Of fading annuals and Tom Vogel photographer

This picture gives me one of the great lifts of the year. It was taken on my front porch November 13 and now the plant is indoors.

This is Plectranthus ?Mona Lavender?.

I can?t believe any plant can look this good in November. Long past the time when all other annuals are looking soggy, this one carries on triumphant. You see it for sale in nurseries but somehow I don?t see it enough in containers, gardens and as a filler in borders.

It is the most useful annual there is. So put it on your list as a must-get next spring. I?m going to try and overwinter this one. I finally got my friend Stephen to bring in the containers. They were way too heavy for me and now the dining room has the few I want to try and hang on to.

The Duranta ?Gold Edge? is in its fifth year of being lugged in and out of the house. It?s going to be fine. Looks a bit sad here but I expect it will improve as it adjust to the warmth of the house.

Have a look at My Garden: Tom Vogel has created more magic with his panoramas. We now have a complete season up and spilling one into another. You put on the flower button and that activates being able to look at every detail of the garden from the same point of view through the seasons. He is a wizard.