Falling!

I was outside today, and I needed a hard hat. Acorns were falling all around me. Overnight thousands have carpeted the front lawn. They crunch under my feet as I walk, and I have never seen so many. My yard man (husband) certainly has a lot of clean-up to do!

Leaf fall has barely begun, but I know that is coming, as autumn colors are beginning to show. I have enjoyed the golden glow in the afternoons. Often I don't try to identify specific plants, but rather I visualize the molten washes of color flowing together to created an impressionistic landscape.

We haven't reached the peak of fall colors yet, but here are some recent photos to show what we have.

Around the front garden:

In the woodland:

The deep green leaves of Southern Magnolia contrast nicely with the golden fall foliage of a redbud.

Those are mushrooms in the next to last row. The one on the left is a geastrum, also known as an earthstar.

A few scenes from the Lady Garden:

A lot of flowers are blooming madly, even as leaves are turning. Some are leftovers from summer and some are specific to fall; they all love the cool nights and warm days we are having. Toad Lily, Tricyrtis hirta, in the woodland garden

Butterfly rose, Rosa mutabilis, has been blooming off and on since spring.

Fall mums, zinnias, and a salmon colored carpet rose blend with fall foliage.

Finally, here is an old wrought iron table, recently refurbished. The top had rusted out, so I hunted for a new one. I found a piece of scrap Italian travertine at a local marble works. They cut it into a circle and polished it for me. I put it on the newly painted base, and voila! New table! The cobblestone birdhouse is a project I completed a few years ago.

Have a great week, and please watch out for acorns or other objects falling from above.  Deborah

The Secret of My Woodland Garden

Leaves swirl in the breezes of November, glory fading in the last weeks of autumn. Thick piles of them blanket the woodlands where I have raked them from the moss paths onto adjacent natural areas. It was not hard work. Wet leaves are easier to rake than crumbly, dry ones, and rain for the previous two days made them easy raking. Golden sunshine, along with invigorating but not too cool temperatures gave my spirit a lift as I pulled at the sodden leaves. A lightweight, very wide rake helped, too.

I never tire of examining foliage in all its manifestations and stages. I love the shapes, the textures, the shadings and the way light plays against the veins. Below is an assortment of fall leaves:

November brought wonderful colors to the woodland garden. This photo is from the road, at the edge of the woodlands:

There is a secret ingredient to my colorful woodlands. I think it is what makes the woodland garden special. Can you guess what it is? I will tell you at the end of this post!

After raking leaves I enjoyed a stroll through the woodland garden. The little bridge is one of my favorite features: I take too many photos of it! Here are a few more, taken over a couple of weeks: Acer palmatum 'Orido Nishiki' turned from green to brilliant red almost overnight.

Weeping Deodar cedar 'Feelin' Blue' is a beautiful accent in the woodland garden year round, but its blue color is especially intense this time of year:

Here are some more images of the November woodland garden:The old birdhouse hanging in the trident maple tree is due for a refurbishment!

So, what is the secret ingredient of my woodland garden? 

It is the color blue! Look at all the woodland scenes above and imagine them without the blues of the deodar cedar and other plants with a blue tint to their foliage. Imagine the turquoise blue bridge gone. No faded blue of the old concrete bench. No blue-green birdhouse. Throughout the year the blues offer counterpoint and contrast to other colors in the woodland. One may not think of blue as a fall color, but I can't imagine the reds and golds without it!