There are plenty of
leaves at my house....
Aster foreverous 'Nothing Stops Me'Even a few flowers
are still blooming.
Phlox paniculata 'Laura' The flowers and trees are holding on to
warmer days and blue skies....
refusing to accept that winter is near.
warmer days and blue skies....
refusing to accept that winter is near.
With so much color, it's hard to believe that...
Tonight, the much anticipated
end of Fall is going to arrive,
again!
end of Fall is going to arrive,
again!
Hophornbeam/Ostrya virginianaWhen below freezing temps
swoop in from Canada.
It will put an end to Fall
once and for all.
This time for sure!
Believe me.
It's true.
Fairy Queen RoseThe last of the flowers
that were hanging around today
will be gone!
No warm sheets can protect them.
There will be no last minute reprieve.
The last fat bumble has left the garden!
Even the magic of Clay and Limestone
that were hanging around today
will be gone!
No warm sheets can protect them.
There will be no last minute reprieve.
The last fat bumble has left the garden!
Even the magic of Clay and Limestone
can't overcome 25F weather...
Can you see the hidden Titmouse?
A shadow of his real self.
Can you see the hidden Titmouse?A shadow of his real self.
But there will still be
some color.
some color.
Aronia arbutofolia/Chokeberryand plenty of leaves
to keep us company
after the cold is gone.
It's just that they will all
be on the ground!
What are you doing over the next few weekends?
I'm tidying up after Fall!
Gail
I am so glad you stopped by to visit!
I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. ~e.e. cummings
to keep us company
after the cold is gone.
It's just that they will all be on the ground!
What are you doing over the next few weekends?
I'm tidying up after Fall!
Gail
I am so glad you stopped by to visit!
I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. ~e.e. cummings
It is already that cold and only midnight! Yikes! Your chokecherries look really good.
ReplyDeleteHi Gail,
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid we're beyond you with the cold, though I certainly do sympathize! We got down to 18F last night and right now we're at a balmy 32F. It's here, alas, the time stopping winter for the garden. I hope you do get a few reprieves to get the rest of your bulbs in!
We're hoping for a nice Thanksgiving weekend (often mild here) to get more clean up done around here, now that the bulbs are all in the ground!
No matter what season...you can still find beauty.
ReplyDeleteVery nice.
Gail, you do have a lot of color left (or did). Those flowers were very brave and hung on til the last of fall. From now until after New Year's, weekend will be spent getting ready for the holidays. Lots of time sent with family-they help wiy=th the decorating. And the granddaughters and I do baking and candy making. Won't be thinking too much about gardening for a few weeks at least. Thanks for sharing all your glorious color and thoughts with us.
ReplyDeleteGail, what an interesting picture of the Titmouse on the tree. Did you mean to capture the Titmouse or did you see it after the picture was taken? Really cool...
ReplyDeleteDon't even know what my flowers will look like today. It's 28 here now!
ReplyDeleteHi Gail, same for us, the weatherman called it *killing frost*, those are sobering words. I love your aster forevericus and had no idea Nora would keep on like that. I need her here, or is it your tree canopy that allows for such things? Such lovely thoughts, it love the infinite YES.
ReplyDeleteFrances
Gail ~ now that it is morning I hope that you still have some color to look up at and not down. Although the inevitable must happen eventually. Don't you wish you could preserve the Fairy Queen Rose all winter. She is so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Gail! The long fall and late frosts and freezes have made the goodbye (withdrawal ;) from summer very gradual this year.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have lots of sunshine to keep you warm while you're tidying up!
On behalf of all Canadians, I'd like to apologize for the cold weather coming your way. Thanks for sharing the last bits of colour - they are just delightful.
ReplyDeleteTina,
ReplyDeleteHope you are feeling better...It is cold cold cold out there...the cat won't go on the screened porch!
Gail
IVG,
ReplyDeleteGood morning. We will have mild weather on and off all winter...which is why some folks are able to garden year round here.
Our Thanksgiving decision is which ethnic food are we eating! No cooking this year!
