September 2024

I love bright yellow flowers in a fall garden. Against a vivid blue autumn sky, they give off an incredibly cheerful vibe, marking a positive, happy end to another growing season. It’s like they revive my enthusiasm at a time when it’s so much easier to avoid fall gardening tasks. This year, Cliff Goldenrod has been my spark of sun and burst of energy in the fall landscape.

I know I’m in the minority, but I’m just not a fan of mums anymore. They're great for huge swaths of  temporary color especially in commercial properties, but I'll pass in my own front yard.  I think it’s simply a case of being tired of being tired of planting essentially the same plant year after year, only in a different color or size. I've also noticed that I am veering away from the precise, formal plantings that are typical of beds of mums. Instead, I am beginning to prefer a much more casual, natural look with its unusual twists and its unexpected delights. 

The transition between summer and fall is, for me, a bittersweet time of year. The summer flowers are fading, leaving only seed heads and dried stalks. The tomatoes and cucumbers are struggling, but, on the bright side, my hummingbird feeders are busier than ever, as my tiny visitors prepare to begin their 500 plus mile journey to Central America, where they will spend the winter months.

The next two months are the prime time for those of us here in the Midwest to plant spring blooming bulbs. The scorching heat is beginning to diminish, leaving the soil warm but workable. Light bursts of rainfall are predicted, giving enough moisture to prompt root growth. And, if you’ve visited any of the big box stores lately, you’ll see that their shelves are beginning to be filled with box after box of spring flowering bulbs ready to be planted  –  everything from tiny snowdrops to huge alliums. Most of all though, dozens of varieties of daffodils and gorgeous tulips are available.