End of Month Review November 2015

November has been relatively mild, though there has been the odd frost and quite a lot of rain.

In the driveway the pin oak is hanging on to the last of its leaves.  I love this tree so much, it is one of the best buys I have ever made.  I look forward to it really settling in next year and growing and developing.

The Rhamnus in the corner of the front garden has now settled in and has really put on growth this year.  It was originally a standardised topiary ball, those days are long behind it and it is now a sprawly natural shrub and clearly very happy.

The Knot Garden looks green and whilst it needs a bit of attention, it remains generally in my good books these days.

The quince hedge is flowering, which is did a little early last year and it will flower properly and more profusely in the Spring.

The bulbs in the Spring pots are starting to grow well.  This is hope in a pot.

There are fewer pots now on the garden table, they look cold but they are doing ok.  The acer is the only acer left in the garden still with leaves.

The cardoon as you enter the back garden is showing new growth but keeps its dead flower heads standing tall.  It is a very fine plant at any time of year.

The Long Shoot also looks cold and is getting its winter-look.

Roses are shivering,

and the Amicia zygomeris is looking very sorry for itself.

but The Boy Who Waited is looking quite chipper with some hellebores now keeping him company.

The Prairie Borders always look good this time of year.  The dead echinops flower stalks add height and the grasses move wonderfully in the breeze.

The Woodland Border/Bog Garden does not look quite so good, but its ok and it will return well in the Spring all being well.

The Wild Garden looks less wild, more shrubby really this time of year.

and the Dancing Lawn always looks bigger than I think it does in reality.

The beech pillars are starting to look a bit more pillar like.  This is good, its taken them a long time to get to this point.  They were twigs when I planted them.

The Four Sisters have had a good year and are putting on growth well.  I am hopeful they will get through the Winter ok.

I'm really hopeful that the Edgeworthia will a) live and b) flower next year.

The veg borders are all about the broccoli at the moment.

Oh and cabbage, I have cabbaged.  I am very proud of my cabbages but I do have to stop looking at them at some point and eat them.

The Cornus Mas has buds,

The Winter Cherry has flowers,

and the nasturtiums are a soggy smelly mess.

The Tree Dahlia is blackened,

and the rudbeckias look past their best.

but the Courtyard is looking pretty good and is one of the few areas where I really use a lot of evergreens.  It seems to work quite well.

Lastly there is of course the pond.  It still looks clear and I keep picking more parrot weed out of it in the hope of keeping it looking that way.  It is not quite full yet but it is close to being so.

Thanks as ever to Helen for hosting this meme.