The Last Remnants

Winter came early this year, long before it usually does. Plus what autumn we did have was much colder and earlier than usual. In early November, I still had a few cold hardy garden highlights to show off. By mid November it was winter, with snow and ice.

It doesn't really surprise me when perennials or shrubs still show off a few flowers late in the season.

Even roses aren't really a shock to me in November. I've had roses in early December before, just not this year. This year the roses were gone by mid November. Boohoo!

But every time that annuals survive such hard frosts, it's amazing to me, even if they're cold hardy annuals.

Our home was only built 15 years ago, so we don't have any tall trees. Not to mention, we didn't really plant any large tree varieties. Therefore autumn foliage is at a premium on our property. But I do have a little.

Still, the best foliage view is looking down the street. Most of this color comes from the much maligned Bradford pears planted as street trees.

I even had a butterfly at the start of the month. If there's a late butterfly, you know it's going to be a painted lady.

And then it was over. First there was an ice storm, then snow later in the day. After that, winter stayed. Autumn may have been short and sweet this year, but it was truly gorgeous while it was here.

October is Never Long Enough

How can it be November already? I feel like I barely had a chance to enjoy beautiful October.

I've seen an internet quote that sums up our love affair with October. It says "I'm glad I live in a world where there are Octobers". I'm sure we'd all agree.

Last night we had our first frost here in central Ohio. It's always a sad day for me. But I'm sure all gardeners feel that way. When that first frost threatens, I always go out on  a rescue mission. First thing to save was the beloved Queen Red Lime zinnias. I filled two vases full of my favorite blooms.

Next up was the roses. There weren't many blooms left, but I saved some of the sweetest ones. It's amazing how concentrated the fragrance is once they are inside.

I also rescued the dahlia blooms. There weren't as many flowers as usual this year. I think I just didn't pick the best varieties, because last year they were prolific.

Our first frost was a bit late this year, so that gave me a few extra weeks to enjoy the flowers. I'm sure anyone could guess how happy that made me!

But up to that darned frost last night, we were enjoying a warm and sunny spell of weather. The autumn sunlight is especially golden, and I found myself grabbing my camera at every turn. 

While the fall colors were especially bold this year, it was often rainy during those peak colors. But around my yard, I still found plenty of color, only in flower form.

Goodbye then to the most beautiful of months. Oh how I'll miss all this over the winter.