Fall's flaxen hues

It's almost the end of October and there's finally foliage color in my garden. The River Birches and native Witch Hazels have turned a soft clear yellow as they do every year. This redbud is perfectly positioned to make an autumn statement. It's growing on a slope between our garden and our neighbor's. When they got tired of mowing this area, they asked for some of my Geranium macrorrhizums to use as a ground cover. Initially we had a path connecting our properties that ran through the Geraniums. Now we use the gate that Mark built in the fence between our gardens.

Amsonia ciliata is finally starting to turn a soft buttery color. This is the only Amsonia I grow so I don't know if other varieties turn color earlier or more strongly.

Heuchera 'Caramel' has chartreuse leaves most of the growing season, but some of the plants seem more distinctly golden at this point. Calamintha nepeta ssp. nepeta rebloomed once the rain returned. Our night time temps have dipped this week so I cut most of the flowering stems and brought them indoors. The first frost is predicted for Saturday night.

Mark tipped all of our big outdoor ceramic pots over yesterday to drain out any rainwater in case we do get a freeze. I put most of my tools away and started caging shrubs that I don't want rabbits to attack once it snows. Not really ready mentally or garden-wise for this change in the weather. But it will arrive whether we are ready or not.

Comments

[Peter/Outlaw]

Tools tucked away, pots turned over, last plants in the ground. Sounds like your garden is pretty well prepared for a long, cold Wisconsin winter.

[Linda Brazill]

Yikes! No mention of long cold winters is allowed this early in that season!

[Kris P]

I hear about freezes and feel like I'm living on another planet - it's dropped about 10 degrees since the start of the week here but we're still hovering around 90F. Rabbits come out to attack plants when it snows? They're not white rabbits sporting camouflage, are they? Your soft yellow fall color is very soothing.

[Beth @ PlantPostings]

Yes, true. It will happen whether we're ready or not. And I'm not ready! Heck, it was 76 a week ago! (I know our weather is notorious for being changeable, but still!) ;-)

[hb]

Flaxen: what a beautiful word that is. It fits the warmth and grace of the color in your garden.

[Lisa at Greenbow]

Pretty darned chilly here too. I can't believe we had a frost before you did. It is supposed to be in the 30's every night for days now. Brrr. Your redbud with the skirt of geranium is very pretty. I think your amsonia is the prettiest with the thread-like leaves and the color it displays this time of year.