Focusing on fall
October 15th, 2010 by Kristin Green
I have gotten out of the habit of getting here extra early every morning to walk the property in search of interesting things. Lately, I have really only had eyes and time for the gardens. I realized after finally walking around again yesterday morning that just like staring at a computer screen for too long, my eyes were in desperate need of a stretch. For months now I’ve been looking at the gardens from an arm’s length, sometimes a rake’s length away. I have tried to remember to step back to take in a whole garden bed but it’s probably been a while since I’ve fully focused for more than a minute on the entire landscape in front of me.
I think there’s a natural shift to our gaze as we transition into a new season. I looked outward all summer – after looking down more during the spring and inward through the winter. Now I find myself looking up.I’ve also been out of the habit of using my eyes as a macro lens to enjoy the details. The minutiae of fall is every bit as fascinating as spring.
Although I’m more interested now in looking for the senescent signs of change and the promises of spring locked in seeds and buds, the gardens are still blooming away. (To see what’s in bloom around the world today, visit Garden Bloggers Bloom Day hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.) Several species of bees and even a few straggler monarch butterflies remain focused on our flowers, and because of their activity Gail and I have had to adjust our October schedule a little. We’ve taken annuals out of the North Garden and started to put it “to bed” but we just couldn’t bear to take everything out of the Rose Garden. Next week. And we’ll leave the Display Gardens (aside from a few stock plants and most of the cutting garden) as intact as possible until the bitter end.
Have you had to adjust your focus to get a good look at fall? Have you started putting your garden to bed?
Along with GBBD, today is also Blog Action Day and the focus this year is clean water. Although I am not officially participating, I offer this link once again for my local readers who might be as interested as I am in conserving water. Remember, one inch of rain on a 1000 square foot roof can fill hundreds of gallons!
October 15th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
In the middle south we don’t have to really put our gardens to bed in the traditional sense. I’ll mulch with shredded leaves, plant bulbs and perennials and this November and December I will add more shrubs and evergreens. We haven’t had a frost and many of us will drape the plants with sheets if a mild one is forecast~A killing frost might not happen until December. Sometimes putting the garden to bed~does sound good, except for the long winter ya’ll have! gail
Gail, After reading your bloom day post I think it’s a trade off between our climate and yours… I’m ready for a long winter at the start of it – we might get our first frost this weekend. Come March, different story. -kris
October 15th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Happy Bloom Day. Your images are wonderful. What a wonderful place to visit.
Donna, It is a wonderful place to visit… I hope to meet you here before long! (If I can make it to Buffalo…!) -kris
October 17th, 2010 at 3:12 am
Kris, you have given me hope. If you’ve seen a monarch or two, then maybe I’ll get to see one more before winter arrives. We’re having a beautiful fall here, except that we need rain desperately. Maybe we’ll get it one of these days. Those .2″ we got a couple of days ago did nothing but wet the top of the dusty ground.
Kylee, I hope you see butterflies and just the right amount of rain a.s.a.p! -kris
October 21st, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Oh yes I have had to adjust the glasses and put on the closeups. The view might be colorful at arm’s length, but it is the small subtleties which really are interesting. I have missed your more frequent posts.
Thanks, Layanee – but, oh the guilt… I’m not sure where the time has gone lately but I’ll work on finding it again starting next week (I just hope I didn’t leave it at home!) -kris