The End of a Long Growing Season

Does anyone else think this has been the longest growing season ever? You have to wonder what this long growing season will do to next year's blooms, given how much energy has been used to produce blooms in this long growing season. I have only a few azaleas that are suppose to be repeat bloomers, but nearly every variety has put out at least a small flush of blooms this fall. As I write this on December 5, I have one spring-blooming azalea that is covered with flowers, not the scanty bloom that often happens in the fall, but nearly a full spring-like bloom.

The weatherman is predicting nighttime temperatures around or below freezing in the next few days, so I decided to take a walk around the garden to appreciate the blooms one last time before cold temperatures destroy them. The sasanqua camellias that I wrote about earlier in the month continue to put on a show. There may be a few buds that are tight enough to survive a cold snap but I'm guessing I've seen the last of camellia blooms until the Japonicas bloom in the spring.

The fall bloom of the roses has been exceptional this year and long-lasting compared with most years. Every rosebush in my garden is in bloom to some extent. I considered picking some to take inside, but the bushes have grown so large on  the types that are best for cutting that I can't reach the flowers. After they have gone dormant, I'll trim these large bushes back a bit to keep them from being beaten around by the wind.

I know the cold weather this week will take out these blooms, and, in previous years, that has made me a little sad. This year, however, I don't mind. These plants have worked hard this season, and I feel they are ready for their winter's rest. I'm ready, too. I'll settle in with my catalogs and await their reappearance next spring.