THE FIRST COLD NIGHTS AND FIRST FLAME-COLORED LEAVES stir a mixed well of emotions: “Thank goodness,” I think, and then, “Why can’t it last?” Frankly, I am as burned out as my garden at this point, and will be happy to be free of from twice-weekly mowing and lusty weeds. I say that, however, as someone whose best gardening season is yet to come. Some hints of it are showing already:
Various of the many viburnums here are already devoured, but V. sieboldii is partway ready for avian visitors (above), and the many smaller yellow fruits of V. dilatatum ‘Michael Dodge’ are really coloring up nicely, too (below).
Many plants have had a good fruit set because of extra-heavy rainfall, including the golden-leaved Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas ‘Aurea,’ below). The birds have taken most of them already.
My favorite large-fruited crabapple, ‘Ralph Shay’ (bottom photo) is getting ripe, and its many smaller-fruited cousins are soon to come into their own as well.
Still ahead: Dozens and dozens of shrubby winterberry hollies (Ilex verticillata), which are mostly still all green but covered in berries. They’ll rate a whole post of their own once they’re ready, once they’ve gone golden or tangerine or fire-engine red and dropped their leaves. Stay tuned on that score.
So which is it now as you look out your window: What lies ahead? Is it uh-oh, or yippee over there?
I’m a yippee. I love summer, but I really look forward to fall in the garden. In my zone (11) it is time to get busy refurbishing the garden. October is considered the best time of year for planting so it’s time to start planning next year’s garden.
Zone WHAT? Zone WHERE? Sheila, no wonder you’re a “Yippee!” in that summertime heat. And you’re right: planning time is imminent, because great planting time (even here in Zone 5) is also about to arrive. Thanks for the reminder.
It’s yippee for me too. Hate summer. Hate it hate it hate it.
Also, I don’t like it very much.
Welcome, Mr. Subjunctive. I think I catch your drift: Summer’s not your thing, perhaps? Hope to see you here soon again.
Zone 11? I thought it was bad here in zone 8! What I’m really tired of is watering all the pots. I don’t have that many but a number have to be watered once a day. And I am now enjoying thinking about what I want to move where and what I want to buy…… As for weeds, we have them all year here, so that job never goes away, sob! I did once enjoy the Wisconsin winters where you were forced not to garden……
I’ve got to agree with mr_subjunctive on this one…
Yipppppeeeeee!!!! Yahoooooo!!!! The probability of hot, humid, stifling days is decreasing. The probability of comfortably cool sleeping temperatures is increasing. Hurray!!!!!
/krys
I can hardly believe the gardening season is starting to wind down! I saw a hugh display of Mums at Whole Foods today and I was sort of taken aback like “wow is it time, already?”
Even though I did a ton of stuff on my to-do list for the year, I still feel like there is so much left and not enough time before frost.
Fall is by far my favorite time of year. Dallas summers are way too hot to enjoy; I find myself in bunker mode, simply operating the garden on a “keep it alive” basis. Fall gives you three months of cooler weather, plantings, and growing many of the things people up north grow in the summer, like violas and lobelia and snapdragons and more.
It’s not yippee for me, or even uh-oh. It’s more like “WAAAAAHHHHH!!!” Summer is way too ephemeral for me, and winter so very long. I start feeling wistful about the fleeting season when my pink dogwood finishes flowering in May. I never seem to get enough of the peonies or poppies (especially) or lilies. True, the coneflowers and rudbeckia last quite long enough. I garden in Dutchess Co., NY (Zone 5) and also in Brooklyn (Zone 6) so maybe i’m just being greedy – but the coming of fall saddens me. I want the gardening season to last longer! Mustn’t cling, the Buddhists say. Or maybe I should just move to Zone 8?
It’s a definitely uh-oh for me. I was walking around the nursery the other day and noticed how quiet it was compare to the start of the season. I’m in zone 6, so our gardening season is really short.
Definitely a yippee. Fall, my favorite time of the year is almost here. And I just love the months of down-time that follow (starting in November) when I don’t have the constant nagging thought: “Oh, I must get to that” about weeding, watering, deadheading and mowing. Yippee again! The cosy months are coming…maybe I’ll have time to read a book.
I’m afraid I fall in the “uh-oh” camp. I love summer. I love fall, too, but it is inevitably followed by winter, which I don’t like at all. I far prefer heat to cold.
But I think we all need the dormant season in our gardens, to rest and read, and to allow us to return to that gleeful anticipation of spring.
I am a yipee. My fall and winter vegetable garden are far easier to grow than the short spring and summer sets.
Welcome to Deb (“yippee” as she prepares for easier vegetable growing), Louise (“uh-oh,” lamenting a too-short season), Cara (“waaaahhh,” but trying not to cling to things ephemeral), Krys (“yippee” as the heat subsides and sleep is easier in the cool nights). We are so glad to have you here with us. Please come again soon.
