will I get to see any of them open? Why is everybody cutting it so close - it's not August you guys!

No blooms here (thank god) but I'm never one to miss an opportunity to share an Agave photo. These have all been lifted from their potentially soggy spot in the garden and are wintering over in one of the driveway stock-tanks (better drainage, more sun).

Finally the poster child plant for late, will-they-open-before-frost, blooms - the Tetrapanax papyrifer.

It might just be wishful thinking but I swear they're a little further along in their development than at this point in years past.

Maybe, just maybe?

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

27 comments:

  1. Wow, you have quite a few stragglers waiting for the very last minute to get going. It's supposed to be a warmer (and much wetter) winter than usual here in California, maybe the extra few degrees will reach all the way to Portland!

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    1. "They've" been saying warmer and drier, although some are starting to change their tune about the drier part.

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  2. Come on warm winter! Sure feels cold out there already. Fingers crossed for your tardy bloomers. I was thinking the same thing about the tetrapanax buds this year, definitely farther along this year. Wouldn't it be swell to actually see blooms?

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    1. Indeed! And judging by what I saw at Denise's last year (A Growing Obsession) it would make for some very happy flies.

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  3. Our long, warm autumn has produced some surprises this year. I agree that your Tetrapanax look further along than prior years - mine do too. Do we dare hope for actual, open blossoms? Nights of 38 degrees are not in our favor, I fear - but we can dream.

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    1. And I'm watching that 32F next week with a heavy heart...

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  4. The 'Sunburst' Passionflower is fab! I hope your Brug flowers open soon, they fill the air with scent. One of my Tetrapanax has a flower cluster, but I'm pretty sure it's not going to get close to open, since we had a light frost yesterday. BTW, I did get dressed before going out to take those frost photos. Otherwise, my neighbors would have gotten an unwanted eyeful (not to mention me getting frostbite)!

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    1. The Brugmansia is right by the back door, so that in the event of blooms I won't miss a bit of that scent. Glad to hear you put comfort before blogging!

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  5. As I read your post, I kept thinking of Thomas the Train - "I think I can, I think I can!" I hope the blooms make it, Loree! The passionflowers are spectacular. I don't remember the flowers on the variety I grew years ago being stinky but it was awhile back and neither the flowers nor the plant survived long once the fritillary caterpillars found them.

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    1. I don't think stick is a characteristic of most passionflowers, just that cute orange one!

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  6. I'm super-jealous for your Passiflora "Sunburst"--it's just fabulous. Is it just this one kind with an "off" aroma? I have just one Passiflora and I did not notice an off smell...Or maybe I'm just nose-blind to it?

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    1. I believe so Emily, I've never noticed (or read) about others stinking!

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  7. Maybe they know something about the coming winter that you don't?

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    1. Well there are predictions of a warm one, due to El Nino....

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  8. Shall we take this as a sign? A frost free November would suit just fine.

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    1. Yes! Me too. And then no crazy sudden drops into the 20's, just a slow gradual cooling.

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  9. Hahaha, good luck with all your maybes!!

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    1. Thank you, I'll take all the luck I can get!

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  10. Oooh, my tetrapanax looks more and more open every day but I'm not sure how they're supposed to look at the peak of blossoming.

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    1. Like this: http://agrowingobsession.com/?p=61884

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  11. You need a couple of smudge pots Loree !

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    1. Ha! Wouldn't that get the neighbors talking!

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  12. Oh, I hope the weather forecast for next wednesday is wrong and you don´t get snow, so that the beautiful buds have more time to develop.

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    1. Oh there's no worries of snow Lisa, that's up in the mountains. The worse that we'd see here in the city is a light frost, which may or may not nip the flowers.

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  13. Our waterlilies are sending up buds , daylilies are pushing up and my woodland peony has buds coming to the surace. Probably we will ger frost tonight or tomorrow. The warm weather has greatly confused my plants.

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  14. Those 'Sunburst' flowers look incredible. I didn't know Passiflora blooms had a bad smell, though.

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  15. Those acanthus leaves are incredible. What do the passiflora flowers smell like?

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