Gail
Patsi,
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be beauty everywhere we just have to look closely!
Have a sweet day.
Gail
Beckie,
ReplyDeleteYou have conjured up lovely images of the holidays! Exactly what one thinks of ....cookie baking, decorating and little kids helping or underfoot! What a lovely picture. With our son in another state it is easy to not get into the full spirit of the holidays...but this year he and dog will be here for two weeks so we will embrace the holiday in all its glory!
I think that fall has fallen!
Gail
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteLonger story ... I was out photographing the trees for this post. I wanted to get a few birds photos but they kept flying away...this guy landed on a branch and in the setting sun there was his shadow. I shot the shadow. So glad you can see it, too!
Gail
Darla,
ReplyDeleteThe cold is harsh...Not sure I want to venture out there! Let us know!
Gail
Frances,
ReplyDeleteYes a killing frost! What a brutal phrase but accurate.
I put that up there for you and Mr McGregor's Daughter...knew you would laugh at it! The mind is silly when it's tired.
You can certainly have some of the Laura phlox...she is one of the three plants I bought while visiting Fairegarden....I suspect that she is going to bloom like all the rest...this is part of her new bloom in ground I must bloom my head off syndrome!
Talk with you later....Have fun today~~what's on your schedule?
gail
Cindy,
ReplyDeleteShe is my favorite of the Fairy Roses...the color is nice and she blooms all summer and into fall. I do wish I could bring her inside...hmm we need a conservatory!
Have a lovely day...what is on your schedule?
gail
gardengirl,
ReplyDeleteGood morning...I hope that you are already on your way to having a wonderful day!
I do think I am ready for the next garden phase...rest and cleanup! What is the line from Shakespeare...Parting is such sweet sorrow! Now here's the big question...what am I going to blog about now that fall has fallen!
Gail
Barbarapc,
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of the folks residing at Chez Cedar and the gardener of clay and limestone...we accept your apologies! We love your beautiful country...delight in your people, its natural beauty and social programs! Have a fantastic day!
Gail
Join the rest of us, Gail! Well, probably not everyone, but those of us north of you have already had these temperatures, and it looks like they're going to stay. It's good to see all the colorful foliage still on your trees; mine are already on the ground waiting for the gardener who has no motivation to rake them up!
ReplyDeleteI love that picture of the titmouse!
Rose,
ReplyDeleteCould I be in nicer company...I think not! Although, the folks way south of us are also delightful!
It is 24 degrees out there! Brrr...no wonder Coal the wonder cat couldn't be coaxed onto the porch! I am not motivated to clean up at all...Something has to be done; in this woodland setting it will be 2 feet deep in leaves if we don't mulch a little!
Have a good day...keep warm and so will I!
Gail
Brrrrrr Gail! We're expecting similar for the weekend - directly from the Arctic. Keep warm!
ReplyDeleteLike you I'm tidying up after the fall - lots of leaves to mulch...
Wow it's cold out now! Our Thermometer said 17.5. Of course since it was so cold I went out to defrost the car for my wife and do a couple chores. Nice pictures! I had to look really hard to find the titmouse's shadow. We should warm up for a couple days a little. Southeastern winds are on their way...we get a short reprieve!
ReplyDeleteGail, it was 20 degrees here this morning! My coleus just lost the countdown...they were up on the front porch (passive solar) and this cold did them in.
ReplyDeleteCameron
Cameron,
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to see your coleus containers go! I wonder if it was that cold here? That is cold. ...I covered up the containerized Rosemary...just until it gets a bit more used to the cold air! I am sort of ready for this change of season! Sort of! How about you?
Gail
Dave,
ReplyDeleteYou are a darling of a husband...but don't you have a garage?!! Not fair...I know garage is on her Honey Do list!
I hope it wasn't that cold here...I left the rosemary containers out...usually when it dips below 25 they come inside...
