Early October 2015
Sunday, October 4, 2015 at 9:35PM I can feel the new season in the moist air and in the cool breeze. I inhale autumn smells as I putter in the garden: the moldy smell of damp soil, upturned to make way for new plants, and the aroma of freshly laid pine straw and wood chips. It is good to be in the garden now that the hot summer is over. Every day brings cooler temperatures and more leaves fluttering to the ground. We will soon be buried under mountains of them, and Lou has already started the raking, a chore that will not end completely till late winter.
Meanwhile, here are some images taken in early October:
Sepia image of dried Snowflake Hydrangea blooms, which have turned brown in early October.
A neighbor's old shed borders our property.
Viola 'Pink Halo', Dinosaur Kale 'Lacinato', Lorapetalum 'Purple Pansy', Flowering Kale 'Peacock Red', Asian Jasmine and pink Dianthus grow together in a fall arrangement. An old gourd nestles amidst the plants.
Part of the profits from the sale of Salvia 'Wendy's Hope', shown in the two images below, go to fight breast cancer.
I have seen bees, butterflies and hummingbirds all partaking of the nectar of Salvia 'Wendy's Hope.'
Clockwise from top left: Pentas; Persicaria 'Red Dragon'; Purple Aster; Toad Lily (Trycrytis) 'White Towers'; Variegated Toad Lily; Salvia 'Amistad.'
'Coral' Drift Roses have bloomed all summer and continue to pump out the blooms.
This White-breasted Nuthatch posed for me as I took its photo.
A fallen redbud leaf
This Peacock Moss has found its way onto the moss path. It may be too pretty to walk on; but if it is happy, I will leave it alone.
A view into the woods with some early fall color changes
Solidago (Goldenrod) and purple and white asters grow on a wild hillside.
A volunteer tomato plant is still producing these tasty cherry tomatoes.
Last, but certainly not least, my little Fuyu Persimmon tree, in a large pot, is loaded with fruit this year. They are not ready to eat yet, but I could not pass up a picture:
Have a great week! Deb
Reader Comments (19)
Dear Deb, nice to see your garden slowly change into its fall attire! I especially love to see the delicate asters. How cool that your persimmon tree is carrying fruits this year. Hope they will fully ripen and taste delicious.
Here fall is definitively up in the air as well. We even had a little bit of rain today. Yippee...!
Wishing you a wonderful week as well!
Warm regards,
Christina
Autumn has its own special beauty and you can clearly see it in your fab garden Debs!
So exciting to see that persimmon- I know you're excited, too! I'm loving being outside in the gardens again, and watching the second wind so many of my plants have with the cooler weather and abundant rain.
I enjoyed our early October walk. Have a great week!
Such lovely pictures of the changing season in your garden. You have beautiful late flowers for the bees and butterflies to enjoy and such a variety of colours in your autumn leaves - stunning!
the gourd looks like a metal sculpture
Hi, Deborah. Your place looks gorgeous! So gorgeous, I'm wondering if you'd allow us to shoot there for Southern Living with our very own Steve Bender (aka The Grumpy Gardener)... If so, please write to me at jason.keener@timeinc.com so we can discuss. If not, I'd love to talk with you regardless to see if you've got any alternative leads for me in the Jefferson County area.
I look forward to hearing from you!
A wonderful walk through the garden; it makes me both sad and happy to see fall arriving. The colors are certainly a joy to behold this time of year.
Oh, I like those autumn smells and views! Autumn is coming a little later for us this year--the color is slowly creeping in, though. Believe it or not, we don't have frost in the forecast for the next 10 days (S. Wisconsin). I'm not complaining. It's beautiful outside and warm enough to get out and hike, garden, and enjoy the season. You have so many beautiful flowers blooming! Cheers!
Your garden is beautiful in all seasons, Deb! I love the photo of the bee wrapped up in the Salvia and the the peacock moss is almost preternatural. Unbelievably, I have ripening persimmons in my own garden - the critters haven't eaten all of them this year (yet).
Hi Deb! I just love your garden looking so autumnal ! The old gourd is wonderful..I thought it was a sculpture of an apple at first and was going to ask where you had got it from! The salvia Wendy's Hope is so lovely and what a wonderful idea to do a plant to support such a great cause. I'm so envious of your Persimmon tree. I can't really grow much fruit here apart from the ubiquitous lime. I have a loquat tree but "someone" keeps stealing all the fruit before I can get to it! You will have to tell us more about what you do with the fruit...I don't think I have ever tasted it.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Kate
Wendy's Hope is beautiful! What a lovely salvia. Your goldenrod and asters combo look just like the ones growing at the edge of the woods beside my driveway. (I'm always surprised when we have similar flowers in bloom, given the differences in our climates.)
I must see if my 'Red Dragon' is flowering... I love that wooden gourd, it adds a lovely touch. Some glorious autumn colour beginning to show itself, it is going to be spectacular soon.
Hi everyone! Thank you all for stopping by and taking time to comment. Each is important to me. Kate, you asked what to do with persimmons. I actually wrote a post a while back on that topic. You can find it here: http://debsgarden.squarespace.com/journal/2014/12/5/what-to-do-with-persimmons.html
Best wishes to you all! Deb
It's as if your garden has just taken a deep breath and refreshed it's self Deb....it's lovley...
I can't remember but I am sure I"'ve asked before do you get a killing frost and when?
Jen
Autumn looks a bit further along where you are than here. We're not seeing any color in the trees yet. That peacock moss looks interesting.
Hello, again! Jen asked if we get killing frost here. Yes, we do. It can happen anytime from around the first of November until well into December, but usually about the second week of November. Deb
I might not be able to relate to the smell of autumn, but i can imagine what's happening. Autumn is still in my pipeline of dreams, visualize walking barefoot on dried leaves, and the sound it makes under my feet. I dream of taking photos daily the whole week, landscape and macros, oh well that would be wonderful. At least harvesting tomatoes like yours, i can always do here, hahaha!
I find that my garden is lacking in fall blooms, as my photos this time of year are all of the same things over and over. I need to add some mums, anemones, asters, etc. Your fall garden is gorgeous indeed. Love it!
Oh that persimmon tree looks so promising! I feel like it turned into autumn so suddenly this year. I do love fall weather, though! And it is even more of a treat down South after such heat during the summer.