I’m in zone 4. The most lovely few weeks will be upon us soon and it’s bittersweet. I am so doggone tired from all of the work this summer I’m almost a “yippee” vote…almost…but not quite. I’m looking forward to the first fire, curling up on the couch and reading from the near toppling stack of books by my bed, listening to the snow fall. But gads, all of that winter loveliness gets old come January & February!
Farmer’s Almanac is saying it’ll be a long, cold winter this year. Get your long-johns out.
I’m a little of both… As in, yippee, no more watering the garden! But then, uh-oh, cold weather’s coming, and the flowers and veggies will (mostly) be gone. Summer was weird here in Seattle this year, much cooler and rainier than usual. I’m curious to see if my water bill went down! – Karen
This is the wettest, coldest summer we’ve ever experienced. We’ve had only 6 (yes,SIX) days of summer. I’ll explain: my definition of summer is a bit of sun and a temperature somewhere in the 70s. Twice recently, the temperature was 58 at midday. The woods around us seem happy enough; the plants on the decks seem confused – as am I. Can I regret the passage of that which I’ve never had?
I think I am a yippee. I have very fair skin and burn easily. Summer is not my favorite season. I prefer Fall and Spring. I even prefer Winter to Summer, but I live in Southern California, so Winter isn’t that bad.
i look at each season much in the same vein as one of my favorite grateful dead lyrics: “get what you come for, be ready to go.” meaning, enjoy it while it is here, then move on…to what? to enjoy it while it is here, then move on…and so it will go on just so with or without me.
Welcome, Karen. Yes, I have heard that Seattle, where some dear gardening friends live, has been wacky this summer indeed. Actually I feel like wacky=weather; more and more the two words are synonymous all over the place. Glad to have you join us.
Welcome, Chris, and thank you for interjecting the “change is the only constant” bit of reality into the conversation. You are exactly right. Love the way you express it, and hope you will visit with us soon again.
It depends on the season. When we have a perfect summer like this one (only a few over 100 degree days and plenty of rain) I am a little sad. On those years of the drought summers, I think “Woo-Hoo!!!”~~Dee
Uh oh is too mild a reaction for me. Boo hoo is more like it! Please don’t make summer come to an end! After living most of my life in beautiful, but chilly Michigan, I hold dear each precious moment of summer warmth. We are now in only slighter warmer central Ohio, where winters are cold and very dreary. I do love fall, but I know that the hated winter is waiting right behind it. I can’t bear to say goodbye to my beautiful flowers, and fresh vegetables and herbs. The houseplants I nurture all winter are a poor substitute. Give me eternal summer!
Welcome, Robin. So we have one more very passionate “nay” vote, not unlike Cara’s “WAAAAHHHH!” I count on my houseplants and many very large winter plantings that I view from key windows to tide me over (and also on the birds, whom I count for various citizen science projects all winter long). Hope to see you again soon.
Yeah, what a relief! My arms are tired.
Yippee! I would happily live in perpetual October. Those three LONG months of January, February, and March are so close on its heels, though. I must look for more things that offer winter interest. Thanks for the ideas (I’m another Zone 5′er).
I don’t want to let go of summer. Not yet anyway!!
Fall? No way. I’ll take perpetual spring.
I saw the leaves this weekend. Too soon, too soon! I’m in denial. I’m convinced it is a wide-spread leaf rust or something. Yeah, that’s it. Fingers in ears, La, La, La!
Margaret, If we could just shorten January, February, and March…. I feel sad to see summer slip away but the seasonal changes in the garden intrigue me and fall is fantastic, waiting for spring gets to me.
Welcome, Kathy Klaus. I think you are in good company among those who would gladly give back some of January and February and even March. Do stop in again soon.
Reading all these responses I wonder, does it come down to how old you are, which zone you grow in, or just your temperament? I used to love each season in its turn, but as I grow older I dread the winters more each year. This year I plan to overcompensate by planting 1,000 bulbs in my front yard. And daydream about moving to zone 7. Or maybe 8.
Dear Margaret! My first visit on your fantastic blog! Love gardening, but don’t know that much about it yet. I mostly collect material from my garden (that was there when we moved in) and from the nature around us. Love making wreaths and arrangements! I’ll be back for more :))) Hugs from Sweden, Minna : )
Welcome, Minna, all the way from Sweden. I have just made a quick trip there, to your Blomsterverkstad, and am feeling very sheepish about my own paltry attempts at flower arranging and craftiness now. Beautiful! Please do join us regularly.
Remember a while ago when you wrote about the frustration of gardening.. when things are at that ‘in-between’ stage and so forth? This time of year brings that frustration to light again. It’s been very dry, and no amount of watering seems to fulfill the needs of the beautiful gardens.. I’m ready. I’m ready for the season change. My partner David refers to my readiness for the season change as ‘retail mindset;’ always ready for the next one. It’s been a great year (especially having a fun place to share!) but it’s time for change (and cooler weather!)
Those leaves are awesome, Margaret! I’d love to press them.
