Summer-turning-to-fall garden
Summer still holds sway in Austin, but the light is mellower. The garden is turning toward fall.
Bumblebees are feverishly collecting pollen from the volunteer mulleins that seeded into the gravel patio.
In back, plumbago is the only thing in full bloom. It took me years to come around to liking plumbago, and I’m glad I relented. It’s one of the few flowering plants in my garden that looks happy at the end of a long, hot summer.
Mostly the garden is just shades of green (which is something), and a little wilty, waiting for the first breath of true fall. Color in my dry-shade garden comes from garden art and paint at this time of year.
But inside, fall is here. I’m trying to manifest fall outdoors. Are you trying too or hanging onto summer by your fingernails?
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I’ll be very glad to see summer gone but it’s not through with us yet. I too have become more accepting of Plumbago but, with no real winter to keep in under control, it gets very big here and I remain concerned about my ability to contain it.
It’s smart to steer clear of plants that get too unruly for your L.A. climate, Kris. Here’s to the end of summer for us both!
I need to plant plumbago to add some color to my fall yard. Was Looking forward to more pollinators hanging around my Gregg’s mist flower but all the blooms are dead. It’s my first year with it full grown. Hoping it’ll have a second bloom? Thanks for sharing your lovely garden!
My Gregg’s mistflower struggles too. I’m not sure why — maybe not enough sun in my case. Hopefully fall temps and rain will come soon and bring our gardens back into flower.
Lovely as always! I’m definitely hanging on to late summer/early fall by my fingernails. 😉 We’ve had perfect weather in September (80s and 70s), so I’ve been savoring, savoring. When we hit 50s and 60s for highs, I’ll buy some pumpkins… Enjoy!
Ahh, that does sound like perfect weather — and fall weather by our standards here in Texas! 😉 Enjoy, Beth.
I will hang on as long as I possibly can…
Sending wishes for a long Indian summer in Portland, Loree.
I am running full tilt towards fall singing “goodbye summer” all the way. Now, I get to plant again and not have it all die. But the weeds, my gosh, the weeds… They are just busting out everywhere now that we had a couple light rains. I haven’t bought any pumpkins yet either, so you’ve got the jump on me there.
Gardening season will be on our doorsteps again soon. Hang in there until then!
I’m ready to move on, but summer isn’t done with us yet in N. Ca. I like Plumbago, I had it all around the chicken coop to keep the hens shaded and it was a champ in the late summer. The flowers would constantly get stuck in my hair, but that’s not really anything to complain about.
They used to stick to my dog’s fur when he romped through them. He’d come in with blue flowers on his white head — cute!
I’m glad you came around to liking plumbago. Sweet, sky-blue blooms… how can one resist. It brings back childhood memories when, as a little girl, I’d pull off a couple of blooms and attach their sticky stems to my ear lobes: Voila: Earrings!
How clever!
I have let go of summer. I am encouraging fall. We need the rain and I simply like fall. I am plant sitting several plants that a neighbor wanted to save a while longer. They are on vacation.
Here’s hoping fall comes soon for both of us, Lisa. I imagine it’s there already for you.