Fall is the new summer

At least this year. We had a wet summer; the rain was very good for the garden (except for vegetables), but got to be tiresome after a while. But September has been glorious: balmy and sunny. Other than wishing more perennials would bloom at this time, I am happier with my early October garden than I usually am.

I invited friends over for drinks on the patio and a bulb-potting activity, and I used a few tricks to freshen the garden.


Pots from the front stoop were moved back to the patio to fill it out. I tied up the tall rudbeckia stalks and cut down some lily stalks that had yellowed (enough for rebloom).


I even brought back a window box and hung it on the trellis. The pond has a lot of leaves at this time, so it had to be cleaned, and I brought down an extra tropical that will stand the nighttime temps.


Add a big punchbowl full of specialty cocktail, some interesting cheeses and a bunch of friends and you’re set. (I used vodka; an Italian mandarin liquor; St Germaine, which is an elderflower liquor; and just enough sparkling water to reduce its deadliness.)

There's just one problem. I really don't feel like working in the garden: I get enough of that in the spring and summer. I want to relax. There is however, a problem with that. 430 little round problems, to be exact, all sitting in boxes in the back room. Some of them direct from Holland.