My choice would be to stay right here…right between summer and fall, and enjoy the best of both.
margaret,
i look at it this way…if fall is coming, can spring be that far away? thanks for opening your garden for copake falls day. i have been inspired! also thanks for the weigela cuttings & lamium. i hope jack is enjoying the ‘kitty treats’..
denden
Guilty of “retail mindset” here. I love the new beginnings fall brings and anxiously await the arrival of the UPS truck carrying goodies from magical sources like Khems and Plants Delight scheduled for after Labor Day. I have prepared a new shade bed and another new bed in full sun ready to receive the chosen plants. I began digging and dividing existing plants yesterday for the great fall transplant fest. We’ve had a fantastic growing season and many of my plants are ready to divide and conquer. This autumn — after the rainiest summer on Cape Cod in 50 years — the show should be spectacular.
I, too, saw that smattering scattering of red and orange along the Taconic…
The mountain ash is full of red berries, and the leaves have that “dry rustle” when the breezes blow.
You can feel it and hear it—even the set of the moon tells us that autumn is on the way.
Busy, busy. Plants to divide, plants to relocate.
Apple picking! Hot cider! Each season has its pleasures.
” To everything, turn, turn, turn.”
I can’t wait! I was out today hauling hose – we haven’t had any rain since the 15th – and glowering at the absolutely rampageous crabgrass. The sweat was dripping in my eyes, but I could still see everything that was drooping, browning or giving up. Enough!
Fall is my favorite season for the outdoors. I love the colder weather and would never trade it for more southern climes. Bring on the colors, the rustle of leaves, the snap in the air, the berries, birds and first frost. Ah-h-h-h.
Margaret,
You guys are sooo lucky. I’m a definite Yipee! However, our fall will have to wait awhile. Temps are only down to 90′s from 100′s which is a break, but NOT fall yet here in north Texas.
Not so yippee. Whatever happened to the “dog days of August”?? Not this summer, I guess. This week it will only hit 80 degrees after today. Even hearing the crickets (the harbingers of fall) at night brings some sadness as the days start to get shorter… The feeling is akin to the sense of dread I’ve always felt when it stops snowing.
On a more positive note, I do look forward to the colors of Fall — the asters, mums and grasses.
Yippee! The dog who is always too cold and the dog who is always too hot love this weather. They will strike extended yoga poses as the mornings grow colder.
There is a glow to early mornings and evenings, but I won’t remember high school lit to qualify the sight.
My amaryllis are begging me for space in the basement crisper, but it’s too soon. I’ll depress them with views of the washer/dryer for a few weeks.
My WTF? perennial patch has survived my best efforts. I’ll give each plant a real home soon – they were one of those ’5 season garden for just 79.99′ deals. What kind of plants? Some are red. Some… are not red.
Fall can’t come quickly enough for this Texas gardener. Plus it seems that October is pretty darn gorgeous no matter what part of the country you live in. Bring it on!
Hello Margaret,
What an amazingly thorough weblog. Lovely to read you.
My blog name clownplants.com says it all: misery me all summer. Autumn is usually my high time, with acres of coloured shrubs. This year it looks like a damp squib, with many leaves colouring too early and not attractively either.
Do you know what the influence of too much rain and too little sun is on the fall colouring performance? I always forget this. I suppose to colour up well the leaves require a high sugar level, which means sunshine. No?
Welcome, Jo. There are some clownplants over here, too, at this point…serious ones. As for the foliage, this page explains the biological and meteorological factors at work. Conducive circumstances have to do w/a combination of moisture and temperature and various other factors.
Ideal foliage is apparently produced by a warm and wet spring, a warm, dry summer (uh-oh!) and mild, sunny fall days with cool evenings (but not frost). Again, have a look for more in-depth explanation.
I kept saying as it teemed rain all summer: Great for fall foliage, great for fall foliage. But who knows, maybe not. Thanks for visiting, and sharing your site.
I’m definitely a yippee and I know that sounds strange since I live in North Dakota and who gets excited about one of our winters?!?!? But the fall here is beautiful and I love the warm days and cool nights. At the end of August, I can honestly say that I enjoyed my garden and I can get ready for a quiet winter with no regrets on what I should or shouldn’t have done.
A yippee this year. We’ve moved into a new home and have gutted, practically, the whole yard. We just have mulch, EVERYWHERE. Now, with the cooler weather, we can actually start planting. (Granted, I’m in Southern California and we still have three months before cooler weather, but there is always hope.)
I love to mow.
therefore
I love summer.
but
there will be all those menu changes down at the local eatery yes?
and looking forward to fall cocktail hour(s) of course!
xo
frightened of my first full-length central NY winter. frightened! Fall came in mid-August (nights in the 40s?!) as I was warned it would. I’ll miss bare feet and endless changing flowers, but must submit to the “change is the only constant” approach, enjoy the cool and time to plan, and wait to see if over-wintered seeds pop up next spring.
and did you say you mow twice a week? that’s a little too much summer for anyone!