it's that time of year

it's that time of year

a middle tennessee garden blog


finding beauty in the natural things around us makes for one happy self and a lovely life. ~marmee

dash home farm, leiper's fork, tennessee

Friday, October 23, 2009

true autumn days


.

our leaves are still slowly changing...mixed in with lots of green.


.

~photo above taken by abbey~
.
after being blasted at the beginning of the week with our first frost...we
have returned to what most of us think as a normal.
awesome days within the 70's and very cool evenings in the low 50's.

with our centurion (scarecrow) on duty
watching the comings and goings around here.
we are back to a wonderful autumnal feel.
.
so we head to the garden.

it is this way in case you get lost...

today i planted...for some instant gratification...cleaned up a
whole bunch of potted plants filled with leaves...transplanted some
cuttings...and did some rearranging.... actually had to water....all in
between science and history lessons.


.

i was inspired by a photo i shared with you last week.
i loved the bluey/purple~ish colours mixed in with the bright oranges.
then i added some evergreens into it to make it transition into
christmas with a little more ease.

many of you might remember that my 5 doggies
had dug up my newly planted pansies a few weeks ago.
.
well at least one of them but noone is admitting it just yet.
.
i wasn't gonna let that happen again so my new plantings are
put up on an outdoor buffet and on a nearby bench.

i planted two osaka flowering cabbages along side matrix orange pansies
and tucked in two evergreens. one was a golden charm thread~branch cypress.
the other was unmarked. i am pleased with the results.

my caladiums have finally faded and were all pulled out and being
stored until next year.
these leaves in one of my container plants are adding to the colourful mix.
i have forgotten the name of them. but they are filling in nicely.

the nandina berries all around our land our burnishing to a
burnt orange hue....so lovely and ornamental.

i have a single fuchsia blooming.

i was given these fairytale pumpkins at a quaint little produce stand
by the farmer...it was their last day of their season.

i put them on our outdoor patio table for dining al fresco.
.
since the nights are chilling quite a bit with chances of another
frost....i brought in my dragon/angel winged begonia...i bought on
a summer trip to florida.
it is in my sunroom...i really would like it to make it until spring...then
put it back outside. regardless i will enjoy it for now.

something happens to me in the fall....it awakens my senses.
i come alive. i have an over riding need to plant...to rearrange...
to decorate....freshen things up....change my perspective.
last week i rearranged my daughter's room in a single afternoon
...by myself....i was hurting the next day...but this is what this
season does to me. of course i love it when it is all said and done.

i love outdoor things brought in...so this little garden angel
is in my sunroom with these metallic obelisques next to it.
they are placed on the ground under a huge bird cage.

one great thing about these cool nights
are cozy fires in the hearth....catching up on
reading. i am reading this lovely book i ordered
from susan branch...simply titled....autumn.
it's perfect.

now if i can get to the other books piled high in the sunroom.
i did manage to read the one on the top...i am going to be getting
one for all the young women in our family including girlfriends of the
boys. it's called for women only.....i highly recommend it.

these are truly happy autumn days.


18 comments:

Darla said...

Another lovely post. Is that creeping jenny I see on the shelf to the right? I posted mine today..

Lola said...

Great post Marmee. Truer feelings were never felt.

Roses and Lilacs said...

Hope the rain lets up this weekend so I can pull the glad bulbs for storage. I didn't expect the leaves would remain green thur the low 20's temperatures we've had.

A storm brought down most of our maple leaves last night. Must get some photos. Our autumn was short and dreary.
Marnie

tina said...

Wonderful days of autumn for sure. I too feel a need to plant and rearrange, and to nest. I guess knowing the cold is coming it is an instinct? It is so nice to slow down and enjoy and I do hope you get those great looking books read.

Q said...

I also seem to wake up in October. Maybe it is the crisp mornings or the light in each tree.
It has been wet and cold in my gardnes...beautiful.
Your plantings are lovely....
almost time for Trick-or-treaters.
Boo!
Sherry

Cheryl said...

Hi Marmee....I am just the same...autumn does something to me. I to have been planting and tidying up. I have also cleared out clutter in the spare room.....it is that time of year.

I love the planting scheme....I love it when plants are at different heights.....it makes a beautiful feature....enjoy your autumn days Marmee.....

teresa said...

Great fall stuff! You are lucky to have such warm and nice weather so things can continue to bloom.

marmee said...

darla,

that is creeping jenny in the photo. it has done very well. yours looked good too.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

thanks lola!

marmee said...

marnie,
it's another strange season we are having isn't it? wet and cool here. the most wet fall i can remember here. we are finally getting some gorgeous colour but it is mixed with lot of green.
show us those pictures when you get to taking them.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

tina,

believe me come winter i will be devouring those books.
i think it must be something inherit in our dna...women...to nest at this time. i like that it gives me extra energy.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

sherry,

we do a harvest party every year and this year it will fall on the 31st.
our garden here is very wet also and the weather can't decide if it wants to be cool or cold.
it is always fun to have your hands in dirt instead of clay.
so planting was great.
happy times in autumn.

marmee said...

cheryl,

thanks i really love how they turned out...it's funny where the inspiration comes from sometimes...then out it evolves.
this is a great time of the year with many things that keep us busy but there are many things i love doing now too.
we are going to carve pumpkins next week and have our harvest party. esther, our daughter from fl will be joining us for some family time...can't wait.
these are the great days of autumn to be happy.

marmee said...

teresa,

the pansies will last all winter and return in the spring and the evergreens will stay green. not sure about the cabbage. we aren't really warm here but not cold...temps keep fluctuating.
we have had more than our share of rain especially for fall/summer.
happy autumn.

ShySongbird said...

Your new planting looks so cheerful Marmee. It has been wet here most of the day so all the tidying that needs doing in the garden is still waiting for me.

I see you are reading 'A Year in Provence', I read that some years ago and enjoyed it. I have a huge stack of books waiting to be read, perhaps with the darker evenings I will get through some of them!

Meems said...

I'm not sure we have too many 'true' autumn days but for Florida the days have been wonderfully relieving from the endless summer. Glad you get inspired to do things indoors... I'm still not there... just want to be outside. Your new potted plants are really lovely. And I really like where you've placed them... perfect for their size and they should be safe there and bring you lots of true autumn joy. Very nice post, Marmee.
hugs and love.
Meems

marmee said...

ssbird,

i am enjoying that little provence book. my dh and i have always wanted to take a year off and live in southern france somewhere.
it is great to plant something new and get my hands in the dirt.
soon there will be no planting of any kind.
we are cold and rainy today and it seems like a broken record stuck in the same mode.
happy autumn days.

marmee said...

meems,
thanks i might just be nuts for adding so many puppies...it is an endless cycle of chewing...digging...uprooting.
i think sometimes of going exclusively to containers but i won't always have puppies...
these awesome days are hard not to enjoy...today esther arrived and that makes everything all the better.
happy autumn.