September, the Golden Month

September sure went by quickly! But that's probably because we were on vacation in the middle of the month. There really isn't much new and different in a September Garden, and yet, things change and look slightly altered. 

Let's start with a few vacation photos. We hadn't flown since the pandemic started, despite now being vaccinated, so we finally decided to try it out. I ended up feeling quite safe, since masks were required throughout the airport and on the plane. Once we arrived, I knew we'd mostly be outdoors, with very little need to get close to other people, so I relaxed and enjoyed the trip. We had family visits while we were there, and that made it extra special. This is Marco Island in Florida, a favorite of ours. It's so steamy this time of year that our main activity is simply floating in the pool when it gets too warm. And that's not so bad! 

Back home, I found that some flowers were tired by this time, and need to be discarded. They'll often get replaced by fall annuals at this point. But for those containers that are still going strong with summer flowers, more power to them! I would never willingly pull healthy annuals out of my containers, just for the sake of fall.  

By September, the zinnias have either given up, or turn into mounds of blooms, those are the only two options. I can never figure out exactly why some of them do particularly well, and some just don't. You'd think I'd learn, and only plant the stellar varieties. 

I often say that September is golden, but that's mostly due to the huge fields of goldenrod in bloom everywhere you look. These views are just stunning to me, so I start my fall color tour by driving from park to park to see the golden fields. There aren't any foliage color changes yet, but those asters and goldenrod are almost as good. 

Blacklick Woods

Monarch caterpillar at Blacklick Woods

Blacklick Woods

Walnut Woods

Slate Run

Chestnut Ridge

Chestnut Ridge

Blacklick Woods

We're seeing more monarchs than ever this summer, not sure why. I don't know if the monarchs themselves are having a banner year, or if they simply discovered my butterfly garden. It never gets old to me! I am constantly running outside to photograph them, despite the fact that I have hundreds of these photos. I had to give away some of my caterpillars when I left on my trip, so my numbers are down. I actually found some really late eggs recently, and I'm still going to raise them to completion. I doubt they'll have time to get to Mexico, but at least they'll briefly live free. 

We had a brief cool spell, but now false summer lingers on. I don't know how long it will last, but I love every minute of it. Funny, but I'd say the same thing about the cool autumn weather that's about to arrive! But my love of chilly autumn weather is because it comes bearing fall foliage colors. I simply can't get enough of that. I can hardly wait for the colors to arrive, I've been keeping watch. Meanwhile, some of the annuals, perennials, and roses are still hanging in there, especially the hydrangeas. I've gathered some of the blooms for dried bouquets. 

My summer water garden, there are goldfish inside

At Last rose, I HIGHLY recommend this one

The sunsets are swinging away from my front porch, and into the back yard. That means more trips down to the ponds, or maybe sunsets out the upper windows. I'm really a sky watcher, wouldn't you say? I sure appreciate when you stop by my nest. Thanks for coming!