Still Foxy in November

The other day my husband and I looked all over the house for the macro lens because I had noticed something that needed capturing for the garden-archives. We got to the point where we were seriously thinking about contacting our insurance company, as every place we looked turned up empty. The 300 mm. zoom lens was also missing--as was the camera case. We thought back to the last place we took the camera...but every place we'd been since Halloween involved only the 55 mm. regular lens. Carrying the zoom and the macro can get heavy, so they aren't necessary or appropriate for every situation. Finally my husband discovered the camera case with lenses, inside a cupboard--where I had tucked them away 'safely', weeks before. After feeling relieved, my first thought was "has it really been over a month since I've photographed my garden?". Apparently so. I realized that I have taken the garden for granted since the leaves have been falling, and had all but given up on finding anything new or worth blogging about. So, despite my blogging-motivation-level being on empty right now, I must introduce you to Foxy.

Two summers ago I brought her home from a local nursery. I put her down--still in her nursery pot--in one of the front gardens, near the house. As the autumn came and went I apparently got lazy and never planted her in the ground. I had done the same thing with some other plants I'd brought home in the past, and often in the spring they had sent up new greenery, over-wintering just fine in their pots. Well, when last spring arrived, there was no sign of Foxy anywhere. I just chalked it up to another fatal mistake based on my own laziness--a not uncommon scenario around here--I confess.

Late in the recent summer I observed leaves and stems, growing in a couple of places I knew I had never planted anything. Not knowing what they were I assumed they were weeds--but I didn't pull them. I knew all too well the other fatal mistakes this gardener has made, ripping something out of the ground, only to discover too late it was something worth hanging on to (ie: a dahlia I'd forgotten I'd planted in early spring was pulled, in late summer, thinking it was a weed). There are more examples, but I'll not go into them here, lest I blow my cover on my garden prowess!

I just think it's so miraculous to see something that was left for dead, emerge so fully and remain so vibrant and strong so late in the season. AKA Digitalis purpurea is not a native plant, but is a beauty in many ways. She adds light to the garden with her pure whiteness, yet brings whimsey with her purple polka dots. She fills in spaces and holds her own, yet does not take over, preferring to develop a few strong, individual plants rather than send up too many weedy-looking seedlings. Once I'd done some research and learned who she is, I realized that those 4 'weeds' were gifts to hang on to! What I don't understand is WHY is she blooming in late November, when everything I read about her says she's a late spring/early summer bloomer? If you have any ideas about that, please share them with me!

Foxy and her clones have been placed in a certain area of the front garden to blend in well with the bushes and plants that already lived there. What a treat it has been to have her there, holding-the-fort, so to speak, from August onward. The other day, when I realized I'd forgotten about her--catching a glimpse of her standing so confidently in the front garden as I walked by--I knew it was time to do another photo shoot with her. Here it is, late November, and she doesn't look a day over August, does she?

*Please note that all Foxgloves are poisonous so if you have pets or young children you will need to monitor so that no part of the plant gets eaten.

Today I am thankful for finding my camera so I can share part of my November garden with you.

Words and photos ©Thanks for today.™, by Jan Huston Doble

Written by Jan @ http://www.thanksfor2day.blogspot.com/ Not to be reproduced or re-blogged without express permission of the author.