Don't they know it's (nearly) Christmas?

Someone needs to tell some of the plants in my garden that it's time to rest! But it's been so mild, plants which should have long finished flowering are still parading their wares. For instance, this Ceanothus:

It flowered, as usual, in May, but it must think it's May again as it's breaking out all over with its powdery blue flowers. And cowslips are having a resurgance, which is most disconcerting:

And of course, good old primulas are flowering everywhere, they don't seem to have a season.

They aren't my favourite plant, or at least not this variety, but you can't knock them if they give a splash of colour at the end of November, can you?

It's all very strange. What's still flowering in your garden?

Sheffield Park in Late Autumn

My favourite time to visit Sheffield Park, in East Sussex, is at Rhododendron time. However, Autumn is a close second. The colours reflect beautifully in the lakes, giving you two trees for the price of one! I have heard that it has not been the best year for Autumn colour around these parts. That was certainly borne out by my visit yesterday, although it is the end of Autumn. Acers were standing knee deep in their own russet confetti, and the gentians must have been a picture a few weeks ago. Luckily it was a still day so the reflections in the lake were undisturbed, and I was able to take a few decent pictures:

Getting ready for a Winter sleep: Gunnera, or as my mother-in-law
calls them (accidentally) Gonhorrea!

My Garden in November

I love winter gardens, but a winter garden mine is not. But it's surprising how many flowers are still going strong, mainly thanks to a mild Autumn and a fair amount of rain.

Good old Crysanths never disappoint. Time to divide this one.

A Gaura coming into its own.

Sedum and Stipa tenuissima

My globe thistles are enjoying a second flowering

A lovely Cosmos grown from seed by my mum.

Lantana - always reminds me of Spain. Oh to feel the warmth of the Spanish sun...

This is my last sweet pea flower. They began flowering in June.

An Aeonium looks fondly down at an Iris.