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
Here in Norway we have some beautiful Autumn flowers + it is blueberry and wild cranberry picking time! My favorite is a deep blue completely round thistle that is growing…it is spiky and sturdy…but the blue is an amazing color!
My fall Clematis is in bloom and the Vinca Vines are a beautiful purple. I am still seeing day lilies along the road and my Resurrection Lilies are in their last few days. I am a fall person and am looking forward to the changes this will bring to the landscape.
There are already places around here where the leaves are starting to turn colors. I am in NE Minnesota.
I love Queen Anne’s Lace on the side of the road as much as any flower planted in my garden.
Gerbera Daisys!!! I just bought tubs of them in many colors…. Yellow, coral, magenta, red, orange red… and their green foliage is so deep and lush!
I love the shifting greens of late summer. It’s amazing when you pay attention to it, how deep green the leaves get before changing.
When the Sedum turns from green to light mauve which deepens daily, I am aware that summer is in the last stages. The jewel weed is profuse along the drive. The Angelica is blooming, the hydrangeas are waning but what a spectacular year for them as well as most of the flowers except the roses. The leaves on the trees are thicker than ever and when they begin to change I feel our fall foliage will be a sight to behold.
We have autumn clematis foaming over the fences and other odd spots.
Here in Southwest Louisiana I’ve just cut back the roses so I’m feeling like all color is gone. There is still some blue, pinkish purple and yellow in my garden from the Plumbago, Blue Indigo and the 4 O’clocks.
My garden is always a work in progress. Spending time transplanting now. Love the tall phlox in purple hues, the multiple-colored vinca that love the hot NC sun, and the zinnias that make great cut flowers