Flowers for a warm Texas fall
Aside from forsythia sage, which is STILL going strong after nearly a month of flowering (you can see its yellow flowers in the background), let me highlight a couple other plants that have been putting on a show into late November. Philippine violet (Barleria cristata), while nearly done now, has been covered in rich purple blossoms all this month.
What a beauty — and yeah, you’re pretty cute too, Cosmo. He’s always photobombing!
Dark-blue plumbago (Plumbago auriculata ‘Dark Blue’) is still flowering prolifically under the crape myrtle, looking a bit like a blue hydrangea from the top-down vantage of the kitchen window.
OK, no flowers here, but I love the way the afternoon light shines through the foliage of the side garden, including ‘Will Fleming’ yaupon, ‘Sapphire Skies’ Yucca rostrata, purple-tinged loropetalum, and ‘Frazzle Dazzle’ dyckia (in the blue pot).
In the front garden, tractor-seat ligularia (Farfugium japonicum ‘Gigantea’ ), aka giant leopard plant, has sent up rubbery bloom stalks topped with yellow, daisy-like flowers.
They glow like little suns in the shade of the Japanese maple.
So cheery!
And those big, shiny, tractor-seat-shaped leaves are cool too.
__________________________
Digging Deeper
Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!
All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
How thirsty have your Farfugiums turned out to be? Years ago in Virginia I somehow got the impression they liked very wet soil, but I see them occasionally here, in situations where I’m not sure what the watering schedule is like.
Pretty thirsty, Julia. I water them about three times a week in summer if no rain. They might be able to go longer, but they do get pretty droopy.
Wow, the Phillipine violets are stunning! Thanks for sharing your blooms–especially appreciated by those of us with brown and gray landscapes in November. (Cosmo sure is a cutie. 😉 )
Thanks, Beth. We may have our first freeze coming up this week, so I’m enjoying all the flowers while I’ve got them.
Tractor seat…. I love it! Beautiful garden. We were so lucky to visit it!
Aw, thanks, Janet. I really wish you and the other Flingers could come back and see it again. I’ve made so many changes! 🙂
Much as I love flowers, the photo that grabbed my attention was that of the sunlit Yucca rostrata. I bought a 4-inch ‘Sapphire Skies’ bu mail order a year ago. It’s still dinky but I look forward to the day I have a plant like that to grace my garden.
I cherish that Yucca rostrata way more than short-lived flowers! 😉 Once it starts growing it puts on height pretty quickly, Kris.
It’s looking gorgeous at y’all’s place with lots of color for Thanksgiving! I hope y’all have a beautiful and safe one.
I had never seen what Leopard plant blooms look like- they are super cool!
They ARE pretty cool, and they really stand out in the deep shade that leopard plant prefers here in Austin.
Hi Pam, we bought a tractor-seat ligularia last year at the Rose Emporium. The ones they have there are so big and pretty and planted in the shade. So I planted mine under a vitek tree and basically hasn’t done anything. Thoughts?
I want to hear Pam’s thoughts too, but I’ve also had middling success with ligularia. Mine have recently improved since I moved them to a sunnIer spot; in the dark the leaves were tiny and I got no blooms. The new spot isn’t nearly as damp but they seem happier with more light.
I have three (growing where I had native river fern until the deer decided to devour it after 9 years of leaving it alone — grr), and the one that gets a little more sun is the least happy. It wilts and pouts compared to the two in deep shade. All three have bloomed equally. So I’m not sure what to advise. I see them in deep shade all the time, but they do like regular water.
What do you mean by “hasn’t done anything,” Janelle? Hasn’t grown, or hasn’t bloomed? They might need more water, as it’s a pretty thirsty plant.
Such beautiful sights in your garden Pam. Fun to see your professional photo bomber too. I think these bombers add so much life to a garden.
They sure do, Lisa.
The color of that Barleria–wow, opulent! Cosmo is adorable. When you are that adorable of course you are going to photo-bomb.
Yes, that does make sense now that you mention it. 😉
Such lovely photos, Pam, thanks!
Do you know if the ligularia is considered deer-resistant?
It’s never been touched in my garden, which is heavily visited by deer. But of course that’s never a guarantee… 🙂
Thanks! 🙂