Just a second or two...

I've been quite busy recently, not only preparing for the cold air that's now here and is resulting in low temperatures of 25ºF (-4ºC) or less every night this week, but with some work deadlines. So I haven't had much time to think about putting together a post. I did see a few things yesterday that stood out for me though, enough so that I took a couple of minutes off from moving pots and digging up plants to capture some images.

The mixture of grasses in the prairie bed is quite nice right now, the last daylight before everything gets fried by cold. The tall grey grass is Pennisetum 'Vertigo', already sapped of color by earlier freezes. The golden grass in front is Panicum 'Heavy Metal', somehow staying upright this year. To the left is the smaller Pennisetum alopecuroides, a seedling from one of my 'Hameln'. To the far left looking a bit reddish is a Miscanthus, with the background greens and whites provided by various bamboos.

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Speaking of bamboo and Pennisetum...

The Fargesia 'Rufa' just looks better each year. It will eventually get too large for this spot I think, but pruning should keep the paths to the patio open. The reddish-brown on the left is the ninebark. So glad I planted that years ago!

On the patio the 'Fireglow' japanese maple is a nice contrast to the Passiflora vines:

I really let the vines get out of hand this year, and I suspect next year will be a maypop bonanza (or invasion) -- stay tuned for that.

A couple of the potted japanese maples are making a case to be planted next to each other I think:

The yellow-leaved one is coral bark maple, but the other one I've forgotten. Both plants got larger pots a couple of weeks ago, as I decide if I really want to put them here or not. I really think I do, but if I take down the mulberry and locust (is it inevitable?) they'll probably get too much sun here.

That's all I have time for now.

I hope you have some nice gosh-is-winter-here-already? views in your own gardens!

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