Is September Summer or Fall?

Summer or Fall? Which one is it for September? I say both! Or at the very least, it starts out as summer, but usually ends as fall. And although I love fall with a passion, I try not to rush it. I don't begin decorating for fall until it actually *feels* like fall, which this year, happened to be exactly the first day of the season. So I ran right out that day and bought pumpkins, mums, etc. But most of my flowers haven't gotten the message, and look just as good as they ever did. 

The first fall decorations I put up are the outdoor ones. I fluffed up a few fading containers, put out some pumpkins, and filled in weak spots with mini pumpkins. I also added a new container of snapdragons, and of course, mums. I must admit that my planting in the last photo of this group was a failure this year. Next year, I'll have to rethink it. The Heavenly Blue morning glory that bloomed so well last year never gave me a single flower this year. And the other flowers I put there were less than thrilling. I put a couple pumpkins, a mum, and some Indian corn in there to cover up its lack. 

 

Of course I'm still a monarch mama. It started out a bit slow at first, but when my last batch is done, I will have released over 60. One year I got near 100, but it hasn't been like that since. Normally, I gather the eggs as soon as I see the females hovering over my milkweed. But most of my common milkweed succumbed to something earlier in the summer, so I had to give up that idea. Imagine my surprise when looking around my chilly September garden, and finding 6 big fat caterpillars on butterfly milkweed! I don't often get eggs laid on this type of milkweed, and never thought to check. Of course I took them inside for safety from wasps, mice, and other critters who would like to eat them. They're in chrysalis now, and it will be late and chilly when they are ready to go. I have no illusions that they'll make it to Mexico, but at least they'll live free briefly. 

Other butterflies and insects do find my garden to be filled with nectar. That's really the point of my garden, after all. I love them all, and it thrills me to know that I achieved my dream of hosting a butterfly garden. 

Hummingbird clearwing moth

Buckeye butterfly

Black swallowtail

Silver Spotted skipper

Peck's skipper

Mason bees

    

Honey bee

I am a casual rose gardener at best. I do love how they look in early summer, but for the rest of the summer, they are a disappointment. In September, the cooler weather usually brings a resurgence to the roses. The foliage is iffy now, but some blossoms still shine. The peach rose just below is the one I highly recommend to everyone. If only all of my roses were as well behaved! 

At Last 

Abraham Darby 

Don Juan climber

Fourth of July

Oranges and Lemons

Zepherine Drouhin

It took me years to get on board with growing cosmos. Now I don't even try! In my nest, cosmos just reseeds itself freely, and I get to enjoy the show. Originally, these were picotee cosmos, meaning they have  borders on the edge of each petal. Now they just do their own thing, and make whatever crazy colorations that they desire. I think I like them better like this. 

Do you grow dahlias in your garden? I always wish I could plant more, but of course I run out of room. And I never bother to dig them up to save over the winter. I always want to try new varieties the next year anyway, so there's no point for me to save them. 

As I look around my nest this time of year, I'm always making mental notes on what to do differently the next season. You probably won't be surprised to know that I've already picked out, and planned for the next color theme. Of course the color theme only applies to the annuals, the perennials just do their thing. Some of the containers I feature below have already made an appearance on my blog this summer. But if there's a new photo, that means they have "blossomed" substantially since the last time I showed them. If you go back to my posts from August, July, or June, you will see the change. I've been happy with almost all of my container choices, except for the one I already mentioned on the side of the garage. 

Autumn Joy sedum with plumbago 

Oklahoma Salmon zinnias with Agastache rupestris 

Thumbelina zinnias

Little Lime hydrangea

Queen Lime Blush zinnia

Mixed container, mostly verbena 

Oklahoma Salmon zinnia

Isabellina zinnia

Double impatiens

Seedheads of Duchess of Albany clematis 

October Skies aster

Fireworks goldenrod 

Mixed begonias

Mexican sage 

I do have a strong attachment to domesticity. Funny, but I consider myself a feminist housewife, which some may consider an oxymoron. Not me, I support women however they decide to live their lives. Yes, that's a big jar of pickles below. It was so beautiful that I found it picture worthy! And of course I like to gather small bouquets for my table. You'll also see my indoor autumn decorations featured below. I definitely need to stop buying myself pumpkins. 

There are very few fall colors in September, but I do get the itch to go see what's happening at my local parks. There may not be fall foliage, but September seems to be when the wildflowers go crazy with blooms. Columbus Ohio has a vast array of metro parks, which I appreciate. I drive through them frequently, just to see what I can see. And they never disappoint. 

Blacklick Woods

Blacklick Woods

Chestnut Ridge

Chestnut Ridge

Highbanks

Sharon Woods

Walnut Woods

Pickerington Ponds-Burning Lake

Franklin Park Conservatory

Franklin Park Conservatory

The sunsets are swinging around to the back of the house, and dropping in intensity with the cooler weather. But I still just dearly love to wander from window to window watching the sky. Thanks for stopping by my little blog. I sure do appreciate those of you who do come to visit here. See you again in October, when I'll be swooning over the fall colors. Can't wait!