09 November - Love-in-the-Mist

I took this photograph in late November, when this love-in-the-mist first bloomed. It is now cover with flowers, and a second plant a few feet away has also bloomed. They add some nice color to the gardens, as we head into winter.

Today, just before it started to rain, I weeded much of the gardens and planted 100 giant hyacinths, 200 anemones and 60 ranunculus. Last year, the candy tufts were certainly spectacular, but I suspect they killed off most of the anemones and ranunculus, which didn't get enough sunlight under the larger plants.

Last weekend, I seeded cabbage poppies at the top of the hill to the left of the staircase. I hope they do well this coming year - I think our past summer was too cool and foggy for them.

09 November - Aster

Here is an aster that bloomed in the front yard. It was almost a foot tall and had a dozen or so flowers, which were the size of silver dollars. It bloomed from mid-November until a week or so ago, when it went to seed.

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall....

This is one of my favorite pieces by Richard Knight, a great friend of Phil's, who passed away December 16, 2008.

This hung in the dining room of his house in the East Bay. It is chrome and 48 inches high by 48 inches wide by 5 feet deep. It is wall mounted.

To discover much, much more about Richard, who was like no one else I know, please click on this blog, http://richardgambleknight.blogspot.com/, which Phil and I are maintaining with the tireless assistance of Judith Lynch, who spent the last 22 years as Richard's companion, champion and wife.

09 November - Delphinium and Chimney Bell Flower

Here are three photographs I took earlier this month, as the chimney bell flower went into bloom soon after the pale purple and dark purple delphiniums had began their second spectacular bloom cycle.

Phil and I purchased this chimney bell flower from a florist in the Castro and had just planted it where the huge one was last year, when Phil spotted next to the new plant a seedling from the old one.

The new chimney bell flower has bloomed its first year and is about six feet tall. The seedling is now probably a foot tall and wide, and I suspect it will act like last year's plant, taking two years to mature, reaching twelve feet before blooming for months.

The flowers on the one now in bloom are a stunning purplish blue.

09 November - Tic

The cats always follow me around the gardens, interested in everything I do. One afternoon, while I was trying to photograph flowers, Tic decided it was time I pet him.

09 November - Hollyhocks

For the last month or so, the shortening days have been sunny and warm. I think this is why these two hollyhocks went into the bloom. The dark red one is where the echium used to be at the top, right of the staircase. It came up and bloomed as fast as it could. The lighter red one is one of the oldest plants in the gardens and has always bloomed in the spring and again in the fall.

091011 - Delphinium

The purple delphinium started blooming in the middle of October, its flower stocks nearly three feet long. This color of purple make this delphinium my favorite of the year.

The cosmos to the right of the delphinium was the first to bloom, putting on a spectacular show, and has now almost completely faded. I am going to gather its seeds for next summer.