“Wow! Right now there are just a million different wonderful colors out in the garden.” That was my first statement upon looking out of my window this morning. The day is overcast and I don’t think the sun had even risen yet and those autumn colors sure were putting on a display. The leaves, tree trunks, shrub branches, spent perennials and the flowers still blooming looked stunning this morning. Every autumn color is represented from the electric oranges and reds to subtle yellows and browns. The Larch is just about at it’s full autumn glory and the purple birch as turned a magical, warm red. I’m going back to the window for more!
Just some more autumn clean-up this weekend. I cut the peonies down along with liatris and pulled the few stray weeds. I emptied and stored the copper hanging pots with the spent annuals going in the compost and the potting soil into my soil recycle pile. I pretty much use the recycled soil when dividing and moving perennials in the garden. (I feel like I must sound a bit Martha Stewart). Then I winterized and covered up the fountain with a tarp and collected all the garden ornaments and stored those as well. Finally, I took cuttings of all my scented geraniums togrow over the winter in the house for planting out again next year. The herbs will be fine, but the geraniums will not and I’d hate to loose them as they aren’talways easily found.
Finally, I planted:
- Fritillaria Imperialis bulb (a gift from myparents from Amsterdam)
- California Poppies relocated from elsewhere in the garden
- Liatris relocated from elsewhere in the garden
- Ornamental Grass
It’s the time of the year where garden clean-up becomes a priority. I cut back all my floppy dahlias. They should keep blooming, but now they are a bit more upright. Nothing like a good rain and wind to knock the plants over. Then I pulled all the sweet peas. They stopped blooming with the last rain and were just getting unattractive. That’s about did it for today’s clean-up which was an easy day as far as clean-up goes. It will get a bit more labor intensive as the growing season draws to a close. Then it will be time to plant bulbs, move shrubs and divide perennials.
This weekend I pulled an occasional stray weed and trimmed down some overgrown and past blooming perennials along with the dead-heading that this time of year calls for. I am also perpetually fighting black spot on my roses and once again treated them with systemic fertilizer/insecticide/fungicide. While I had almost a month off from intensive garden care, I think I am once again entering a busy season as two season’s worth of growth starts coming to an end for many plants and clean-up needs to take place.
I also have BIG plans for the fall as many shrubs will be moved to better locations as I have had more time to ponder how I want my garden to look. Lots of perennials need to be divided and moved and quite a few volunteer plants will also find new homes in my garden or will be given away. I can’t wait to get started and have been making lists and have started to buy bags of planting compost and gypsum already. Now I just need to wait for cooler weather and dormancy to start kicking in. We have had two weeks of perfectly blue skies, not a drop of rain and temps in the mid 70’s. Perfect weather for everyone!
Today’s the day I have known was coming for awhile. It is the first day accompanied by cricket song which means that autumn is coming and summer is drawing to a close. The sky is slightly overcast, the temperature is 68 and when the sun does peek out it is not with the white hot intensity of summer but a softer, more golden light. Everything green is turning a more yellow green as the season gets ready to change. My mood is also one of anticipation as is often the case with change. First the sounds of summer change to autumn, the light changes, the colors of the garden change, then my oldest daughter is going to preschool for the first time and the youngest will have her first swimming lessons. Summer will be over soon and it’s not that just the season is changing, but it would seem that life is changing too.
Sunrise, Sunset Lyrics- it seems appropriate, though my mood is not quite so drastic and my kids are still small- thank goodness! But time sure does fly…
(Tevye)
Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?
(Golde)
I don’t remember growing older
When did they?
(Tevye)
When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he get to be so tall?
(Golde)
Wasn’t it yesterday
When they were small?
(Men)
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze
(Women)
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears
(Tevye)
What words of wisdom can I give them?
How can I help to ease their way?
(Tevye)
Now they must learn from one another
Day by day
(Perchik)
They look so natural together
(Hodel)
Just like two newlyweds should be
(Perchik & Hodel)
Is there a canopy in store for me?
(All)
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears
