November in the Garden

Next week the old porch will come off, and the exterior transformation will begin. This will probably be one of the last "before" pictures.

The leaves have turned and our giant oaks are mostly brown. I am jealous because the neighbors' oaks have more red and orange than ours!

 I am especially envious of the bright red maple across the street, 

even when I have to rake the leaves.

The nandina berries are coming into their fall color.

Close up you can see the oak leaves that have fallen in the bush.

We have an amazing view of the hills of south Arlington. In the distance, the trees are yellow, red, brown, and green. As I child growing up in West Texas, we cut leaves from construction paper, but I never really understood what we were doing. Now I know.

I have no idea what it is, but this fragrant purple flower has just now begun to bloom.

 The Chinese lanterns are still around and look beautiful with the turning leaves of a little volunteer oak..

A nice spot to sit and enjoy the pleasant weather we continue to have.

Last month the neighbor was obsessing over the acorns. Now I understand why. I thought I would just rake them up with the leaves, but they have already started to sprout and must be pulled out of the ground by hand. It's like trying to vacuum straight pins out of the carpet.

I raked the brick path yesterday, and it is already covered again.

This is the tall camellia at the back of the house. It is an evergreen and has my first blooms in the spring - a pale pink, 3 inch, waxy blossom. One of my favorites! It is fun to see the promising green buds tucked between the leaves.

The leadwort by the front door still has a few blossoms, and the leaves are a beautiful red.

Maybe it's because the fall has been so mild, but the rose is very happy.

The chrysanthemum put on a little bit of a show, but I forgot to take a picture at its peak. Still not a favorite. I will probably get a replacement next fall.

The fall blooming camellia is still going with its small pink flowers. Trying to think how I can make this stand out more. Ideas, anyone??

Here's the part I am choosing to ignore - construction rubbish. In front and on the side of the house are piles that grow with demolition and shrink with runs to the dump.

I see leaf raking in my future.