In just two days, September will be here. It always marked the true end of summer to me, even though the days were often still hot, the light had already begun to shift and the days were getting ever so slightly shorter. As a kid, I hated it. As an adult, I often think about how I have missed most of summer and how did that happen??
When I was a kid, summer lasted forever, now it seems like it is two weeks long. How did I miss vacation time? And not having a pool to laze in and swim in, that is the thing I most miss about living in Florida. I would get up in the early morning, make coffee and slip out to the pool and swim laps - fast and slow, and sip my coffee while everyone slept.
This summer I saw the daylilies and then the rain and weeds came. I sprained my ankle, and walking on the uneven ground of my gardens to do weeding was out...so the weeds have won this year.
I do love the change in the greens at this time of the year. The bright spring greens are wonderful, but the complexity of the greens as they age and darken is something I enjoy watching. As I walk my dogs each morning, I have been seeing lots of purple flowers. Why so many purple flowers in fall?
Thistle
Joe Pye Weed and Ironweed
Flax on the roadside
Here's one of my hydrangeas that has been incredible this year. It is at the end of its season.
And I always love the Queen Anne's Lace (Not purple!!)
What kinds of flowers and foliage are you seeing where you are right now??
We'll be doing a drawing (random number generator) of one winner if you make a comment by the end of August!! The prize will be one skein of Yummy 2-ply Sock and we'll include a pattern of Martina Behm's Miss Winkle.
198 comments
My Hydrangea are huge!
Here in the beautiful mountains of Western NC loving the sunflowers, cosmos and the burning bushes starting the turn to fiery red :) Love the cooling weather although i know that means winter is coming :(
I just love this time of year when the evening light turns golden! We have crepe myrtles in every color on our block, red ones surrounded by begonias in the park nearby. The lavender blooms are almost done, and there are still a few roses around, but my favorite all summer has been the squash blossoms which always make me think of you!
Love all the colors!! I have mostly red in my garden.
Here in the Utah desert, we have the sunflowers blooming, and some thistle.
In northern MI the black eyed Susan’s and zinnias still look good in places that got rain….or gardeners who actually water! We have sunflowers that grew tall and strong.
Thistle is my favorite, flower! althougth when i brought it home to my mum as a young girl, she told me it was a weed! crape myrtles are blooming here, deep deep pink
The Sedum (also called Autum Joy) changing from green to pale pink to a deep mauve always stirs mixed emotions. I love the beautiful transformation yet know it signals summers end. Our Sedum are spectacular this year from all the rain.
The schoolkids across the street planted cheery sunflowers again this year, which are at the end of their second blooming.
I am seeing the last of the roses, reds and pinks, joe pye weed, daylilies, hydrangea, Rose of Sharon (purple, pink, and white — funny, I only planted white!), strawberry flowers, hostas, bachelor button, marigolds, zinnias, strawflower, coneflower, crepe myrtle, flax, and also some I can’t remember the names of but are still pretty!