Autumn Passes Away

Winter's chilly hand is plucking at the landscape now, stripping branches here and there, but it has not yet taken a firm and deathly grip. Autumn's brilliant colors have faded, replaced by swaths of antique brass, rust, burnt rose, honey and amber.

Sun does not ignite these colors but rather creates a warm glow, a testament to the season as it peacefully passes away.

Leaves are constantly fluttering to the earth in little groups, heaping up over the ground and leaving garlands draped across shrubs, outdoor furniture and garden ornaments.

I walk amongst them, kicking at crinkly piles in the woodland. We keep the lawn and the paths cleared, but otherwise the leaves lie where they fall. They will provide insulation to the plants through the winter, and then by spring most of them will have decayed, returning to earth to replenish and nourish the soil.

I am not sorrowful about winter. It is a season for rest and renewal. I feel its cold breath and I pull my sweater tighter, but we are fortunate. Our winter delivers enough days to complain about, but it is comparatively short and mild. I can continue to garden through the season, but our pansies, decorative cabbage and winter vegetables, such as collards and spinach, will probably come through the winter with little effort on my part.

Today is a beautiful, mild day. I take in deep breaths, enjoying the crisp air and the fragrance of earth, and I am grateful for all the wonders around me. 

Above two photos are Euonymus alatus, also called Burning Bush. This is an invasive shrub in some parts of the country but fortunately not for me.

May you all have a great week!

Fall Through the Lens

One reason I enjoy photography is its ability to encapsulate a picture. Photography forces me to see what I am looking at and to put boundaries on the view. Otherwise the periphery runs on forever, often taking away from the immediate outlook. It is fun to focus on an image through the lens. Japanese maples are a reliable source of color from October through November.Here are some recent shorts taken late in the afternoon when low autumn light ignited the foliage. A lot of color comes from Japanese maples, dogwoods, hickory and oak trees, as well as various shrubs. Evergreens set off the explosion of color. Enjoy!Autumn creates a tapestry of colors in my garden.

The colors across the front garden in November are wonderful.

Sango kaku, also called Coral Bark maple is particularly lovely in fall when the orange-red leaves become flushed with pink and the coral stems become prominent. The colorful stems are also beautiful in the winter landscape. The name "Sango kaku" means coral tower.

I recently moved the concrete bench to a new location in the woodland garden. The shrub next to it is a Carolina allspice.The yellow leaves in these two shots belong to a hickory tree.

Juniper 'Saybrook Gold' frames the view toward the woodlands from our drive.This is a view of dogwoods edging the lower front lawn.A fallen oak leaf on left and Chinese Pistache leaves on the right.

Oakleaf hydrangeas are noted for their fall colors.

A section of a glass wind chime glimmers against fall foliage.

A hosta is lovely even as it goes into dormancy.

This old brown birdhouse awaits its new tenants next spring.

The dried seed heads of a Limelight hydrangea will remain through most of the winter.

This colorful Japanese maple is in front of our dining room window.

The strong limbs of an oak tree rise behind a Japanese maple.

By the time I had wandered around and taken all of the above photos, plus many more I am not showing you, it was late in the day and I was quite chilly! One last image caught my attention. I looked up to see smoke coming from the chimney.

Time to go inside and enjoy the warm fire!