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It’s no secret I love my edible garden. Nothing beats eating fresh from your own landscape. I also love my flowers. The perennials are currently finishing up their last blooms, but there is a ray of hope. The mums are flowering, and the asters are in full bud. The fall crocus are here, with their delicate pink petals. Some things are changing, but I still have my flowers.
Autumn Flowers
The nights are getting cooler. In fact, I have had to put on pants to do evening outside chores. These are the first pants in months (shorts being optimal). I was even tempted to turn on the heat one evening but decided that was admitting defeat. The end of season harvest is almost over, some leaves are turning, and the corn husks are drying out. I guess this means the end of one thing and beginning of another.
It’s always hard to say goodbye to the warm weather and growing season. The smell of wood smoke is in the air, not due to wildfires, but from home fireplaces. When I get up there are sparkles of dew on the grass and I am reducing watering by half, since the soil is not drying as quickly. All in all, these are the unmistakable signs of fall’s approach.
Autumn is actually a favorite season of mine. I love starting to get cozy inside. It is a time when I can get lazy and read all day, watch movies, or just knit. It is also time for brightly colored winter pansies, fall hued Chrysanthemums, and bright purple Asters. Fall flowers help greatly with the transition from warmth to cold, growth to hibernation, and sundresses to fleece.
Mums and Other Fall Flowers
Our property’s previous owner adored her flowers, and it is obvious from February until November. We only have a couple of months without blooming plants outside. Fall is no exception with huge, bushy Chrysanthemums adorned with brilliant yellow flowers. If I deadhead them, their cheery countenances keep producing until a hard freeze. I added the Asters. I love the rayed blooms in their tones of blue to purple. The crocus to which I referred are actually not really crocus, although they are called Autumn crocus. They are Colchicum, another genus entirely. The pink flowers come up without any foliage and are iridescent pink. They almost glow with an otherworldly aura.
There are still plenty of flowers hanging in there. The petunias are going gang busters, while the coral bells have bright salmon blooms that are still feeding the hummingbirds. I don’t lack color in the garden, but the presence of the previously mentioned fall flowers is an undeniable signal. It’s okay. I have plenty of summer food put up to take us through the winter. My summer clothes can be retired and will seem new when I unveil them again next year. My winter coat beckons some evenings. The sunsets have been beautiful. I’m ready for a snuggly winter rest, before I’m back outside with a vengeance, eager to tend my lovely garden and start the first of the vegetables.
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