Aster 'Miss Bessie'

Aster 'Miss Bessie' came to my garden from Niche Gardens. After reading this description, how could I not try it? This is from their 1998 catalog:

"A warning -- I am crazy about Aster 'Miss Bessie'! During the fall I watched this mysterious tall Aster budding up in our roadside garden and assumed it was Wild Frost Aster. On an overcast Halloween morning, buds opened into hundreds (thousands?) of 1" medium purple, star-like blooms, floating at 4' and weaving with the tops of ornamental grasses. Bloom lasted for 3 weeks through light frosts -- an incredible late treat in the garden. 'Miss Bessie' does spread vigorously; plant her in the meadow or back of the border with plenty of space to run, and pull out wanted shoots in spring. A foundling in a Deep South garden, 'Miss Bessie' is of questionable parentage."

Just starting to open up

Covered with dew

Late-Blooming Perennials

Now that it's November, a lot of the garden is turning shades of taupe and brown as things die down for winter, but there are still some flowers around.

The white flowers of Chrysanthemum 'Venus' become spotted with pink from age and cold weather.

This is a bud of the purple intermediate iris 'Eleanor Roosevelt'. I don't
know if she's going to make it, having since been partially damaged by frost,
but if I can remember I'll bring it inside and see if the heat will coax it open.

Anemone 'Honorine Jobert' has been blooming here for two months now. It's
finishing up now but the remaining flowers are still beautiful. I am very
happy to have this old cultivar from the 1800's in the garden. I got mine
from Bluestone Perennials last year and it's spread quite a lot already.

White butterfly ginger has been in bloom for two months as well.
It's still blooming even though the foliage is now brown from frost!

Aromatic aster

Late season grasses are lovely with the late perennials, even
as they are turning brown and going to seed as this Muhlenbergia
capillaris and lindheimeri are in this picture.

The last remaining swamp sunflowers

Tommy

I kind of like this shot, even though Tommy's head isn't completely in focus, because it shows him in a characteristic pose -- sticking like velcro. That's my pant leg in the left part of the picture.

Ten years ago Tommy showed up on our farm with his mother and sisters when he was about 4 weeks old. His mother and his sister Prissy were very friendly with people but 2 of his sisters -- who looked to have a different father from Tommy and Prissy -- we could not socialize at all. When they were old enough they were spayed and given to a friend who wanted barn cats.

His (adorable) little sister Prissy:

Here Tommy is stalking something, probably a grasshopper.

It's too bad the last two aren't in very good focus. Here he
reminds me of a horse about to take off before a big fence.

Here he is launching himself into the ditch. Only an animal as athletic as a cat could recover from a pose like this and not land on its head. lol He didn't catch whatever it was he was after. His sister is much smaller than he but quite the huntress. She catches a lot of voles and rats.