November in my garden

A newly planted succulent bowl with babies from other bowls placed around the perimeter. Succulents root so easily that it's a shame not to take advantage of that fact. Even a single leaf dropped onto cactus mix will root and grow.

Another new bowl that I'll fill in with starts from my other bowls.

See the babies, i.e. freebies, near the outer rim?

It's sasanqua time!

This particular hibiscus has done really well next to the house, under a lath patio cover. It still has buds and flowers since we haven't experienced any frost or freezes yet.

My citrus has put on a nice flush of growth this fall.
I've got my frost-protection cloth ready to go if/when needed.

Still harvesting peppers... that's made it difficult for me to start my cool-season veggie garden.

Yep, still harvesting tomatoes.

Compact strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo 'Compacta') is looking festive

Mums are a great source of color right now.

Blanket of camellia petals and oak leaves on the Santa Barbara daisies... pretty.

Emily is not happy about the shift in the weather.

Despite the fact that I didn't plant any wildflowers this year,
I'm getting good germination from naturally deposited seeds.

Need to plant seasonal color in tired containers.

Poor man's orchid (Impatiens balfourii) still blooming

I really like the dark burgundy-brown of the ornamental millet. Adds some drama to the overwhelmingly silver-grey and purple background.

Looking forward to using the firepit.

Ornamental grasses really shine in november.

Roses are putting on their last show of the season.

My 'Eureka' lemon is looking a little snail bitten, but has put on a lot of growth.

We've had our first couple of real rains of the season, so the seat cushions are no longer tied on. They come in and out of the house, depending on the forecast.

'Medallion' and 'JFK' roses

My mini basil finally took off once the snail activity abated (mostly)

'Medallion' up close

Yes, I need to rejuvenate the chair planter with cool-season plants. This is the "before" picture.

I'm really happy with how nicely this succulent bowl is filling in. The plant in the lower left, commonly called "pork and beans" develops a wonderful blush on the leaf tips and is a great one to share with friends. Roots from a single leaf dropped onto the soil surface.

Slugs and snails are finally leaving my coleus alone.

I like the contrast between the decaying green, yellow and brown chinese ground orchid leaves and white lamium.

Dan loves his new toy, a stuffed duck.

He's going for the squeaker.

Nasturtiums are still doing their own thing. I started planting them a few years ago and now they happily return on their own.

No, this is not marijuana. It's a water hibiscus I grew from seed.

A baby gunnera leaf.

My salvia leucantha is a big, sprawling beautiful beast right now. My echium is getting big but still hasn't bloomed and my princess flowers are finally getting bigger and blooming nicely. They got hit pretty hard by frost last year.

Need a couple more plants to conceal my lovely irrigation system. The nifty bamboo ladder was a $20 score from Emigh Hardware.

I even like the decaying sedum leaves and seedheads.

Filling in with a little temporary color while deciding what this spot really wants to be when it grows up

.

TREE DAHLIA BUDS!!!!!