Tuesday 12 November 2013

Sedum For November

This year, I'm taking the late Geoff Hamilton's advice and visiting a nursery each month with a view to buying a plant which is in flower for my garden. Doing this should ensure that I have something blooming in my garden every month of the year.

I absolutely love sedums, so when I saw this beauty, spectabile Brilliant, flowering away in the garden centre, I couldn't resist it for my November plant. It's actually at the end of its flowering period now, it usually flowers from August to November, but it's good enough to brighten up the November garden.

Sedums are a great source of nectar for bees and butterflies, so this plant will go on supplying them very late in the year. I always try to do my bit for wildlife and like to find plants which will help them out, especially when lots of plants have now finished blooming.

Flowering plants are now dwindling in garden centres so it may be a little tricky finding one for December, though I'm sure I'll come across something.

28 comments:

  1. That's another good choice, and as you say it's especially good for wildlife. Good luck with next months. Flighty xx

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    1. I always try to make purchases with wildlife in mind, I don't always manage it if there's something I particularly like, but I do try. I think I'll probably need a bit of luck to find something in flower in December.

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  2. Maybe a hellebore, an erica, pansies or violas for December? Maybe you could find a winter flowering cyclamen such as coum which may be on flower? Good luck with the search.

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    1. I admit that I had thought about a hellebore or an erica. Cyclamen was my January purchase, and they're still going strong at the moment so I don't want to double up on them again in December. I suppose it will all come down to what I find in the garden centre.

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    2. Sue, you have beaten me to your excellent recommendations. I have a polyanthus called Nectarine that flowered last December and if it does not get really cold looks if it will do so again.
      Jo if you get an erica don't buy one of those horrible blue dyed ones! I know you won't.

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    3. It's quite mild at the moment so your polyanthus should give you some colour in December. I already have polyanthus in the garden, though they seem to flower the year round, they're very confused with the weather. I hate dyed plants. They even dye cut flowers and spray them in glitter, as if they aren't beautiful enough. I hate anything fake to do with flowers, Mother Nature has got the monopoly on beauty I think.

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  3. Great choice, our sedum is one of the few things still going at the moment too.

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    1. They seem very reliable for giving colour at this time of year, a great plant.

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  4. You are doing really well finding all of these different plants that are in flower each month!! Your garden must be so colourful now. Hope that you find something for December. xx

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    1. I just hope that they all survive winter and fill out a bit so that there's lots of colour in my garden throughout next year. One more month to go.

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  5. I have always loved sedums, it it something my mum has always grown. When I see them flowering it reminds me of home. I shall have to get some to grow on deck xxx

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    1. They're such gorgeous plants. I have a yellow one but I've been wanting a pink one for ages. I think it would be a fabulous plant to grow on deck.

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  6. Sedums are really great for extending the season aren't they, and the butterflies have been loving them here.
    November has been tricky (mine in next post) but December, oh golly!

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    1. I think it's a great plant for November, I'm sure I'll be pleased of it to extend the season in future years too. I'm looking forward to hearing what you've bought for November.

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  7. Jo, I think for the sake of your bank balance it's probably a good thing that there are only 12 months in a year!
    For a December plant, have you considered holly?

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    1. I think you're right, though I'm always on the look out for a bargain so none of the plants have cost too much. This sedum was only £2.99. I would love a holly bush in the garden but I have nowhere to plant it, so I'm going for much smaller plants.

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  8. Great tip for my bee plot Jo...will have to get some of these!!
    try here (http://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/category.cfm?month=dec) for December flowering ideas...

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    1. Sedum are a must for your bee plot, the bees love them. I shall have a look at the link for ideas, thank you, but I find that it's easier to see what's in flower when I go to a garden centre as many of the less well known plants are never stocked.

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  9. I was lucky enough to get a really good sized sedum at a charity plant sale on the high street back in early summer. It's done quite well, but it did end up completely swamped by cosmos. A plot neighbour has one too, and it's always completely swamped with bees. I'll be interested to see what you find in December.

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    1. Plant sales are great places to pick up established plants at a good price. Bees and butterflies love sedum so I'm sure they'll be pleased that both you and your plot neighbour are growing them.

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  10. Oh I wondered what your November pick would be Jo and you've come up trumps :) Mine is going over now but still has some colour. As you say a great plant for wildlife.

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    1. I'm really pleased with my choice for November, I'm hoping that it will attract more butterflies in to the garden as I hardly saw any this year, apart from the Cabbage Whites, there were hundreds of those.

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  11. You have a beautiful color of sedum. I have never planted it before. I think it will grow well on the porch. Is the sedum good for indoors plant?

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    1. I love the colour, I've been wanting a pink variety for a while so I'm really pleased with this. There are lots of types of sedum, this one is hardy but there's others which aren't and they can be grown indoors.

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  12. I have that and it's such a fantastic plant. If bits fall off I stick them in the ground and they grow so easily. A great buy.xxxx

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    1. I thought I might try and propagate from it, so it's good to know that it grows easily. It's such a lovely plant.

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  13. I love sedums and they are so easy to propagate, you can even do it from just a leaf. I started off with only one sedum about 5 years ago and have clumps all over now. Great choice. Have a lovely weekend.

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    1. I'm hoping to do that with this plant. It would be nice to have some plants in the front garden as well as the back.

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