Six on Saturday – Windy and Wet…and Coldish

It’s been a real mixed bag of weather conditions this past week in Prince Edward County – sunny one day, rainy the next, warmish one day, coldish the next.  I had hoped to go out yesterday to take some pictures but it rained pretty much all day, and was quite windy.  A few kilometres north it was snowing.  So I went out this morning instead – with winds gusting to 90 kph, to try and capture the feel of the garden on this November Saturday, the day before Remembrance Day (aka Armistice Day, aka Veteran’s Day).  My thoughts are with all those who fought for peace and democracy; my thoughts today are also for those in California, battling the most devastating wildfires on record.

To see more Sixes from around the world check out The Propagator’s site.

1, 2 & 3 – While most of the leaves have fallen from trees and shrubs there are still some hanging around, on Oaks mainly, but also on a few shrubs, such as these:

This Bridlewreath Spirea – Spiraea × vanhouttei – tends to get eaten by rabbits, almost to the ground, every winter.  Yet t comes back bigger and bigger.  It provides the best fall colour of any of the Spireas I have, perhaps because it gets the most sun.

I love this Korean Spice Viburnum – Viburnum carlesii – so much I planted two more this year.  Slow growing, beautiful pink turning white flowers in early spring with a fragrance of cloves.  And gorgeous fall foliage.

My little Paperbark Maple didn’t do so well last winter – in fact, it mostly died back.  New branches did appear; however, and produced enough leaves to enchant me this month.  It’s kind of neat that this small maple holds onto its leaves much longer than other, larger maple trees in the yard.

4 – I’ve taken a lot of pictures of this rose this year.  Can’t help it.  Sorry.  I’m just amazed that such a delicate beauty can still be up and defiantly beautiful after so may sub-zero nights.  It’s Kordes ‘Crimson Bouquet.’

5 – The Leaning Tree – This tree, growing alongside the driveway, has been leaning like this for as long as I can remember.  One day it will come toppling down and luckily for us it won’t hit anything (aside from other trees) – its lean is parallel to the driveway.  I gaze at it from the dining room window every morning.  I look for it when I walk up and down the driveway.  I can only see it in the winter, after the leaves have fallen, before the leaves emerge.  It’s a touchstone.

6 – It’s November, it’s rained a lot, and that means our front yard has started to collect water.  There’s a bit of a swale running through the yard, leading to a culvert under the driveway that drains away into a creek then into Lake Ontario.  But we still have a lot of water collecting in the fall/winter/spring.  Nice for the ducks and geese, nice reflections.  Occasionally a nuisance. But a relief to see following dry summers.