Have a great day and keep warm!
gail
Vp,
ReplyDeleteKeep warm! Those arctic blasts are incredibly cold...Gail
Hi, my part of Canada is still quite lovely, we are in double digit C temps.
ReplyDeleteHope that some of the flowers make it through.
Jen
I see a little titmouse shadow.
ReplyDeleteMuddy Boots,
ReplyDeleteNo arctic blast for your garden...The lovely west coast? It ..a very attractive place for Americans to relocate!
I bet it is still lovely in your garden!
gail
Donna,
ReplyDeleteI am glad you can see him...I thought him very viewable.
Gail
We haven't dipped down that far yet, yikes! That makes me chilled just thinking of it. We were about 39 last night, but winter is coming.
ReplyDeleteSuch a melancholy post.....I love it......I had a large bumble visit a few days ago.......she came briefly but was most welcome......my heart belongs to them.........
ReplyDelete25 degrees .....bbrrrrr just toooooo cold.......
I am going to plant lots more trees during the winter months.....also will be extending beds.......and adding to the woodland area......I am feeling very motivated......looking forward to a busy winter........
Racquel,
ReplyDeleteWe have someone clean our gutters...there was an unfortunate incident with my husband and a sliding ladder...The gutter guy tells me that plants have to experience 10 hours of freezing before they are mushed...Now that is a new 'factoid' to me! Hope you saty warm a little longer!
Gail
Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great plan! There is so much more I want to do...like add a few more large evergreens at one end of the garden. They are needed... plus I want to deal with the Garden of Benign Neglect! Soon!
Maybe we can motivate each other if we lose steam!
I miss the bumbles!
gail
Are you sure it's the end of fall? LOL. Middle TN weather can sure be unpredictable. The autumn colors are your house are so pretty! I hope a few of your flowers survive the frost.
ReplyDeleteDP,
ReplyDeleteI am almost embarrassed to say that Laura the phlox and Susan the Small (Rudbechia triloba) are still blooming!
It is strang weather...We can be freezing this weeke and next be in the sixties!
I hope you're keeping warm!
Gail
It got down to 23 here last night but oddly, I didn't notice any effects from it. I haven't looked closely at everything yet though.
ReplyDeletePlease, Gail, do put an end to it! Well, I guess the colours are brilliant, I guess I dread what's to come – the dark, the all grey, the cold. Your pictures brighten the November day!
ReplyDeleteGail it took me forever to find that Titmouse and you really need to find a more picturesque place to live. It must be dreadful living in all that atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteHave you noticed that the oak leaves are hanging on more than usual. There is a theory around here as to why.
Since we had such drought conditions--the trees do two things. They produce more nuts to assure reproduction and the leaves hold on hoping to store every ounce of nourishment in the roots. Sounds good to me. How about you?
Anna,
ReplyDeleteI can live with that explanation! ...glad you found the titmouse shadow! I will probably never get a shot like that again!
Gail
Phillip,
ReplyDeleteI still have the phlox and the little Susan in bloom...but more cold weather is coming... What's still blooming? This fall just wants to hang on and on and on! Aren't we lucky!
gail
Camillia,
ReplyDeleteI would if I could! I am not looking forward to our gray winters at all...that's our rainy season! I guess no one really is!
Gail
I hope you stay warm tonight, Gail. Your trees look like graceful dancers with golden tutus.
ReplyDeleteHi Gail,
ReplyDeleteOur temps are dropping, too. I didn't get out and pick my kale yesterday when it was in the 50s. Today, the high will be in the 30s, with a low in the teens tonight. I'm planning to get out there after work today.
I like your pics and commentary.
Your Aster foreverus gave me a giggle. Your Ostrya is wonderful. I'm guessing that you planted it. Here, the show is all over except for the Pansies & the Mum. Phlox 'Nicky' froze it's bud off.
ReplyDeletePam,
ReplyDeleteYou have a good eye...I thought the same thing with one shot of the Ostrya! Have fun in your garden! I probably don't have to tell you to keep warm! Are your warm temps back?
gail
Sue,
ReplyDeleteHi...how much longer will the kale last? The ornamental stuff lasts until spring here, but we aren't in Nebraska! I have lived and gardened away from the midwest for so long I do have trouble remembering what a zone 5b (Columbia, MO) garden was all about!
