My garden quilt blankets its bed. Seeds that were sown have become the fabric of the garden.
Patches of pumpkins, rows of ripe beets, corners of carrots; their feather tops waving.
Layers of leaves where zucchini can hide. Fine silk on corn stalks. Patterns of sunshine and shadows throughout.
Red accents of strawberries stitched in their ditches. Embossed are designs of tendrils and vines of peas, beans and cucumbers.
Borders of berries, raspberry and blue, are hemmed with savory herbs, Rosemary and thyme. Under the cover, potatoes wake up and garlic sleeps on.
The garden will soon be at rest. I can tend to this phase with joy.
I have worked for the garden and the garden has reciprocated. I give thanks for its abundance. Its withered and spent debris I will repurposed for a new season.
Our unusually warm October has extended harvests of tomatoes and peppers for which I am grateful. Just when I thought there was no hope of filling my pantry, colorful jars of red, orange, green and purple line my shelves.
Though my sprinklers have been blown out, that one day of rain in September just wasn’t enough so I hooked up my hose to give extra water to my trees, shrubs and perennials. The lawn will have to take care of itself. Most of the warm part of the day I am transplanting perennials, dividing iris and planting bulbs.
What to do with those gigantic umbrella-like mushrooms? There are many types of fungal fruiting bodies, of which mushrooms are included. Some of which are also poisonous. If you have or haven’t finished your final mowing, remove the mushrooms from your lawn. As the reproductive part of the fungi are spores, you don’t want to propagate more mushrooms with your lawn mower!
Mushrooms embrace cool, moist, shady conditions which autumn often offers.
My recommendation for mushrooms is if you didn’t buy it in the grocery store, DON’T EAT IT!
About the browning needles of pine trees. This is not an indication the tree is dying. The needles closest to the trunk on a branch ripen then fall to the ground. They are dropping now but you may as well not rake them up until Mother Nature sends her brisk autumn winds. Then we will see a plethora of reddish brown needles on the ground. If however all the needles on the tree have turned brown it is good-by pine tree. It can cause havoc from winter winds.
Consider pine needles as a resource.
They make an attractive mulch and ground cover for shrubs and trees.
If used on pathways, they help restrict weed growth.
They decompose in compost bins or piles to make soil.
They are NOT highly acidic. They are readily available and they are free.
I make a mound of pine needles and soil to protect my fussy roses.
I took a class one time and learned how to soften the needles for weaving. The pine needle baskets I made have lasted for nearly forever.
This is a good time to survey your landscape. If there are branches on fruit trees, or other ornamentals that indicate decline, it may be the result of blight. It is important to remove the dead or dying branches so the remainder of the tree does not succumb as well. Pruning for fruit production however, should be done in late winter or early spring.
Enjoy the waning days of autumn as the colors fade and fall.
We will rest from labors heavy until spring again will call.
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