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Frost Arrives, But Not All The Dahlias Have Been Impacted - November 2026

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Yesterday, I posted some photos about how the first (real) frost arrived and zapped the coleus pretty good and signaled the REAL end of the season around here.  I've read a bit about the environmental signals that get flashed inside of plants when they experience frost - and (hopefully) enter shutdown/dormancy mode.   One of those plants that was hit by frost, but NOT quite fully bitten are the dahlias.  Here, below are a couple of photos of one of the Saint Martin dahlia plants that is tucked into the bed under our kitchen window.  The first photo shows some of the dark, frost-bitten foliage that is curling up and looking sad: But, when you get closer to the bottom of the plant, you see a bunch of green, in-tact foliage.  See below: Google's Gemini tells me that the top getting hit with frost is *enough* of a signal to tell the plant to begin to harden up the tubers.  Here's what Gemini says that the frost is, indeed a 'biological trigger' that redir...
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First Frost - End of Coleus Season - November 2026

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The data suggested it was going to happen.  Even if the forecast didn't show it.  I'm talking about the first frost of the season.  And, despite it looking like it was never going to arrive, it has, indeed arrived.   Was it a 'hard frost'?  I'm not sure.  But, it zapped the coleus.  Which, brings the coleus season to the end for 2026.  Here are a couple of photos showing the frost-bitten coleus skeletons. First up is the Wizard Sun red coleus in the front yard Island Bed .  Below shows the coleus in the mid-bed with the annual Vinca curling up in front:? And, here below is the Talavera Moondust coleus (speckled) in the corner patio bed in our backyard: I p osted a similar photo last year (at the end of October) when last season's coleus was zapped by the frost .   And, just like last year, the coleus shows the most initial frost damage with other things (including most of the dahlias) still green and fleshy.  
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Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA
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Backyard Ginkgo Tree Gold Leaves In Fall - November 2026

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Two weeks ago, I p osted an update on the (still small) Ginkgo tree that is growing in our backyard along the southside of the garden .  This is a tree that was 'snapped' in half, but has (seemingly) recovered.  In that post, I included a couple of photos showing the shape and growth of the tree.  With all the foliage camouflaging the tree, it was hard to see the actual size, so I ended up annotating a photo with markup .   Well...just like the Saratoga Ginkgo tree out front, this Ginkgo tree is changing color.  Into a canopy of gold foliage.  Which...now allow for the size and shape of the tree to be EASILY read by the eye.  Here, below, is that same tree, now lit up in yellow leaves: Still not a massive tree, but it continues to grow each season.  Five years in the ground .  Five more until it is meaningful, I would think.  
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Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA
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Butterscotch Amsonia Fall Show - Shocking Yellow Foliage - November 2026

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'Tis the season for Fall color in the garden.   Plenty of it is 'nice' to look at around our garden.  Both in front and back.  Reds, oranges. Yellows.  Even...browns.   Last week, I posted this photo from our back stoop showing the backyard coming alive in fall color.   And, more recently, I posted a photo of the color combo that is happening with the Saratoga Ginkgo and the Little Henry in front .  And, how the Doublefile Viburnums were turning purple .   Like I said...nice.  "Nice" colors.   But, there's another plant in the garden that does something else in Fall.  I'd call it borderline 'shocking'.  When you see it.   That plant that I'm talking about is the Butterscotch Amsonia.  Three of them planted in the [kitchen curved] bed back in 2021 .  I'd say they've been a 'garden win'.  They provide really 'nice' texture all season-long.  Then...come Fall...something else happen...
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Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA
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Frans Fontaine Hornbeam Trees - Pre-Dormancy - Green Foliage - Early November 2026

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The last time that I checked in on the row of Frans Fontaine European (Columnar) Hornbeam trees that serve as a screen in our sideyard was just back in August .  Before that, I pruned them a little bit this Summer, to make a little room to navigate the boardwalk .   The full archive of posts on my Frans Fontaine European Hornbeam trees can be found here .   This year, I added another one, but in a different spot:  back by the firepit .   For background, you can check out this post from 2023 , when I documented the progress over the years.   More recently, I've posted about how these trees turn into dormancy and demonstrate marcescence - or holding onto their leaves late into the Winter.  Here is a post from November 2024 when the leaves were turning yellow .   We're now in early November (2026) and what to they look like?  Green leaves.  And, mostly full.   Here, below, are a couple of photos showing th...
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Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA
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Dahlias (Still) Blooming - November 2026

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Something wild:  I'm still getting dahlia blooms in the first week of November.  In Zone 6a/5b.  Yes...that's right.  I'm still snip'ing off a handful of blooms from the dahlias.  Because...we haven't had a hard frost yet.   I wrote about the lack of first hard frost for our area back in late October.   At that time, I pointed to this post from the University of Illinois State Climatologist who has a map up for the 'latest' first frost on record (which is since 1991 to 2020).  Here's a link to that map .   I've pasted the map below.   But, before we talk about it, let's take a look at the dahlias that are (still) blooming.  Below are a few photos showing Sweet Nathalie dahlia, Great Silence Decorative Dahlia and (Not) Rip City. Great Silence Decorative Dahlia Great Silence Decorative Dahlia (Not)  Rip City Dahlia There are more, like the Saint Martin little ones and a few Blue Wish and some buds on Cafe au Lait....
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Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA
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Green Mountain Boxwoods - By Firepit - November 2026

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Back in July 2023, I planted a pair of TINY (one-gallon) Green Mountain Boxwood shrubs back by the border around the firepit in the far backyard .  I don't seem to have posted about these in the years since, but they've just ambled along in the years since being planted.   They've had 3.5 growing seasons (1/2 of 2023, 2024, 2025 and now 2026) and have put on some size and mass.  Without much of anything other than the water they get from rain.  They're planted in a pretty shady spot, too.  I have another Green Mountain boxwood that is planted under the tree swing tree. Similarly...planted as a TINY, TINY, TINY shrub.  In 2021 .    It gets a little bit of "Winter bronzing" .  If you plant these, just know they'll do that in Winter.  Don't worry.  They bounce back in Spring.   Here, below, is what the pair of Green Mountain boxwoods in the far back of the yard look like right now, in early November.  Covered in som...
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Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA
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