Autumn arrived at RDR this morning with a kiss from icy lips. A cold front with rain barreled through the center of the state making the roses shudder and wave their petals about in the swirling winds. This morning is chilly, and the Queens of May like it not. Poor, distressed damsels, they suffered in the hot summers of 2011 and 2012, and they want you to know the level of their discontent.
Like all mid-life beauties, they want more time.
The tropical plants curled in upon themselves, their foliage black as though burned. Frost spells a chilly death for them. They will soon be dust.
Oaks, maples, crapemyrtles and other hardwoods sing their beautiful swan song of fare-thee-well. Colored leaves rain upon green grass and make a lovely site as they fall. What to do with all this bounty they shed? Use a leaf mulcher or mower to chop up tough, fibrous leaves like those from our native oaks, returning them to garden beds and borders. Over winter, shredded leaves condition the soil and feed earthworms who pull them down into their homes underground. Fine soil shows up in spring. So do bulbs and other flowers if you plant them now. Don’t forget hellebores. If you have a friend who grows them, you can probably get babies from them. Hellebores are promiscuous creatures and procreate all the time in the right conditions.
My blueberry experiments in containers were successful. I kept them on the deck near the house where they got afternoon shade. I have two different shrubs going well and growing bigger. Did you know blueberries have beautiful fall color? Oh, yes, they do.
Asters and those plants formerly known as asters, along with garden mums bloom on. Do yourself a favor in these waning days. Buy a good garden mum like ‘Will’s Wonderful’ or an aster like ‘October Skies.’ They help the seasons change with less angst.
Days shorten and the seasons circle again around the sun as the earth turns. The garden prepares for its winter rest, and I have my greenhouse and bulbs to force so I am not so sad. In late fall and throughout winter, I am thinking of spring, pondering all the combinations I can grow to make rebirth even more beautiful. Autumn’s frosty kiss soon turns to winter’s icy grip. What will you plant before it’s too late?
I’ve not come across crape myrtles in real life – just by name – but from the one in the picture – they must be synonimous with a pillar of flame.
Good morning, Dee! You have certainly captured the splendid beauty of autumn in your garden! I especially like the blueberry pic with the unexpected colors. Yes, fall is poignant, but also quite wonderful! Thanks for sharing yours in Oklahoma! xoxo
There will be no more planting here till next spring. I tucked in a few new tulips and sprinkled a few winter hardy seeds. That’s about it for me. Despite my love of flowers, flowers everywhere, I’m trying to simplify to make my bad back happy. I’m trying to be “done” with my design, but I’m sure I’ll find that laughable over time. What gardener is ever “done”?
As colorful as fall can be, I dread this time of year. The lack of light and the impending cold make me want to move.
Autumn seems to be moving really fast in Middle Tennessee, we’ve had several frosts and a big freeze is on its way this week, with a chance of snow! I appreciate all the late blooming Symphyotrichums and the chrysanthemums. After the next few days all energy will be on leaf removal and planting bulbs. I am glad to hear your blueberry experiment was successful~I think I shall move mine to containers~I might be able to keep the chipmunks away from them and actually get a harvest.
No planting here as the weather is too cold and wet. But hopefully getting some garden chores done. Lovely fall garden Dee.
I always forget how lovely the crape myrtles are in the fall. Walked around and admired mine yesterday.
Absolutely beautiful, Dee! I always look forward to the fall color of Crape Myrtles…it’s so stunning! I think Blueberries are one of the most under-appreciated shrubs for fall color…they are just awesome…plus, you get fruit…how can you beat that!
Beautiful images!
Have a wonderful week-end!
Lea
You have a wonderfullly positive attitude about winter, Dee. Even with Mums and Asters, I still have angst about winter. Once I get there, and the first beautiful snowflakes fall, I’m OK. But I have to admit transitions (and long winters) are hard for me. Still, having four distinct seasons is a blessing. 🙂 That first photo is lovely–frost on plants is so magical.
I’ve put Will’s Wonderful and October Skies on “the list.” Anything that mitigates autumn angst is a good thing. We’ve already had one 15F night and I am surprised anything still looks good here.
My crepe myrtle has already lose every leaf. Frost sounds so cold…. Brrrrrr
Hi Lisa, a bunch of mine have too. This is the only one with leaves pretty much intact. We’re at the end of fall I’m afraid.
I hate it all ! You are very positive about it all and very brave !! I do look forward to Spring, throughout Winter, but it seems such a long way off. I do feel that each seasons has its own pleasures, and I love an icy walk followed by hot chocolate and a roaring fire, but nothing, nothing, makes your soul sing like summer !
I don’t know Jane. Summer in Oklahoma isn’t nearly as nice as fall. It is so dang hot here. Where you live though, summer is lovely. I want to visit next summer. 🙂
At least you got rain with your frost. We did get one 2 inch rainfall in the last month but our weather remains very dry. Almost all bloom is gone here, but I do have a few pink mum blossoms similar to Will’s Wonderful.
I’m sorry you’re not getting rain. We’ve been very steady, but dry the last month. I also have other mums I like, but I was fond of that photo of Will. Happy fall, Pat.
What a poetic and beautiful post, dear Dee. Your words are like watercolors and those swirling rose petals themselves, painting a sweet scene of fall. Mums and asters, noticing the changing colors of nearly everything deciduous make the seasonal changes happier as we think onward to spring. There will be bulbs in containers here, and leaves chopped and spread on beds to improve the soil. We will think about moving and dividing hardy perennials to ever improve the garden. It never stops, does it?
No, thank goodness it never stops unless we do. Hugs Frances. You know how much we both love fall.
The first frost is always a bit sad, but makes for some great photo ops–beautiful images! Just as beautiful is your prose, Dee–a lovely tribute to the changing of the seasons. I just wish my hellebores would become a little more promiscuous:)
I have a question for you related to the bulb planting in a pot on your last post. I wondered whether I could leave my pot of tulips (they’re planted fairly deep) outside in an unprotected place; the source I used for ideas never mentioned this, but it wasn’t very thorough. I’m on the northern edge of zone 6; do you think I need to move them somewhere? I could move them into the garage, but it’s semi-heated and already over-crowded with overwintering pots. I was thinking of putting the pot, if necessary, on the back porch, which is open but pretty sheltered from winter winds and snow. What do you think? I’ll check back here later whenever you have time to reply–thanks!
Hi Rose, well, I’m taking a bit of a chance in 7A to leave them outside. The rule is that containers are two zones colder than the normal USDA zone you live in. So, here’s a suggestion, if you want to leave them outside in a protected area, why not wrap them with bubble wrap, or you can place hay bales around them. Of course, they must also be protected from squirrels. I’m leaving all of mine clustered in that very protected spot of the garden. I’ve also considered putting hay bales on either side. A partially heated garage is probably not a good idea because they need that chilling time. Does that help?
Thanks for the help, Dee! I think I’ll put them on the porch and add some extra covering around the pot to be careful. I didn’t plant very many, so if they don’t make it, it’s not going to be a great loss. I don’t have to worry about squirrels–they don’t dare get that close to the house and the “vicious” Sophie. A bigger worrier is what my cats might think of all that nice dirt:)
Poor queens of May! Poor tropicals soon to be dust. Poor us loosing our summer friends. I still have a few unplanted tulip and allium bulbs which may go into pots as their brethren seem to have taken up every available space in the garden already. Of course, I could just find some space, right?
Of course you can Peter. I know you can do it!