Glad you like both the photos and commentary...and very glad that you stopped and left a comment!
Gail
MMD,
ReplyDeleteA foreverous was for you and Frances...I knew that both of you would catch it! The new phlox Laura was fine yesterday, but who knows she may be gone this morning! Did you read (in a comment from me) that the gutter guy says that we need sustained freezing temps for longer then a few hours? I don't know. It was certainly frosty yesterday and the salvia are kaput!
I do hope the Salvia leucantha survives our dreary winters!
Ornamental Kale and violas are it I think from here on out! Keep warm!
Gail
We dipped below 30 last night, but around our porch (southestern exposure and heat from the house and hot tub) we still have coneflower, lantana, salvia, and even a ginger lily bloom! Microclimates--go figure. I loved the titmouse shadow--another wonderful photo.
ReplyDeleteCosmo,
ReplyDeleteAmazing isn't it what a micro-climate can do for a garden! I am so glad you can see the titmouse shadow! Keep warm...I hear some very cold weathr is moving into our area...again in the mid to low twenties...and you?
Gail
Great photos, as always! I feel as though we passed your stage a couple of weeks ago... and now you're suffering our withdrawal! Our trees are bare (except for the few oaks that keep their leaves). Beds are covered in leaves. It's cold out there!! But, I loved the titmouse's shadow on the tree and the color contrast in the chokeberry is wonderful! :-) You've given a beautiful vision through my computer window (much nicer than what's outdoors this morning). Thanks!! :-) Have a great day and enjoy your raking!
ReplyDeleteWe had a nice 45-degree, sunny day on Wed, but the artic blast is expected here tonight. I have most of my garden work done. What isn't will get attention during any warm spells that might occur here and there this winter.
ReplyDeleteMarnie
Finding the titmouse was like one of those story books my daughter loved "Where's Waldo?!!!" Gorgeous phlox buds. They want to defy winter too, it appears, and I'm with them. It's always sad when a cold front is looming, you know it's coming and can't do anything to stop it. Makes those last few hours even more precious before everything is gone. Hope you faired better than expected?? You'll have to bring the bumbles back (thru pictures) this winter just to keep us going. :-)
ReplyDelete26 degree record breaking temp yesterday and 34 this morning! Burrr that is too cold for this time of year in GA...
ReplyDeleteEverything all gone bye bye now... So much death in the garden you would think it is Halloween but this Grim Reaper was Jack Frost...
It's all so beautiful, Gail. I hope this icy blast of winter is kind to your garden. They allege that it will get cooler here tonight ... we shall see!
ReplyDeleteGail,
ReplyDeleteThe colours of the trees look so wonderful against the vibrant sky.
Hope you are tucked up in the warm!
K
I too saw the shadow. Yes, old man winter is sliding in rather fast. It was 29º yesterday & this morning about 7/8 A.M. It nipped my maters & peppers--some tender plants I can't cover up. I did gather my veggies so he wouldn't get them. It's ify here.
ReplyDeleteStay warm. Porch time gone for awhile. Sadly.
Gail, That cold even pushed its way down here last night... got to 40 degrees and only 62 in the day. Unseasonably cold for us... we don't usually get that cold until December or even January. But I realize that isn't freezing like you guys... hope your garden isn't completely gone.
ReplyDeleteYour trees are just marvelous, Gail. All that gorgeous color must be worth all those leaves on the ground. And just think of all that compost.
Meems
Hi Gail,
ReplyDeleteYour Asters definitely look as if they wouldn't give up and their heavenly blue blossoms certainly look appeasing and Fairy Queen Rose too.
I guess it is transitioning once again to a more subtle landscape. Lovely quote.
