The morning after...

Time to make some good Witches Stew...
               
                      now where did all those tasty grasshoppers go?

Happy Halloween!

There are Ghosts in My Garden

Who Dares to Enter My Gardens 

on 

The Hallowed Eve?

Do You Dare?

When the moon is full,
and the wind has a chill...
 

A walk in my garden
would be such a thrill!

  

The Blooms and the Goblins,
can be quite a sight...

Not to mention those creatures

that go bump in the night.

 

  This Witch kindly tends 
these gardens through the year...

but on the Hallowed Eve

she's one to be feared.

 (Gaze into her lovely eyes,
and you might recognize me in her enchanting disguise.)

 

Kiss this rose for safe passage

then click your heels twice...

 Don't mind that black spider

He can be rather nice.

 

♦♦♦

Tread lightly as you walk

so as not to disturb,

There are ghosts you can't see

though their cries may be heard.

Shhhh.... don't awaken the dead blossoms... 

they do become quite wicked when provoked.

Don't touch the flowers 
with a blue glow...

 They'll cause a nasty itch,

they're poisonous you know.

♦ ♦ ♦

You've made it this far 

do you wish to turn back?

 It only gets spookier

if you can imagine that!

 

 Beware the Purple Magic seed-head Jackmanii.
  It may cast a  spell upon you.

 

Delirious Dahlias lost their silly minds 

after bloomin' like crazy all Summer long.

Zinnias Profusion stood the test of time.

Neither bugs nor slugs could destroy them completely.

Beautiful... even in death.

One poison petal... will make a good potion.

Enchanting!

Getting too chummy with that amorous Jack Frost

proved these little bud's demise.

Food for the crows.

All done blooming, now it is dead.

Petals with bewitching holes.

The grasshoppers now in the Witches stew.

Hauntingly alluring!

The end of the Rose.

Shadows of a thousand years
rise up again unseen,
Voices whisper in my trees, 

“It will soon be Halloween!”

                                 ~Unknown

Happy Haunting!

When Does Autumn Turn to Winter?

Out of the bosom of the air,

Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,

Over the woodlands brown and bare,

Over the harvest-fields forsaken,

Silent, and soft, and slow 

Descends the snow.

                                            ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Early Morning Walk in My Gardens... So Not Ready For Snow!

Morning Sun Peaking Through the Clouds

My Thinking Spot

There's SNOW in my gardens this morning...
Every flower, bush and tree is covered with a blanket
Of cold, white, sparkling snow.
Soft and still is the air,
And a silent peace prevails.

Evergreens

Snow on the Gate

Today is October 27, 2010 
and it seems as though Winter is here.

Yesterday I marveled at the golds and bronze and reds of the falling leaves.
The bright pinks and orange of the dahlias and zinnias still danced in our Autumn air.

 But today every leaf and branch holds a cluster of white snowflakes,
one by one accumulated throughout the silent night.

Flame Maple with Snowcap

Blushing in the Snow

Japanese Maple 

Frosted with Snow

Austrian Pine Bough

Where are my flowers?
Are they forever hidden under this blanket of snow?
Is Winter really here to stay?

Pink Geranium in Snow Cave

Rosa Carumba!

Pink Coral Bells...Jingle, Jingle!

 Chrysanthemums Crowned with Snowflakes

The weatherman tells me no.
The Autumn Dance is not yet over.

By late afternoon the eight inches of snow will have melted away,
and the flowers that survived the frost of Monday night
will once again bloom in splendor.

So when does Autumn turn to Winter?

All I can say is...

Not today.

NOT Autumn...Just Fall

Today is Fall. 

Not Autumn...just Fall.

 The winds came last night.

I don't really like the wind. 

Sorry.

It blew the leaves from my trees.

Some are hanging on...

but some 

 are 

simply gone.

I wasn't ready to bid adieu.

But that's not all the wind did...

View from my gardens to the East

It brought the storm...

 View from my gardens to the West

that brought the snow.

So not ready for Winter yet.

All is Safely Gathered In Ere the Winter Storms Begin

Our last harvest of the season...

Strawberries in October...delightful!

Raspberries... yum! 

We've enjoyed a steady crop since the first of September

Chili Peppers... gonna miss the fresh salsa.

Sungold tomatoes... so delicious!

 Tomatoes galore... loved the new varieties we tried.

Stay tuned for the post with the Tomato Review.

Tomatillos... makes a great salad dressing!

Oh we're gonna miss picking from our own produce aisle.

We woke up to a light frost several days ago, not enough to cause damage.
But the forecast is for freezing temps next week with the possibility of snow.

Today we'll gather all the green tomatoes, wrap them in newspaper
and place them in a cool dark place to slowly ripen through the coming weeks.
Almost as good as fresh picked.

Also going to pot a few geraniums and coleus to bring in the house for the winter.

♥♥♥
To the sweet blog stalker who wants to know when to dig and store dahlias,
next week I 'll post on this.  They are still fine left in the garden.
BTW, I'd love for you to leave comments when you visit.  :)

Comments are the sweet nectar that keeps me posting!

She Tiptoed into My Gardens While I was Away...

I've been waiting patiently 
since the first day of Fall 
for her arrival.

I go away for six days
and while I'm gone...

AUTUMN 

tiptoed right into my garden.

My first suspicion came as I looked out the window in the early morning
to see that my back neighbor's fence
had exploded into a fiery deep red.

The Virginia Creeper was ablaze!
 
(Just six days ago, the only sign of Autumn in my gardens 
was the color changes found on the mountain
that I look up at each morning.)
 
Giddy as a school girl in Spring
I grabbed my camera,
slipped on my shoes
and raced out the back door
to confirm my reverie.


It's official...

The AUTUMN DANCE 

in 

This Grandmother's Garden

has finally begun!

A single branch of dainty leaves on one of my Honey Locust trees
is just beginning to turn to gold.

A glance upward at the Eastern Redbud greets me with a canopy
of lemon and lime dancing hearts.

Hard to believe that last Spring these tender Redbud leaves
emerged in shades of deep burgundy.

The Red Flame Maple trees have just a few scattered branches showing off their colors.
Their leaves turn from green to yellow
to orange
to bright red.

It won't be long before each of the Red Flames
will be completely consumed with burning colors in the Autumn sun.

The Bailey Dogwoods are a kaleidoscope of color
as the sunshine gently peaks through them.
Notice the ragged edges on each leaf
left by the Root Weevil earlier in the Summer.

These leaves were a dark green when I last saw them.

The leaves from the trees that reside in the green space beside the jogging trail 
have turned a delicious shade of amber
and have nearly dropped all of their leaves
in the short time that I have been gone.

The delicate leaves of the Coral Bark Maple are enchanting
with their many shades of pastels

deepening to darker, more vibrant colors.


Once begun, the change happens so quickly!
I can't wait to see what more this week will bring.



There are more plants yet to join this

Autumn Dance

with beautiful colors about to emerge.

What a frolic this promises to be!