parting-glances slideshow: late-october stars
YES, I KNOW: IT’S GETTING LATE. But among the parting glances of the fall garden, there are still some pretty spectacular moments to enjoy…if you hurry, and widen your gaze to include everything from a whole shrub border (below) to a self-sown, extra-dark kale (above) that nobody planted, but everyone got to enjoy. I captured some today for a new slideshow–highlights large and small. Have you taken a closer look at your late-fall garden?
the slideshow
CLICK ON THE first thumbnail to start the slides, then toggle between photos using the arrow keys on your keyboard, or the ones beside the captions. Note for best viewing: On small devices, zoom out first, so the captions show. Links to portraits of many of the plants are just below the thumbnails. Enjoy! (And do go out and look around…the hour is getting late.)
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Time to let go, almost. Yes, a few spots still hang together, like this big shrub border in the outer reaches, but by later October most parts of the garden are unwinding, preparing to rest.
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A bottlebrush buckeye holds its leaves long enough to color up all warm and yellow; the old apple beside it looks good in any season, with great structure, and good bark.
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Summer’s stars are by now history, though some (like this Canna ‘Grande’) are still standing, toasted and disheveled, waiting for the digging to begin.
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But it’s a beautiful time, especially if you look take your eye off the fiery foliage long enough to look at the little things. Things like this ‘September Charm’ anemone, now going to seed.
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Or Angelica gigas, a tall, maroon-flowered biennial, now all gone by and dropping the seed of the next generation.
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Speaking of self-sowing: This crazy-dark purple kale just showed up in a bed by the house, far from any vegetable plot, but it was so intensely colored, even when young, that I left it. Wow.
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Most flowers are long gone, but a few defiant little creatures keep on going here and there, including this Nicotiana.
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Corydalis lutea, a little perennial relative of bleeding heart, blooms on well into frost. (It started in early spring.)
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The expected stars are showing off, of course: foliar standouts such as Fothergilla major…
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…and native Sassafras.
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All cured and ready to store, a few ‘Butternut’ wait for me on the back porch. Handsome!
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Like the squash, root crops such as turnips are standing by to keep me company, too (at least until they become dinner). What a beauty.
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Seeds, foliage, a few lingering flowers…and fruit. Nobody has more of it than Viburnum dilatatum ‘Michael Dodge.’ And the extra good news: The birds don’t strip it bare, at least not right away. Something to savor, in the fast-changing garden picture.
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- Time to let go, almost. Yes, a few spots still hang together, like this big shrub border in the outer reaches, but by later October most parts of the garden are unwinding, preparing to rest.
-
- A bottlebrush buckeye holds its leaves long enough to color up all warm and yellow; the old apple beside it looks good in any season, with great structure, and good bark.
-
- Summer’s stars are by now history, though some (like this Canna ‘Grande’) are still standing, toasted and disheveled, waiting for the digging to begin.
-
- But it’s a beautiful time, especially if you look take your eye off the fiery foliage long enough to look at the little things. Things like this ‘September Charm’ anemone, now going to seed.
-
- Or Angelica gigas, a tall, maroon-flowered biennial, now all gone by and dropping the seed of the next generation.
-
- Speaking of self-sowing: This crazy-dark purple kale just showed up in a bed by the house, far from any vegetable plot, but it was so intensely colored, even when young, that I left it. Wow.
-
- Most flowers are long gone, but a few defiant little creatures keep on going here and there, including this Nicotiana.
-
- Corydalis lutea, a little perennial relative of bleeding heart, blooms on well into frost. (It started in early spring.)
-
- The expected stars are showing off, of course: foliar standouts such as Fothergilla major…
-
- …and native Sassafras.
-
- All cured and ready to store, a few ‘Butternut’ wait for me on the back porch. Handsome!
-
- Like the squash, root crops such as turnips are standing by to keep me company, too (at least until they become dinner). What a beauty.
-
- Seeds, foliage, a few lingering flowers…and fruit. Nobody has more of it than Viburnum dilatatum ‘Michael Dodge.’ And the extra good news: The birds don’t strip it bare, at least not right away. Something to savor, in the fast-changing garden picture.
plant portraits
I enjoy all posts . Used to live in Cape Elizabeth and have been to Skillins many times. Lived on Cape Cod, Ma. and met a man (Burr Jenkins) who has a daughter living near your area who is a peony freak!!! I would love to meet her as I too am a collector of peonies. Would you by any chance know her name and where she lives? Would appreciate any info that comes to mind regarding this lady…thanks….can’t wait to visit Cumberland Foreside again
The picture that lured me to your site is of the shrub border… why not name the shrubs and trees?
Hi, Susan. Do you mean the second-from-top photo? The big purple-foliaged shrub in that border is Physocarpus ‘Diablo,’ profiled at this link, and there is a Hydrangea paniculata, and various big tree-like conifers (Thuja plicata and an Abies koreana).
I think slide shows of your vegetable garden through out the season, would be helpful.
I love all of your photos. They are just beautiful! Would you do a slideshow of just Jack photos?
Good idea, Ann L. Someone else has mentioned this recently, too. I will hav to ask Jack’s talent agent if it’s OK. :)
My monkshood and toad lilies are beautiful this year too, thanks to the lovely Indian Summer we’ve had, but what I MOST look forward to is my fall-blooming jonquil. It turned up in a sack of mixed-bulb daffodils and has astounded and confounded me every year! Imagine having fresh & fragrant jonquils on the table at Thanksgiving!
I love all the Fall colors, and will be sad to see them go away. I made the sweet potato, greens, and sage soup. We loved it. I froze the remainder and plan to serve it again this coming Saturday. It is going to be a chilly day! To make it hardier, I may add some chicken.
I love that picture of the bench with the bottlebrush buckeye. I really want that shrub, but it’s a big guy so I haven’t figured out where to put it.
I love this time of the year in the garden because it is always full of surprises… the changing season, seeing how some plants continue to try to thrive, the bees still buzzing about, and then completing the last chores of the season before putting the garden to bed for the winter…
Thanks for sharing these images and reminding us to look around and enjoy.
Liz
Hi, eLIZabeth. Nice to see you. Yes, lots to look at right now…have been crawling around cleaning stuff up all morning and have come upon many interesting bits and pieces!
I’ve been enjoying the autumn garden, too. Isn’t it lovely?? Monkshood is in bloom and toad lilies also. Hosta and ferns are all gold and bronze. Quite a lovely scene. Thanks for sharing…as always.