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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Looking Like Autumn


It's still warm enough for me to enjoy drinking my morning coffee on the back porch.  The other morning, this lovely and talented spider's work was illuminated by the rising sun.  The golden sunrise only lasted a moment but I was glad to experience it. All too soon I'll be leaving for work in the dark.
 Some of my favorite of life's moments are these brief but beautiful ones.  We gardeners are lucky to experience such ephemeral beauty in so many parts of our passion.

The fallen leaves are picturesque, not, as most of you are thinking, the sign of a lazy gardener.

Okay, they are the sign of a lazy gardener but why clean them up now when more will fall?  Best to wait  and blow them all into the flower beds to decompose over winter.

UPS says that 42 pounds of spring flowering bulbs will be arriving on my porch today.  I'll add them to the collection to be planted once the tender plants are all in the greenhouse.  Sunday afternoon is the first time I'll have off for the big migration.  Next summer, we'll build wood benches for the plants but for this first winter they'll have to make due with folding tables.  Should be fun!  Is it looking like autumn in your garden?

33 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos of the spider webs! There's something so fascinating about these creations, and they look especially beautiful with the light shining through them. Yes, it's definitely fall here, too, and I am hoping it stays reasonably warm here for awhile--it's been raining nonstop (I think we've had Portland weather here since summer), and I'm never going to get all my bulbs planted if it doesn't dry out.

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    1. Spider webs are fascinating! I wish you a nice stretch or warm dry weather to get those bulbs planted. We sometimes have to plant them in the rain here.

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  2. 42 pounds!?!

    I don't know about your forecast but Sunday afternoon is supposed to be dry here, perfect for your migration. It is definitely looking like fall around these parts, although sadly it seems the tree leaves are all falling from drought stress before coloring up for autumn.

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    1. The pictures were so pretty in the catalog; the buttons on the computer so easy to push. This was the Van Engelen order - big discounts for buying in bulk. Brent and Becky's will also be sending a lighter box. I'm always glad in the spring when I plant bulbs in the fall.

      Sunday afternoon is supposed to be nice here too. Don't know if we'll be able to move everything in and find a good place for it in one day but at least things will be in out of the rain and cold. Leaves here are also not coloring up as beautifully as the last few years.

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  3. Glad to hear the migration is beginning soon, because it means the greenhouse is ready or nearly ready to welcome occupants. Although I always get discombobulated when I walk into one of those webs unseen, I do love looking at them when they're lit so beautifully, or covered in dew. What bulbs have you bought? I bought a few more of those tall red Fritillarias, and another couple of bunches of Princess Irene tulips. I need to get some of those little Grecian windflowers, and maybe some Crocus and Daffodils.

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    1. Tomorrow the carpenter comes (really like him, he does all kinds of jobs small and large so if you ever need anyone, I can pass on his name & number) Thursday and Friday the electrician re wires the garage and installs/connects everything. Hooray! Even though the space is large, I've put a few plants in already and find it interesting how much more space they seem to take up inside! I'm sure I'll be re arranging for a while! In addition to the bunch of bulbs I got when we were at Todd's together, I got quite a few Tulip 'Fire of Love' (the ones we got at Hortlandia with the cool foliage) Crocus tommasinianus, some of those tall red Fritillarias, Muscari marcocarpum 'Golden Fragrance' Tulip "American Dream' and 'Lightning Sun', Narcissus 'Arkle', and 'British Gamble', and 'Fritillaria meleagris', and a bunch of smelly lilies. I'll be planting for days!

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  4. Very much so here Peter, and beautiful post btw, slightly melancholic but in a nice way :)

    42 lbs, wow!

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    1. Glad you liked the post, it was a quickie!

      Van Engelen, a bulb purveyor, gives discounts for buying in bulk. It's surprising how little space bulbs require in the garden. Although the task seems daunting now, I'll be glad in spring that I spent the time in the fall to plant them!

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  5. I've walked into most of the cobwebs in my garden already, the spiders seem to have started weaving earlier then usual, or is it me? Not too many leaves changed colors though; my Dahlias are still blooming. Autumn is coming but in slow motion. I love your soft fall pictures; looking forward to the Before and After plant migration shots.
    Forty Two Pounds Of Bulbs! How exciting! We'll have to wait till spring for this After pictures!

