The Beginning of the End

There is some wet, slushy snowflakes falling from the sky this chilly October morning. It's just too early for such nonsense! We haven't even had our first frost yet, but we're having a little snow. It just doesn't make any sense. I knew it was coming, so I spent all day outside yesterday making ready. It was time to let go of the zinnias, they looked so very bedraggled. So I cut a vase full, then pulled them out. There are a few near the house that still look good, but the rest are gone.

I'm so glad that I planted ornamental grasses around the new patio. Now I can enjoy them throughout the winter, just by looking out the kitchen door. These Karly Rose pennisetum were planted in June, and have looked this beautiful ever since then. They flop a little in the rain, but perk right up when they dry out. Please, you must have these in your garden!

On the other side of the patio I have another grass, Morning Light miscanthus. I have three of them there in a row, and when they bloomed recently, it was in an odd pattern. The bottom one is fully bloomed, the middle one is lightly bloomed, and the one nearest the house has barely bloomed at all. I'm trying to analyze why this may have happened.

Fall also means that the Montauk daisies are in bloom. The plant itself is large enough to be considered a shrub, so I suppose I'd better pinch them back next year to keep them under control. Still, it's always nice to have fresh flowers in October.

It's been a good year for roses, and I'm sure it's because we actually had enough rain. For some odd reason, there were no Japanese beetles to bother them this year either. There are a few blooms here and there, I hope they hang on for weeks yet. I often have a rose or two in early December, but the snow this morning tells me not to get my hopes up.

I do enjoy the reblooming iris, but don't they look odd in the fall garden? This one has been blooming over and over again for awhile now.

This container was almost entirely dead after we went away on vacation during one brutally hot week of summer. I'm so pleased with the way it rallied.

These two plants have been blooming in harmony all summer. This is Autumn Sage Wild Thing, and Supertunia Cotton Candy. It's not easy to photograph how pretty they are together, but maybe you'll get the idea. A perfect combination!

What fall garden would be complete without dahlias? What lovely ladies they are! As the frost threatened last night, I was out in the dark, snipping myself a bouquet. How it pleased me to see that pretty vase this morning when I went down for breakfast. The glowing look you see in the photo is real.

And of course, my containers were tweaked for fall. Summer flowers were discarded, and pumpkins and gourds were added, along with fall flowers.

Yes, it's the beginning of the end, despite all the pretty spots I found. The weather forecast for this weekend is not good at all. Our first frost will be here in the next few nights, and then many of these beauties will be gone. Guess it's time to hunker down and dream of next year's garden. Every year, I hope for the best year ever, but this year really was one of the finest ever. Next year's garden has a hard act to follow.