Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Autumn Unleashed


It would be worthwhile having a cultivated garden if only to see what Autumn does to it - A Austin 1894




The leaves fall off the trees with a breeze
You can jump in the leaves

When they come together
They feel light as a feather
by Hannah 2002







The place is a mess, winds and rains have taken down bushels of twigs and leaves, and I am hopelessly behind on my garden chores. Most Novembers I am lining up bags of leaves in triple digit numbers, this year not a bag have I filled. Perennials are still limping along in some places, annuals are mostly gone, and Im letting it all happen .
Amazingly, here and there, little spots of beauty still emerge




The evenings are cooler, the skies are brighter and the rains are wetter . . . and after a long absence spent on indoor projects, I finally took the time to walk in my garden today, just to see what had been happening.  I was surprised and enchanted with the brilliance waiting to be discovered, and thankful that I took those few minutes. I could have missed all this!    




For at least a month now my garden has been the object of utter neglect - all the fussing and puttering that goes on in the enthusiasm of spring and  summer is long forgotten, and Autumn's beauty has happened entirely without me.  Well let that be a lesson to me and everyone, all of us who thought we were such necessary elements  in our gardens.  Guess what, life, the garden, it all goes on without us , quite nicely as a matter of fact, and the results can be spectacular.



I picked up these miniature roses at the supermarket in May to make a corsage for my grandson's Prom date, then planted them in a stone trough.  They seem to be quite happy and continue to bloom and thrive in the cool wet days, looking quite happy with an added tapestry of fallen oak leaves.



Kale has to be the brightest bonus of all - each one started from a tiny seedling pack in the spring and growing into a giant and regal rosette in the fall.




I cant decide, should I leave these fabulous heads of cabbage in the garden until a hard frost nips them, or cut them and bring them inside!  I can just see them in the center of my harvest table!




While I have been searching for the perfect rug for the dining room,  just look at the carpets mother  nature
has woven on my lawn



With Paper & Paint
Sometimes it seems to me
That my garden tries
To give me all it can
Just before it dies