ReplyDeleteLayanee,
ReplyDeleteIt is getting bleak here! More brown then green and tonight it will be in the low twenties...that will take out all the remaining flowers! I love ee cumminings, glad you do too.
Gail
chandramouli,
ReplyDeleteThey might be one today but aren't they the best flower...well, Fairy Queen is a very nice rose, too! Glad you liked them both! Thanks for stopping by!
Gail
Meems,
ReplyDeleteThat is cold, I have a few memories of unusual freezes and very cold weather in Tampa..I have one memory of waking up and everyone had forgotten to turn off their sprinklers..it was a winter wonder land of ice covered plants!
The leaves are coming down! They seem to grow exponentially! Doubling and tripling as I rake!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Gail
lola,
ReplyDeleteThat is cold I am so sorry you lost you vegies and a few plants! I still cover some of mine! Right now he lantana is in my subaru with a few plants I need to put in the ground...but I don't know if the weather will stay above freezing fat night from now on! Nope no more porch weather! Love that you can see the titmouse!
Gail
Cindy,
ReplyDeleteI am going to check your weather to see what happens there...does it often freeze? I am glad you enjoyed the fall color! It is now raining leaves all over the yard and gardens!
Gail
Hi Karen,
ReplyDeleteWe are cozy and warm! I hope you are, too! The day temps are very pleasant...nice to work in the garden, after the sun warms it up a bit! I do hope you are getting some good outdoor time!
gail
skeeter,
ReplyDeleteHi! That is cold! Everything is very gone with those temps! The temps tonight and tomorrow will be in the low 20's ...it is too early to have these low tmps each night! BRRR.
Keep warm!
gail
Kathleen,
ReplyDeleteI am glad you found the Waldo's Titmouse friend! They are ever present in the winter garden at the feeders! They provide hours of entertainment to the cat and occasionally me!
It will get very cold then quite warm again...the travails of zone 7! I am not complaining mind you, well, maybe a little! Have a good weekend!
Gail
Marnie,
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great plan! I will do the same! Winter is a good time for reflection and planning for me...the warm days make the parks really attractive to visit! Have a great weekend!
Gail
Shady,
ReplyDeleteI have been raking...all the leaves into this one bed I refer to as the Blimp. I have been waiting for the Inland Oats, Hypericum and Rhus aromatica to fill it in...It always takes longer then we want for a bed to fill in when the plants are so small! The beds look huge!
Have a good weekend and keep warm!
Gail
Nary a bloom left around here, well except for the asters. I think we had hard frosts earlier than normal here.
ReplyDeleteRurality,
ReplyDeleteYou gotta love the asters they are there till the bitter cold end providing for what ever flying creature needs a bit of nectar!
We are having very hard frosts here...over and over...at least now that they decided to visit.
So now Rurality, what is on your agenda for the garden? Will you continue to work or put it to sleep?
Gail
I had similar scenes in my garden last week but alas the storm has come and left its white blanket on Thurs..
ReplyDeleteBrrrr...hold on to those woolys because winter can't be stopped!Brrrr
Naturegirl,
ReplyDeleteBrr...It's 20F here! That is plenty winter like! All the pretty plants are gone!
A blanket of snow can make a garden look beautiful...but it just doesn't fall on the garden beds! I hope you have a few photos for us!
Keep warm.
Gail
Hi Gail.....tks for popping by....so pleased that you were inspired and bought some woodland plants.....epimediums.....I have some, what a fab choice....they are exquisite, you will love them.....
ReplyDeleteI was out buying again yesterday....oh dear....I have bought more plants for the garden......
Have a fun weekend.......
Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteYou did inspire me...thank you! What else did you find that your garden had to have? It has been so cold here that my new plants are hiding in my car! I need to get them out and watered before they die from drying up not the cold! Have a good week!
gail
Hey Gail...I finally found a place to park here after circling the block a few times...It was worth the wait as your fall foilage and flowers are grand. I can see why so many folks stopped by. Did you run out of snacks. I just love to look up at the canopy of Autumn color and you have the best spot for it.
ReplyDelete