Signs of Fall

Thursday, August 10, 2006

The garden is showing clear signs of cooler days ahead. My favorite season of the year -- Fall -- is well on its way.


I see the signs on the sedum plant and on the Sweet Autumn clematis. Both of these plants are pregnant with buds. And the obedient plant, or False Dragonhead as it's sometimes called, has popped its first pink flower.

Fall is my favorite time of year in the garden -- even more so than spring. I think it's partly because it's just more comfortable to be in the garden after a long hot summer, and also because I really enjoy the last burst of color before we revert to the dull taupes and grays of a long, often snowless, D.C. winter.

The garden revives itself again in the fall. It's as if it's taking one last, life-absorbing deep breath, preparing to hunker down for hibernation. This is when some of my flowers end their struggle with the summer heat and bloom at their best. Calendula, one of my favorites, is among them.

The fall season in general has a way of enlivening all my senses. From the showy trees that give one last "hurrah" with their brilliantly-colored leaves, to the rhythmic swishing of the fallen leaves beneath my feet on the sidewalk. From the tart-crisp crunch of the season's new apple, to the warming comfort of a homemade butternut squash soup. A favorite cozy sweater pulled from the back reaches of the closet. A squirrel's chatter as it scurries for acorns. Cool nights serenaded by a lone cricket's chirp. The scent of woodsmoke from a glowing fire. Clear skies that call us to marvel at the stars again.

I love fall.