Honey, Its November, Not March

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The rain brought Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer' back to beauty.  

Strange timing for some plants--it must have been the rain.  We have gotten nearly 3" of rain since the official start of the season, October 1st.  

Iris flowers in November???  They might be open by Bloom Day (11/15).

Clematis 'Polish Spirit' didn't appear this spring.  I thought it was a goner. 

Why wait until November, honey?

Plants with more appropriate timing:  the Matthiola incana seeds are progressing nicely.

Sweet peas doing better than last year. 

Because of the rain we got?  Could be.  They'll mostly sit until early March, then shoot up and start flowering before the heat kills them off in...typically late May.   

Erigeron 'WR' check:  still no flowers.  Winter?  Spring?  Ever?  

This is how it looked last April when I moved it out of a shaded-out location:

I'd like to get a flower from it.  It's never had a single one.  It's grown, and I carefully shaded and watered it to get it through summer's heat (they are not heat lovers).  

So, c'mon, 'WR', give me a flower!

First Dutch Iris 'Carmen' planted some weeks ago came up, again probably thanks to the rain we got--nearly 2" from this week's Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday storm:  

Iris planted last year and moved after they flowered are coming up and doing well.  Nice to know I can move them without losing them. 

First bud spotted on a Hellebore for the season.  'Penny's Pink':

The Drimia leaves are appearing.  Arrows point them out, but Aloe taurii is the featured plant in this photo:

Wednesday afternoon checking Aloe 'Moonglow', I wondered if flower stalks were going to appear soon.  Thursday morning, there they were:
One Aloe capitata re-rooted and healthy, replanted.  I dug up another that was being shaded out by Leucadendron 'Pom Pom' and realized it needed re-rooting, too.  Into a pot until it does.  This one is not in poor health like the other, so it may re-root faster.  I caught it in time. 

The big project of the day was trimming the east side of the Pittosporums that screen out the neighbor's roof from the veggie/cutting garden. I'd worked on the west side of them for weeks back in June, finishing that side finally at the end of July:

I left the other side to wait until cooler weather arrived.  Of course I should have taken a "before" photo, but--you know how it is.  You jump in and get going before you change your mind.  Just a bit of what I took off.  I stuffed both green waste bins full:

Here's the "after".  The thin line indicates what I took out.  The Pittos were merging with the neighbor's Magnolia.  All trimmed back.  The growth above the  thicker section of the line is what remains to remove.  It looks like more than it actually is--two large stems remain to chop is all.
Some of the chopping was done from the retaining wall between the Pittos and the Magnolia, some was done from the other side, squeezing between the veggie/cutting wall:
It appears I can get those last two stems that way...then a big job will be completed.  Not overly fun, but satisfying.

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 12, 2022 at 7:38 AM

    It's crazy to see Alstroemaria blooms in November.
    I'm surprised every year when dutch iris start sending out shoots: it seems too soon but it must be right, it happens every fall, to my great delight :-D
    Your re-potted Aloe has fantastic colors; love the red trim.
    Hooray for almost completing the trimming JOB. Very satisfying.
    Chavli

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    Replies
    1. Hoover BooNovember 12, 2022 at 2:38 PM

      I was surprised too. I thought 'Indian Summer' was starting to take a fall/winter nap, until the rain got it going again.

      The Dutch Iris do appear early--they won't start blooming until March or so here. I planted the new ones deeper than usual to see if that would slow them down...not much, apparently.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousNovember 12, 2022 at 8:09 AM

    Satisfying is good. Little jobs successfully completed add up to a very nice feeling of capability, accomplishment -- and satisfaction. Have you ever tried germinating seeds in "paper" egg cartons? So far, I've been scattering them in pots, but a little more precision might be nice. I thought I could sow them, and once they were ready for transplanting, cut them apart, plop them in the ground, and the paper would decompose in the soil. At least that's the idea. And hasn't the rain been wonderful? I was driving home late from work Tuesday night when it came pouring down. Big grin all over my face! More, please.

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    Replies
    1. Hoover BooNovember 12, 2022 at 2:45 PM

      Tried egg cartons for seeds once--it was not overly successful. They dried out really fast--a problem here. I save six-pack cells and pots from plant purchase and reuse them multiple times. Also direct-sow in the ground--they don't dry out so fast that way.

      Yes, more rain, please please!

      Delete
  3. Kris PetersonNovember 12, 2022 at 9:57 AM

    You've had considerably more rain that we have - we stand at 1.21 inches since October 1st. I'm seeing the first signs of sweet pea germination but your March-May timetable matches with my experience. None of the other seeds I've sown have made an appearance yet. No signs of the Dutch Iris yet either. Re Erigeron 'WR', while they've bloomed for me in the past, they haven't done at all well this year - a large patch died out entirely, although some moved across the flagstone path and produced new foliage. I laughed at your reference to jumping into pruning when the mood (energy?) strikes as I do the same thing.

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    1. Hoover BooNovember 12, 2022 at 2:33 PM

      We got some thunderstorms--including one downpour in that last storm on Tuesday. Got a quarter inch in 10 minutes. They sure help the total.

      I've only got so much energy these days--have to use it when I have it.

      Delete
  4. ksNovember 12, 2022 at 10:17 AM

    ohh-I must go out and scrutinize my 'Moonglow' for signs of blooms. Probably too early here. My Erigeron WR lives on my hellstrip where it gets sub all winter and into spring and then a bit of mid-day shade from the Crape Myrtle in summer. Blooms off and on except for dead of winter and maybe August. No fert, mostly watered with gray water.Heaviest bloom is early spring to early summer. I have blooms coming on my 'Indian Summer' too, in spite of consistent lows in the low 30's.

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    Replies
    1. Hoover BooNovember 12, 2022 at 2:29 PM

      Interesting you get good performance from 'WR' when your summers are so hot. Not that it isn't awesome. Maybe I should try greywater on mine.

      'Indian Summer' is impressive! I'm impressed, anyway.

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  5. Brenda NeillNovember 12, 2022 at 10:45 AM

    The sight of bearded iris buds and sweet pea seedlings makes my heart sing. So much promise in your garden now.
    The rain and cooler weather have been so welcome too, making things feel possible again, I hope it continues for us in So. Cal. Had 1.61" rain here in La Mesa on Tues and Wed this week. :)

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    1. Hoover BooNovember 12, 2022 at 2:16 PM

      Wasn't that rain wonderful? I was as happy as the plants! 1.61"--great! Hoping hoping hoping we get some more.

      Delete
  6. Beth at PlantPostingsNovember 14, 2022 at 6:59 PM

    Interesting. Hellebores starting to bloom and irises and sweet peas... Fun stuff. I'm glad you've received some needed rain. I wish I was in your part of the world right now. We're about to get our first measurable snow. I'm not ready for winter.

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