Fall iz come!

Temperature last night got down into the low 40s, and today is only in the fifties.  All the tropicals are tucked up in the garage now with the exception of the brugmannsia, which insists as usual on opening most of its flowers very late in the season.  It is not looking happy though, and I think it had better go inside tomorrow.  

The leaf mulch is all distributed around the various beds although there is still a bit left on the grass.  I need to gather it all so that I can re-seed the lawn there.   There isn't much left in bloom, just the Korean mums, a few stragglers among the Austen roses, and some blue pansies.  The picture on the right shows the Japanese anemones a couple of weeks ago -- they are almost gone now.  The violas are planted in the hanging pot on the back deck, and I am awaiting the arrival of my bulb order from Scheepers.  Once that comes, I can finish with the garden for the year and retreat to make plans for next year.  

New Camellia

I just planted C. April Dawn on the west side of the house, on the patio below the porch.   It is the 18-24" size, and cost me $39.99.   Its tag says:

Erect habit, with vigorous growth rate; shades of pink, shell and white variegation (not viral) on formal flowers.  It has a very heavy bud set (well, this one has only two buds for next spring) and blooms over a long period.  The pink and white variegation among the flowers over the whole plant is very unusual.  Developed for exceptional cold hardiness.  looms mid- to late season and is hardy to -10F without protection.

So, let's see how well it does there -- supposed to be the best aspect for camellias.  The others I have are planted between the houses, facing east/north, and April Dawn is on the south side.  It is now almost 8 feet tall, and is once again covered with buds for the spring.  Hope most of them make it through the winter.