I'm In Denial

The change has begun.  In just the past week, the trees have begun to put on their autumn colors. Mornings are chilly, and the ground has been covered with a white frost the past two days.  For the first time in months, I awoke to a house too cool for comfort and turned on the furnace.

Even though the signs are all around me, I have been in a state of denial.  September was a beautiful month, but I spent most of it substitute teaching more than usual and working on projects in my house, instead of in the garden.  I enjoyed just looking at the garden and walking around it, making notes of things I want to change this fall. 

I'd like to expand several of the garden areas and had planned to do a little digging each day to remove more of the lawn.  But other than planting a few new plants given to me by a friend, the spade has sat idle. The first bulb order arrived over a week ago--with more to come--and yesterday I bought over a hundred more bulbs after attending a talk on bulbs at a local garden center.  I need to start planting these, or I will be out in the cold winds of November trying to put bulbs in the ground with frozen fingers.

Yes, the signs are all around me, but I have chosen to ignore them, living in a fantasy world of  'Endless Summer.' At the very least, I have been thinking that fall would go on forever, and I had all the time in the world to work in the garden.

  Speaking of signs, does anyone know what these colorful leaves are?  Tangled in old tomato cages that should have been thrown away long ago, they're an indication of many uncompleted projects from the summer. I'll leave an answer in a comment.

The Beautyberry looks striking this time of year with its arching branches covered in purple berries, but it is nearly hidden by tall zinnias on either side and nicotania (still!) blooming behind it.

But this is one of the main reasons for my state of denial--

how can I pull out annuals when they still look so good??

A zinnia bud promises more blooms to come, if only the cold weather would hold off.

The 'Illumination' begonia, which hasn't done much all summer, finally shows signs of a glorious display if only there were time enough.

Invigorated by the mild temperatures and frequent rains of September, 'Vanilla Strawberry' Hydrangea paniculata has put out a few new blooms.

To my surprise, even a few coneflowers are also ignoring the warning signs of fall. 

Cosmos are still putting out their cheery blooms and reaching for the October skies.

As if to remind me that it is October, after all, and time for me to get busy, the asters 'October Skies' are covered in blooms.

This mass of blooms over six feet long started from three tiny plants last spring!

It is hard to think of winter coming all too soon when the garden is still a hive of activity.  Bees and more butterflies than I've seen all season are busy visiting the garden, finding enough warmth in the afternoon sun.  But I know they are aware of the changing seasons and probably fueling up for the winter ahead or migration to warmer climes.  The hummingbirds have been absent for the past week, and I can only imagine that they have already found their winter homes in Central America.

Other residents in the garden are preparing for winter in their own way.  Note the bulging abdomen of this little lady; no doubt there will soon be egg sacs of little mantids hidden below the sedum and waiting for spring.  I think she's trying to tell me something, don't you?  She's probably thinking it's time I wake up and realize that fall is fleeting.  I may be in denial, but a hard freeze predicted for tonight may change my mind.  That should provide the reality shock that's it's time I get busy!

October GBBD: It's Not Over Yet!

What a glorious fall we have had!  Day after day of bright sunshine and temperatures in the 70's or 80's with comfortably cool nights. The trees are showing off their fall colors, and the fields are full of the hum of combines.  Though the garden knows it is time to wind down for the year, it is still looking remarkably good for this October Bloom Day.

 Though there is nothing actually new blooming in the garden now, some plants have been rejuvenated by this fall weather.  The Knockout roses are looking much better than they did during the summer.

The yellow Knockouts 'Radsunny,' I've noticed, turn a paler cream color as they open.

'Black and Blue' Salvia's electric blue color is one of my favorites.  The only drawback to this plant is that it is an annual in my zone 5 garden.

While the purple coneflowers Echinacea purpurea have long since turned to brown seedheads, this Echinacea 'Big Sky Sundown' has surprised me by putting out a few new blooms for the past few months.

True to its name, the 'Bloomerang' lilac has rebloomed this fall.  Not the best photo, but it does have a few more blooms than this.  The fragrance of 'Bloomerang' is much fainter than the traditional lilacs, but it does have that wonderful smell.  Sophie, however, is interested in other smells:)

Fall is the time for grasses to shine, and I finally have a few to admire. Miscanthus 'Morning Light' is a newcomer in the arbor bed, but it's beginning to show its potential.

The switchgrass 'Shenandoah' has lovely red foliage that defies my camera settings.

I showed a glimpse of the newest bloom in the garden last month, but 'October Skies'  is now a mass of blooms.  I would definitely recommend this aster for anyone looking to add a fall bloomer to their garden.

Although the perennials are sticking to their usual fall schedule, it is the annuals that don't realize it is almost the end of the season.  Usually by this time of year we've had at least one night of frost, but not this year, and as a result the annuals are still going strong.  Masses of zinnias in every shade provide lots of color in the arbor bed.

Even the few zinnias in the roadside garden provide a pop of color, especially against the backdrop of the burning bushes which are a brilliant red this year.

'Snow Sonata' cosmos will definitely be planted again next season.

Even the vegetable garden still has some color as marigolds and zinnias mix with the purple leaves of kale.

Although I've been savoring every moment of this beautiful fall, there is just one problem with this extended blooming time.  You would think I would have been taking advantage of the perfect weather to get all my fall garden projects done.  But I haven't cleaned out all my containers because some of them are still looking good.  And I had hoped to have all my bulbs planted before the end of October, but most of them are going in where the annuals are growing.  I worked around this border of lantana to plant a few bulbs.

But I can't bring myself to pull out this angelonia just yet.

Nor do I want to rip out the Profusion zinnias or the 'Victoria' salvia.  I'm not really procrastinating--I'm just enjoying the moment for as long as I can.  Once again, it looks like I'll be planting bulbs in my winter coat and stocking cap, trying to keep my fingers from going numb. 

While I'm happy with all the color in my October garden, I'm one of those who can never have too much color.  Warning--for those of you who are garden purists and have a disdain for the common variety of mum, you might want to skip the next photo.

 

Yes, I know these will all wind up on the compost heap in a few weeks, but I just can't help myself, especially when the garden centers are cutting prices to sell off their inventory.  When I see "buy two, get one free" all I see is the word "free":)  I did give one to my daughter-in-law, to avoid feeling too extravagant.  To me, fall just isn't fall without pumpkins and a few mums to celebrate the season.

Thanks once again to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for hosting another monthly meeting of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.