Bloom Day Hangers-on and Harbingers

The weather here has not been great with lots of rain and clouds, but fortunately we have not had any really cold temperatures yet. The crickets are still singing and we have yet to have a serious frost or freeze. As a result, my garden has quite a few summer hanger-ons still blooming and confused tropicals. Although their days are numbered, I have not pulled out my impatiens, sweet potato vines and zinnias. However, there is seasonal color as well as the beginnings of the winter garden.

Several years ago, I purchased this okra cousin, Abelmoschus manihot. I never thought it would come back since it is tropical, but it always sets enough seed to come up somewhere. I do not have a picture of it fully open, but it looks like a hibiscus (which it used to be classified as) and the moon yellow petals have a dark purple black eye.
Another more tropical plant that blooms in late fall is the Candy Corn Cuphea (Cuphea micropetala). I showed this in a previous bloom day post in the spring when it was blooming out of season.

I do not know what the name of this Iris is, but it is one of the re-blooming varieties. It ought to be called Black Hole because it is so dark. I took at least 12 pictures to get one to come close to the real color. The camera kept auto-correcting the exposure.

Dichroa febrifuga is sometimes called the Evergreen Hydrangea, and it is a Hydrangea cousin, and it does hang on to its foliage in the winter, but that foliage could not be called attractive. The flowers are dainty little blossoms that can either be pink or blue depending on soil pH and while not ugly, they will not stop traffic. The real show is in the fall when the fruit ripens.

Hardy plumbago (Ceratistigma plumbaginoides) has been blooming for several months now.

This is Fatsia japonica 'Spider Web', and while it is not the showiest flower, it is interesting. This variegated cultivar gets its name from the foliage, but it kind of looks like spider mite damage.

I showed the Green and Gold Chrysanthemum (Ajania pacificum) last bloom day when it was in bud. It is just now starting to open and the bees and flies that are still around, are enjoying it.

This is one of the latest additions to the garden, Arbutus unedo 'Compacta', it was a much appreciated gift from my co-workers. I like that it is evergreen, has great reddish bark and bears flowers and fruit at the same time.

Camellia season is just getting underway with the blooming of the sasanquas. This one is Camellia sasanqua 'Autumn Rocket', which was developed locally at Bennetts Creek Nursery. Most of the Camellias in my yard came from this grower, it is one of their specialties. What is special about 'Autumn Rocket' is its size - it gets 8' tall but only 2-3' wide, great for gardeners with limited space.

Finally, my last shot is Camellia sasanqua 'Showa-No-Sake' with the dried blossom of Hydrangea macrophylla 'Sun Goddess' in the background.

Please head over to visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to see what other people are posting for November Bloom Day, and be sure to thank her for hosting.