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    1. The migration will be fast as I have little time this week. There'll be time to re arrange later! The greenhouse won't look much different as painting will wait until next year but there will be some surprises to post about once it's done.

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  6. How clever of you to have the camera at hand as the sun played with the spider webs. I never think to carry mine with me. As you know, by the time we run to fetch it, the moment has passed. I'm hoping for some mysterious, foggy shots as autumn progresses.

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    1. I was lucky; the camera was just a few steps away in the kitchen. I do love those mysterious foggy mornings and can't wait to see your shots of them!

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  7. The fallen leaves are definitely picturesque, don't clear them up too quickly.

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    1. Oh my friend, nothing much happens quickly in the Outlaw Garden!

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  8. Our tulip bulbs are in gallon cans full of soil, ready to be put in the ground when the dahlias are lifted when we get back. Tender plants and cuttings are in the green house. The lawn is mowed and edged. The raised vegetable garden beds are worked and ready for winter.
    There will be a mess of soggy plants and leaves to clean up when we return in November. Final clean up will take place then.

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    1. You two amaze me with how far ahead you are! Your idea of planting tulips in gallon cans and then pulling them once they've bloomed is inspired! Do you discard them? I usually stick with mostly Darwin hybrids which come back for years for me so they just stay in the ground and perennials fill in the space once they're ripened off.

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  9. Love the first and last photos of this post. Looking forward to seeing some sun again, as it's been rain, rain, rain here. I can't seem to decide if planting bulbs is worth it or not. Right now it just seems like too much work, but in spring it's such a joy, then summer a drag again as you wait for the foliage to go away.

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    1. I plant rings of daffodils around hostas and that takes away some of the summer drag as the emerging hosta foliage covers up the ripening foliage. This works well with lots of perennials and bulbs. Some folks plant annuals between the drying foliage to accomplish the same thing. Go ahead Alan, plant a few bulbs this year! I wish you some nice sunny days!

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  10. Great shots! The light on the web is awesome!

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  11. The shots of the spider webs are so so beautiful.

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    1. It was so special to see them in the sun like that.

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  12. I love your spider web and leaf pictures! We barely finished our patio project before the rains started. Phew! Now, I'm ready for fall and more planting. Have fun planting your bulbs. :)

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    1. Thanks Laura! There are a lot of bulbs on the back porch now but once I get the shovel out and start throwing them in the ground, they'll disappear fairly rapidly. Glad that you're ready for more planting!

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  13. A lovely post, winter has us in it's icy grip even though it's spring. I love the last shot-beautiful.

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    1. Thank you, Karen. Sorry to hear that winter is lingering!

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  14. Best wishes planting those bulbs! I'm always captivated by the pretty catalog pictures but, when the delivery comes, what a chore! I hope you can make quick work of it.

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    1. Fortunately we can plant most of the spring bulbs as late as December so I have a nice window of time. However, the boxes and bags of bulbs nag at me to get them all done by the end of October so they won't be underfoot. When I get really tired of planting them in the ground and/or run out of space, I throw some in pots with potting soil, leave them outside and give them as gifts in the spring or keep them and move the pots around to spots that need a bit of color.

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  15. Stunning photos of the spider's webs! I hope your back doesn't suffer from all your bulb planting, mine usually does! I like it when the coloured leaves form pools of colour on the grass, but eventually they need sweeping up unfortunately.

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    1. Being a lazy gardener, I usually go over the fallen leaves with my mulching lawn mower which shreds them to small bits which decompose quickly. The colors of autumn are beautiful and I don't look forward to them going away as it means that winter will be around for a while.

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  16. Ha, ha, I always think the same, Peter! Why clean them up now when more will fall?
    The fallen leaves are so colorful, you're right.

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  17. It takes too much energy to get rid of them all as soon as they fall!

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  18. Whoaaa! That's a LOT of bulbs! I cherish those short spurts of beauty in the garden too. Nice shot of the spider web. I can just imagine you, peacefully sitting there with your steaming cup, taking it all in. By the way - my garden looks awfully picturesque too... ;)

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.