Fall in the Garden

No! NO! NO! ... not "fall" like "I've fallen and I can't get up," but Fall like "Autumn" which sounds so much more formal and hoity-toity for some reason.

Things are changing rapidly here. I took a little stroll around today and here are some of the highlights.

I LOVE this cute pink daisy-shaped flower. I can't for the life of me remember what it is called, but I believe it is a relative of the chrysanthemum, and it acts just like a mum. Last year, it was all tall and scraggly. Lucky, however, I remembered to pinch it back (along with the mums) several times during the spring. So, here I am rewarded with a nice bushy plant and many flowers.

Next up, the white coneflowers. Dear Ole Mom rewarded me with a pair in Fall 2003 and I was delighted. I planted the little gems nicely together in the Wisteria bed and waited for the next Spring. And buds appeared. And the squirrels nipped off the buds. And I covered the plants with little chicken wire huts. And the plants withered. And I replanted them. And they became even more scrawny. For no apparent reason. I was depressed.

So earlier this Summer, when we worked on the new driveway garden, I was drawn to white coneflowers at Patuxent Nursery, where DH gets a contractor's discount. I couldn't resist. We planted three together ... but wait, there was still room! Should I? Would it be futile? Yes, I moved the pair from the Wisteria bed to the area in front of the new threesome. And guess what? They sprang up with new vitality and have nearly eclipsed the new guys! In the picture you can see the "old" plants in the front, big and bushy as the "new" guys in the back. See the great flower heads on the left hand plant!

Next, on to the pond, where we have had a new visitor for some months. And he let me snap his mug shot today.

Handsome Prince? I'm not going to try it.

I don't always get to see him, but I can usually hear the tell-tale "plop!" into the water as I walk up the path. He seems to like the camouflage of the Pickeral and Water Hyacinth leaves.

Soon, they will die down and we will need to put the heater back in to keep the water open over the Winter.

Back indoors, the natives are sleepy and cozy, enjoying the crisp day from the warm side of the windows.

I'm going to snuggly in too -- with some knitting.

Wally says: "Halloween is Coming! Show a Black Cat some LOVE!"