FALL IN LOVE WITH OCTOBER

"Across the land a faint blue veil of mist

Seems hung; the woods wear yet arrayment sober

Till frost shall make them flame; silent and whist

The drooping cherry orchards of October

Like mournful pennons hang their shriveling leaves

Russet and orange: all things now decay;

Long since ye garnered in your autumn sheaves,

And sad the robins pipe at set of day."

- Siegfried Sassons, October

Farewell to a hot, dry September and hello to the cool, wet month of October.   The last week of September it rained every single day and the ground is saturated.  The mornings are now cool , in the 60's , as are the evenings and perfect for working in the garden.

The profusion zinnias and lavender are still looking good despite the extreme heat and drought we had in August and September.

The last roses of summer are slowly fading after blooming almost non-stop since summer.

In the roadside wildflower garden I am planning to add more purples, reds and blues to the many yellow and orange perennials I have currently.  

I have started buying Spring bulbs -purple allium, red and yellow tulips and daffodils to plant later this month or the beginning of November, depending how cold it gets.

Next to Spring and Summer, October is my favorite month for planning and planting.   The long, hot summer is but a distant memory now as the cool days and nights call us out into the garden.

SEPTEMBER PROMISE

                                                   THE PROMISE OF SEPTEMBER

"The golden-rod is yellow;

The corn is turning brown;

The trees in apple orchards

With fruit are bending down.

The gentian's bluest fringes

Are curling in the sun;

In dusty pods the milkweed

Its hidden silk has spun.

The sedges flaunt their harvest,

In every meadow nook;

And asters by the brook-side

Make asters in the brook,

From dewy lanes at morning

The grapes' sweet odors rise;

At noon the roads all flutter

With yellow butterflies.

By all these lovely tokens

September days are here,

With summer's best of weather,

And autumn's best of cheer.

But none of all this beauty

Which floods the earth and air

Is unto me the secret

Which makes September fair.

T'is a thing which I remember;

To name it thrills me yet:

One day of one September

I never can forget."

- Helen Hunt Jackson, September

Farewell to the hot, dry days of August and welcome to the promises of September - hints of autumn and cooler weather and hopefully, more rain to relieve the parched garden.

The woodland garden is partly shaded and has thrived despite the heat and lack of water.  I have a thick layer of leafmold and pine needles on the bed and I've tried to plant drought tolerant, bee and butterfly favorites such as Lantana, zinnia, crape myrtle, coneflowers, hyssop and coreopsis, to name a few.  

My engineer hubby built this great picket fence to enclose my soon-to-be veggie garden.  I am going to paint it a chestnut color  ( yellowish-brown ) .  This is a large space and I will need to haul in some fresh topsoil mixed with manure and compost to fill 6 raised beds I'm creating with logs from trees that we had removed.  Since the bed is on a slope I had to find a way to slow down the water during our heavy rainfalls and I think the logs will help a lot.   I may try straw bales in some of the beds and surround the inside of the logs in others with concrete block .

I'm also planning to get a chicken coop and run and maybe two chickens to start with.   My 7 year old grand will be so excited !  I can only imagine how my year old Aussie will react.

Sometimes I think all the work I've done in three years in this new garden is to no avail but then I realize how many obstacles I've had to overcome to create it - rocky clay soil, weeds, deer, rabbits, heavy shade, water run-off, heat and drought , and yes, too much rain at times.

But, one thing's for sure-gardening teaches patience.  This summer I had fresh white peaches, nectarines and blueberries from my young orchard, fruit of my labor.

Hoping that September will deliver on its promises of good weather and abundant rain.