What Happened to Summer?

Close-up of Verbena, one of my favorite summer annuals

How is it possible that summer has come and gone, and I haven't gotten to share my gardens with you? Oh yeah, I run a landscaping business and a busy household. No excuses! So I'll start by sharing some pictures here.

I would be willing to bet that you will agree with me that SUMMER WENT TOO DARNED FAST!! 

While I hold onto my impatiens as long as I can and keep watering petunias that I should have let go long ago, my tomato plants continue to produce bounty, and we keep enjoying it!

'Nora Leigh' Phlox

These last few days have been absolutely gorgeous, the kind of September that Wisconsinites dream about. The sun brings heat through blue skies, but you don't have to look far to see Autumn creeping in. Tinges of yellows and even reds are beginning to peek through, though for the most part we still savor our green palette of summer adorning the tree-covered hills. This soon will change.

The forerunners of color-change are already among us, and there's no turning back. Many of the ash trees on our property have already lost their leaves. They're always early to lose leaves and late to leaf out. That's just their style. But the crunch on the driveway lets me know that the inevitable change of seasons is here, so we might as well embrace it. 

I've always loved Fall. As a little girl, the smell of Fall brought the crunch of leaves and made for a fun season. I loved raking leaf piles and jumping into them, and then laying in the warm sun, letting my imagination take me far away.



I still love Fall, but with the maturity of many seasons behind me, I know that the beautiful hues of Autumn lead to the snow and cold of winter. Not that I mind winter. It's just that it LASTS TOO DARN LONG in Wisconsin. But I digress...

Savor the season you are in.  

Summer glided by on the wings of butterflies and hummingbirds, but as Autumn approaches, we now ride the winds of change.

Change can be for the better, or sometimes for the worse, but one thing is for certain. Nature guides us in displaying that change is a constant in our lives, and we had better learn to go with the flow. Hopefully, our transitions may lead us into new beginnings.

Somewhat reluctantly, I will bring out a few Fall accents to decorate our home. But first, I have a bird bath to clean and plants outside that still require regular watering. 

I hope you are enjoying these last days of our summer-turned Autumn. The promise of pumpkin pies and apple cider and nights around a fire sound inviting, but for now, my rose bush is still blooming and soaking up the sun. Therefore, so am I.