Buona sera, garden, goodnight.

Astrantia 'Rainbow'

It's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day once again, brought to you by Carol of May Dreams Gardens. For me, the calendar pages are whipping by like they do in old-time movies, what with mom duty and my gig for Houzz.com (check out the Great Lakes Gardener's November Checklist), and minor health issues that I hope are finally resolved. There's no help for the chronic lack of sleep because my kids are now teenagers and tend to stay up late, making me stay up late regardless. But enough of that, let's go out to the garden.

The blooms are few and paltry by now, as there have been several frosts and freezes, although we had a brief weekend reprieve with highs in the 60sF. Now, every night has lows below freezing, which have done more to put the garden to sleep than anything else. I forgot to include Astrantia 'Rainbow' in October's Bloom Day post, even though it looked lovely and was blooming for the first time this season. The drought had hit just as it was thinking about forming buds in June. Now, it's but a ghost of itself.

The reliable Korean mum, Chrysanthemum rubellum 'Sheffield Pink' is still blooming, but looks worse for wear.

Still plugging away in spite of the weather are those ground-hugging favorites, Geranium 'Bob's Blunder',

and sweet alyssum,

Lobularia maritima

seen here with the redden autumn foliage of little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) in the front of the Nanoprairie. Nearby, the last blooms of the smooth ex-aster (Symphyotrichum laeve 'Bluebird') sway above the sweet alyssum.

New this month, but down to its last few blooms is the later-blooming monkshood, Aconitum fisherii.

This probably wouldn't still be blooming if it weren't right up against the east side of the house.

The garden is ready for its winter slumber. Or is it?

Helleborus x hybridus