New carpet...

A new carpet? No, not for me. For the ground outside. Most of the lovely Fall leaves are now carpeting the fields and forests after the rain yesterday and the wind last night.



The colors are so beautiful but they don't last long once the leaves have fallen. Soon they will begin their new job of feeding the soil. And so the cycle continues.




I like to look at the path going into the woods at any time of year, but I think Fall is my favorite. It makes me think that somehow there are possibilities; that there is a road not taken.


Have a beautiful day!

Beautiful leaves...

I think the Fall colors around my home this year are the most beautiful I have seen since I moved here. They are absolutely gorgeous and have lasted longer than they normally do.




They are starting to fade a little now, but it is still so amazing to see them glowing in the sun. Sometimes the leaves even sparkle in the most glorious way. I wish I could capture their beauty, but the camera really doesn't do them justice. Although, Julie did do a nice job taking pictures for me today.




This morning, Julie and I were walking someplace together and we stopped and gazed up into one of these lovely trees. It was so wonderful to see the brilliant Fall leaves against the incredible blue sky.



Have a beautiful day!

More fall colors...

I got to go into the garden today... if only to put plants into the greenhouse. Oh, and take pictures of the gorgeous fall leaves. The sun shining through the Laurel Oak (Quercus laurifolia) was making the leaves sparkle. The photo really doesn't do it justice.




There is a frost advisory for early tomorrow morning, so I moved my tender plants that I wanted to save into the greenhouse. (Did I ever mention that I love my greenhouse?) It looked downright tropical in there!



And in contrast, outside look very much Autumn. The air was cooler today, so it felt more like Fall. There are more leaves on the ground and the colors in the trees are more intense. The leaves of the Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica) are stunning.




The Goldenrain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata) evidently gets golden leaves in the Fall. Although, it's leaves are not why it is called Goldenrain Tree.





This Goldenrain Tree is young yet, but maybe next year I will start to see some blossoms on it. Kirstin's chickens ventured over to see what I was doing. You can see them behind the little tree.




I didn't realize that the leaves of my variegated Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum) would change colors. This is the first year that I have had it.




The trees along my long driveway are very pretty right now. Would you like to come take a walk with me?




The flowers on the Black-eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata) are the perfect color for Fall. I wonder if it will get too cold for them tonight. If so, there is always the Spring to start anew.


Have a beautiful day!

Autumn Leaves...

{a poem by Eve Merriam with photos by Julie}

Down

down
down

Red
yellow
brown

Autumn leaves tumble down,
Autumn leaves crumble down,
Autumn leaves bumble down,
Flaking and shaking,
Tumbledown leaves.

Skittery
Flittery
Rustle by
Hustle by
Crackle and crunch
In a snappety bunch.

Run and catch
Run and catch
Butterfly leaves
Sailboat leaves
Windstorm leaves.
Can you catch them?

Swoop,
Scoop,
Pile them up
In a stompy pile and

Jump

Jump

JUMP!

Have a beautiful day!

Cold plants...

The fields and flowers have frost on them this morning. I think the frost makes things look amazing - the way it edges and highlights the leaves, the designs it makes in water, how it changes the colors of the greens.

My Purple Rain pansies are a little different this morning.



Frosted weeds. (You have no weeds in your garden, right?)


Icy clump of bluegrass.


Chilly Nemesia on the wall.


Dianthus with fall leaves. So cool! (Pardon the pun.)


Have a beautiful day!

Rose in the rain...

It is raining this morning. I looked out the window of the front door and saw rain drops on the “pond.” To the left of the front porch steps, Pink Gruss an Achen was blooming.

Originally, I had planted this rose in a large pot on one side of the front porch steps, with a matching pot and rose on the other side of the steps. It didn’t hold interest well enough all year to be a focal point, so I moved the roses into the beds on either side of the steps. I have been much happier with them there. I chose Pink Gruss an Achen because it would do well in partial shade and it is fragrant, which I think is important in a rose! I liked the pink color a little better than the original peachy color of Gruss an Achen.

When my younger daughter came in from feeding her dog and the cats, she commented that the rain wasn’t falling on leaves on the trees, but was falling on leaves on the ground and so it made a different sound. Her middle name is Rose. She is the one who renamed this particular rose “Miriam,” after Robin Hood’s lady friend. The matching rose on the other side is renamed “Alec,” because it seemed to fit.

Have a beautiful day!