A Long Fall...

No, I didn't trip...Post title refers to one of the most extended autumn seasons in recent memory.  Well, in my mind at least.   Aren't there years when just as we're about to enjoy the scarlets and golds of the landscape...POOF!..they're gone!  And seemingly overnight!

This year, I can't tell you how many days (weeks!), I was able to trek about town and amass tons of colorful photos!  Of course it's helped that we had a wonderful run of perfect weather.  Cool enough for photosynthesis to take effect yet warm enough for foliage to remain intact.  Oh, Glorious days!

 Neighbors' bright Ginkgos take my breath away every

time I leave and return home!  Please don't ask how many times I've pulled over for pics.

Even on the cloudiest days they provide sunshine!

 If you grow Japanese maples, this was their best year, wasn't it?!  I've added 3 new varieties to my garden this year....though just saplings, I can't wait for their 'show' next fall.

Leaf-peeping goes hand in hand with birding so don't forget to look up!  I actually heard this cute little White-Breasted Nuthatch before I saw him.

And you can't mistake the "Coo, coo, coo"s of a Mourning Dove...

I'm truly lucky to be 10 minutes away from this beautiful walking trail of the Raritan River.
I try to avoid peak crowd hours though and time it when the sun lights the landscape just so...

Maples usually turn to shades of red so this golden hue was a very unusual and very special find! 

As was this soft pink seedling...I'm sure due to heavy shade on woodland floor. 

 Not much to share in the way of garden blooms.

Seeds of  these butterfly weeds (Asclepias tuberosa) are just bursting open.  Hopefully, they'll land and take hold in a fertile spot...multiplying my collection.

Also of late interest are seed heads of Clematis terniflora, commonly called Autumn Clematis. 

A volunteer in my garden this year...maybe a trellis will be added at it's base.

Hope you enjoyed the Fall colors.

Thanks for visiting!  Until next time...

Mum's the Word!

Chrysanthemums, that is.  This past weekend's visit to Longwood Gardens (Kennett Square, PA), made a renewed mum fan out of yours truly.  With the advertised event of  Night of a Thousand Lights, how could I resist a tour?

It was too chilly a November eve to stroll through the grounds, but 4 acres of conservatories, filled with blooms...I could do that.  With each new season, the amazing staff/volunteers transform this space into a drop-dead-gorgeous wonderland.  This was actually my first visit during the Fall season...as I recently acquired 'Membership' status.

I arrived just after 4pm and the next 3 hrs. passed in a blink.  There were guided tours of how the Chrysanthemum displays came to be.  The man hours required to nurture and train plants into rounds, spirals and cascades...it's astounding!  From a single stem cutting, it took 17 months and 1,500 hrs. to create each of these perfectly shaped domes!

This peacock fan in the Children's Garden was adorable!

The glow from the setting sun made the Conservatories even more magical!

I was enchanted by the use of these beautiful lanterns.

How cool are these Bonsai Mums? Something we can try at home?

It was interesting to learn that many of the blooms need to be grafted to different plant stock in order to achieve certain heights and forms.

When night came, these floating lanterns made a spectacular scene!  Photos do not do it justice.  Although the Night of a Thousand Lights was a special event, the Chrysanthemum Festival will be on display through November 23rd.  If you're in the area, it's worth a visit!

 

Thanks for visiting, friends.  Hope you enjoyed the tour... 

Imagine....

...a garden without color.  Can you? 

 It's one of those concepts we take for granted, isn't it?

 Maybe we would just learn to appreciate the many shades of black, grey, and white. 
There is still beauty in that, right?

But I'm not sure if we would appreciate Mother Nature at her finest

if we lived through life not knowing the rich, rich colors of a peacock.

Or the Fall season at peak...

And would emotions be a 'less than' experience if we could not FEEL
the warm glow of a sunset?

Or the magic of a rainbow...

Hmmm...ponderings as I rose this morning.

All because the last glimpse of my dream was in...black and white!

A dream that I can no longer remember...(don'tcha hate that!)

Our lives are made richer (and much more interesting!) with the presence of COLOR so as I go through my day, I will doubly appreciate what my eyes take in and I'll send up a prayer of thanks for the joy I feel and knowing that life is going to be a little sweeter today!

Here's hoping you have an amazing day of kodak moments!

An extra hour...

Happy Daylight Savings Day!

My phone rang at 7am this morning. Caller ID: Mom. From California.

She'd totally forgotten to 'fall back' on the clock.  So, what the heck was she

doing up at 5am...?!

Heading out for her daily pre-dawn walk.  Good thing I'd been up for hours, reading.  Yep, besides our love of gardening, Mom and I have insomnia in common.

My absence here has not been deliberate.  I've tried numerous times to post but uploading photos with Blogger has been a pain!  Any friends out there retired their

Blogger account for something faster, better? 

There's so many more options now, besides Wordpress.  I will need to do a little research...

One thing I will not complain about is the beautiful indian summer

we've had these past weeks in NJ.  Summer blooms are still hanging in there.  I mean, look at this pot of geraniums, still setting buds into November!

Vibrant hues of fall foliage have been quite spectacular, as well!

How will you spend your extra hour of daylight?  Hopefully, I will finish my bulb planting, mulch, and tuck the garden in for the season.

If I could just stay awake til sunset....

It's been a while...

Even though we are preparing to 'fall back' on the clock, time has a way of springing forward so fast this time of year! I've not yet outgrown the habit of thinking I have plenty of days left to put the garden to bed. Anybody else think this way...?

At least the pond has been netted. But, as you can see, my daily visitors still mosey on by. I caught this guy nosing his way under the net, and man, was he perturbed! Coming within 10 feet and he's still boldly staring me down...the nerve!
Our Koi family of 8 are still present. Though Neo, our blue boy, was camera shy here. They have to start fending for themselves, as major diet restriction starts now. Don't worry, it's actually a good thing...

Mums are what's popping up now. I'm sure I've mentioned that these 'daisy mums' are my favorite!

Love this perennial hibiscus!

Hey, good eye if you spy Bandit! That li'l stinker always manages to sneak into my pics! :)



Scenes from around town...




Beautiful sunrise captured earlier this week



Above tulips and daffodils finally ordered...YAY! As you know, those FALL catalogs start arriving in July, but, if you wait 'til the last mailing in October, the sales are tremendous! A lesson I've learned the hard way...lol. So, I'll have a window of one month to get 400 bulbs planted. Hmmm...somehow, I have a feeling I'll be digging on that 30th day! Better late than never, I guess...

Happy October, ALL! Hopefully, I'll post some ghouls and goblins next.