Deanne, everything is just beautiful! I know how hard it is to cut it all down when it's all so large and lush. I felt the same way when I started last week. What kept going through my mind was how I wished I had a wonderful, large conservatory room on my house where I could overwinter everything and sit amongst it all every morning with my coffee.

It does get a bit easier with each container you tear apart though I think.

Eden

It's so lush and juicy looking, Deanne, and the color is a feast. I bet you could hear these pots growing all summer! So Rahj's peekaboo summer among the pots is coming to an end...noooo! I bet he dreams all winter of pots bursting with abutilons and acalyphas...just like you.

Just beautiful!!!
And the plants are cool too. ;)

Jerri

Ok, I'm sitting here looking at this stuff when I should be cleaning the downstairs bathroom. I knew I should have resisted the temptation to open this thread !!
All I can say Deanne is that you can at least be happy about the strength of character it must take to vivasect these beautiful creations while they are still in thier glory.

That Colocasia is awesome , ah hell, EVERYTHING is awesome !

Ok I'm really cleaning the loo now.

Kathy in Napa

A very nice finish to the season there! But, Wow! Such a lot of work ahead to take all that apart...

(I just came in from stripping leaves from the brugs - thanks for the advice on that.)

Well, we had ICE on the bridge one morning this week...so I'm afraid everything will go here before I get around to vivisection.

You should be especially proud this year Deanne! All the rain did help I think, but your attentiveness is amazing.

Le siiigh :) All so beautiful, Deanne. Too bad you don't have a name for that dahlia..it's gorgeous. Okay, seriously do you intentionally plant stuff that looks good next to the cat, or what? Lol, maybe he's one of those cats that looks good in everything ;)
I don't envy the work ahead of you, but my hat is off to the master of containers!
Brenda

Wheee!

Just gorgeous Deanne! I just love Thai Beauty. Are you going to carry it over? Last year I tried to store mine as a tuber/bulb, but it didn't make it...maybe it was too young (mine was definitely not as big as yours)?

I cannot get over how lush and beautiful everything looks...it's almost scandalous! :-) I wouldn't be able to take anything apart either.

How long before you will have to start bringing the fuchsias in? I still have two of the fuchsias you sent me a few years ago and they really are amazing....thanks so much! The one is like your 2nd pic...is that Beacon Rosa?

Thanks for sharing all the beauty...it's a real treat, Deanne!

Eileen

Spectacular!

Deanne, I can see how you have to be ruthless. I'm struggling with what to bring in and don't want to tear pots apart.

Thanks for the show :)

Saucy

Deanne...what a fantastic season you had! Loving the photos here. That Dahlia 'Alva Regalia' is very striking and 'Swingtime' Fuschia is my favorite. I just love the white/pink contrast. Your pot with the Elephant Ears and coleus is just too much. Really amazingly gorgeous! I hope you enjoyed it every time you walked past it. Plus the variegated Elephant Ears with the variegated Abutilon is yummy. I love variegated plants. My DD loved that last photo of kitty. All your plants are so well cared for, they all could be on a magazine cover. I never tire of photos of your garden, Deanne....nice job!

Thanks so much everyone! I really appreciate your kind comments! So happy you like the pics....

Eden, I so know what you mean about dreaming of having a conservatory so I could have some of these wonderful tropicals to enjoy through the winter. I agree 100% I'm beginning to get ruthless with ditching stuff. There is so much to do that I'm just dumping whole pots into the trailer that's going to the dump this week.

Denise, Rahjii doesn't mind winter one little bit because my bird blind will be going up in another few weeks and he loves hanging about on my chair in the tent! It's always toasty warm in there when the sun is out.

Kathy, its always more fun to look at garden pics than washing the loo....

Woody, your welcome!

Bug, Ice! already? Good grief. I'd really be in trouble if I'd already had a frost.

Brenda, Rahjii always looks great regardless of what he's next too. I wish I was the same! LOL

Eileen yes, I'm going to try to winter over all my colocasias and alocasias. ~~ I'm planning on starting on the fuchsias next week and the week after. It still looks like I've got another week before I get a frost. ~~ Yes that fuchsia in the second pic is 'Beacon Rosa'. How cool that you still have those plants! Aren't they wonderful this time of the year?

Deanne

What a treat for the eyes - at any time of day or season. Wow, Deanne, when I think the garden is at its end, yours is still looking magnificent. But o my, such work behind and ahead of you. I wonder if we could take up contributions from the GW/lurker crowd to buy you a conservatory, LOL?

Thanks for taking the time to record and share with us.

--Cindy

I am slow in telling you how gorgeous all your pics are(including 'his nibs'. :-)
I am afraid I am filled with envy. I cannot grow Fuchsias, or Dahlias, here. All of your containers are outstanding.

I have an alocasia similar to your variegated one, but it has not succeeded in growing large...maybe next year??

I still have some of the coleus you sent, including the Sedona. I am carrying it over again, along with all the other pretties that I grew this summer.

Thank you for sharing your beauties.

Marian

It does seem such a shame to destroy all that beauty. I started on Sat. I worked on the pots that were my least favorite and left the ones that were the best looking for now. The coleus in the breezeway photo with the black EE was the one I mentioned in the email. I'd love a piece if you haven't sent the brug yet.

I can't believe how pristine everything looks. The variegated colocasia and salvia are very cool. Actually you have a lot of very cool plant material. I have several of those hibiscus this year, I put a couple in the ground.

I'm sure I'll be back to check these over again.

Thanks
Michelle

Thanks again everyone!

Michelle, that coleus with the Black Magic is Mariposa and I'll tuck some into your package with the Brugmansia.

Deanne

Breakout dahlia, this flower is about 11" in diameter. What a beauty!
{{gwi:182281}}

Wah, Wah Wah, I will miss your beautious photos of those beauties. I would be hard pressed to pick a favrite, but I love anything paired with those big black colocasia leaves.
I don't know how you have the heart to tear them apart. I think I have that same hibiscus and it is probably eight feet tall. I will definitely plant it again next year. It is in a barrel next to the garage and it looks so good against the gray siding. Thanks for giving us a last look. Norma

Deanne -- Breathtaking stuff, here. Inquiring minds want to know -- how does one keep an 11" Dahlia upright without taking away the look of the garden? I'm sure you have a good trick .... :-)

Martie

Your pictures are wonderful! I just bought two Cleome 'Senorita Rosarita' today and I love them. As they are new to the market, do you have any suggestions on their care? Do you pinch them? How much fertilizer and water? Mine will be in containers.

Thanks Ginny! 'Senorita Rosalita' was one of my new favorites last year. I feed my containers about once a week and they didn't need any pinching until August or so when they started looking a bit leggy. This cleome doesn't need a lot of water and is quite tolerant of being a bit on the dry side.

Deanne

Thanks to Ginny for bumping up this thread-it's great viewing on a Sunday night with a glass of Chardonnay !

Kathy in Napa

Deanne, I don't know why I didn't notice this last fall when you originally posted this , but I think your untagged Dahlia may be China Doll, which was fantastic here --here's a link to the info at Swan Island ...

Here is a link that might be useful: China Doll