Posted on by Donna

Seasonal Celebrations-Autumn’s Fruit

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“Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits.”  ~ Samuel Butler

 

 

Autumn is knocking on our door here in the northeast United States.  Leaves are changing subtly, and the grasses are fading from green to yellow.   Autumn flowers are blooming big.  Stands of goldenrod can be seen on roadsides and in my meadow.  Helianthus is adding to the yellow theme with rudbeckias and some asters just starting.  And roses return to give us one more blast of their fragrant petals.IMG_2445

But with all these wonderful colorful blooms still abounding in my garden, I am drawn to something else entirely.  Many of the bushes and trees are putting on their fruit like the Coralberry above.  Those that had summer berries have been stripped by the birds as they readied themselves to head for their winter homes.

And the summer flowers that have faded have continued to feed the birds that are year round residents.  The finches especially devour any seeds they can find so I leave the seed heads for them.  There will be more seeds as autumn continues, and these will be a wonderful treat in winter for those birds that remain, and in spring for birds looking for a meal upon their return.

And of course the veg garden is offering up its bounty.  The summer garden is ripening.  The tomatoes are weighing down the plants.  Cukes continue to sport wondrous fruit ready for pickling.  Okra, peppers and eggplant show no signs of stopping.  And of course if you planted cooler veggies in later summer, you will have a continued salad bowl right through the first snows.

IMG_2355Counted among these fruits of autumn are the bees who seem to live on flowers every waking moment, and fill their pockets with yellow dusty pollen.  And the fungi pop up, as the cool fall rains turn the hard brown earth to a deep rich chocolate hue.

For me there is no greater joy than the fruits of autumn.  The fruits of our labor, and Nature’s labor together.

 

Please join me in celebrating autumn in the Northern hemisphere as I show you my garden fruits from this glorious season:

 

 

 

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I trust in nature for the stable laws of beauty and utility. Spring shall plant and autumn garner to the end of time. ~Robert Browning

 

 

 

Tomatoes, okra and cukes
Hardy Hibiscus
Green beans galore
Fungi
Joe pye with Obedient plant

….autumn–that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness–that season which has drawn from every poet worthy of being read some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling.”  ~ Jane Austen, Persuasion

 

 

So how are you celebrating the change of season where you are?  Do you look forward to the fruits of your labors in the garden as they reveal themselves in the glory of fall?

 

If you want to join in the celebration, check out the Come Join Us section below with all the details of how to participate in this meme.

 

 

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 Autumn Mantra:

“It so happens that a capacity for delayed gratification is correlated with intelligence and attainment in life.”  ~Paul Martin, Counting Sheep

I am feeling a need for patience in my life right about now.  I know that we live in a world where we want instant results, and have lost the ability to wait.  To know that nature, like the Universe will give us what we need in due time is an important lesson I am still learning.  And there is no better place to look for this than in the autumn garden.  I hope it will be a slow journey as I take time to enjoy my fall garden.

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Come Join Us:

Seasonal Celebrations is a time for marking the change of seasons and what is happening in your part of the world during this time.  I hope you will join in by creating a post telling us how you celebrate this time of year whether summer or winter or something else.  Share your traditions, holidays, gardens and celebrations in pictures, poetry or words starting September 1st.

And it seems so appropriate to collaborate with Beth and her Lessons Learned meme.  What lessons have you learned this past season of summer here in the North and winter in the South.  Then tell us about your wishes, desires and dreams for this new season.The rules are simple.  Just create a post that talks about lessons learned and/or seasonal celebrations.  If you are joining in for both memes please leave a comment on both our blog posts.  Or if you are choosing to join only one meme, leave a comment on that blog post.  Make sure to include a link with your comment.

Beth and I will do a summary post of our respective memes on the equinox (the 22nd of September).  And we will keep those posts linked on a page on our blog.  Your post should be linked in the weekend before the equinox to give us enough time to include your post in our summary.  And if you link in a bit late, never fear we will include it on the special blog page (which I still have to create).  The badges here can be used in your post.   So won’t you join in the celebration!!

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Next up on the blog:   I hope you will join in the meme as August wanes.  Monday, I will do a wrap up of my August garden.  I also have a blogging anniversary on the 13th with a special post.

I hope you will join me for my posts once a month at Beautiful Wildlife Garden. See my most current post now.  Most recent post is up.

Please remember, to comment click on the title of the post and the page will reload with the comments section.

All original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Gardens Eye View, 2010-2013.  Any reprints or use of content or photos is by permission only.

 

49 Replies to “Seasonal Celebrations-Autumn’s Fruit”

  1. Your summer is soooooo short! To me, it seems like you summer only just began. Your produce is inviting, growing your own is very rewarding. So autumn is coming, even here the nights are cooler, and even the daytime temperatures are not so very hot.

    1. It is short Christina. It is still hot here but will cool down soon even maybe by the end of next week. Dark mornings trigger that melancholy as we start to move into the dark time of the year. Time to savor whatever light we can.

    1. This summer every little bit of time I had (and it was little), had to count. Most of my one a week in the garden was spent in the veg patch and wandering with the camera.

  3. I love all the photos in this beautiful Autumn post. It seems too soon for Fall–I’m still in a Summer mood. 🙂 Patience is a great virtue. Enjoyed your words and images, thanks, Donna.

    1. I never quite made it into a summer mood due to work. Trying now to rest and re-energize. Sometimes the cool down of fall actually gives me energy. So happy you enjoyed this post Loredana!

  4. I appreciated all your photos very much Donna. You had a nice tomato harvest even with a shorter growing season. May you get a spurt of extra garden growth in an Indian Summer-moving-into-Fall September!

    1. Thanks Susie. That is about a tenth of the harvest…there is still so much still on the vines waiting to ripen. They are huge but taking a loooong time to ripen. Patience!!

  5. oh! how gorgeous are these photos!
    I love the blooms of Fall almost more than Spring
    and way more than Summer’s brights.
    There is something so deep and mellow and golden
    about their tones. Brings back so many sweet memories and feelings.
    Thanks for sharing the loveliness around you,
    Jennifer

    1. I agree Jennifer there is a mellowness to the fall blooms that begs us to slow a bit as the weather shifts and cools.

  6. The feeling of Autumn hasn’t got going yet here – despite it’s fruits. There’s something in the air we’re still waiting for, It’s my favourite time of the year.

    1. I am waiting for the cool down that is coming but despite that we are seeing signs. I am trying to ignore them for the weekend.

  7. Temp is up into the 90s today, and I am wishing autumn would get here soon! It is, along with spring, our best season. I love your coralberries. I planted several last year. Although they are native to Alabama, mine are taking a while to become established. I think I have two berries on one bush.

    1. Hot and humid here too Deborah. The Coralberry bush is beside the gazebo forgotten in part shade and in an area that will get quite moist in spring. It grew in a few years to 4 feet by 4 feet but the Obedient plants are swallowing it. Still it puts out lots of berries that the birds devour.

  8. Your tomato harvest looked good. Mine are only just turning red. Apparently extreme heat stops the ripening process, so I’m looking forward to the first taste of autumn next week. 😉

    1. Same here Cathy. With the extreme heat we have been waiting almost a month more than usual to harvest. Just made homemade sauce with the huge plum tomatoes…..mmmmmm!

  9. I wish you a fine Autumn filled with color and the air of reflection. The air is turning a bit cool so soon the leaves will change and in weeks, summer will be gone until next year.

    1. Thank you so much Donna. I am looking forward to some quieter time and reflection in the garden. Autumn is so beautiful here in NY and especially for you near the Falls.

    1. Indeed it is Amy which is why I love to have lots of hardy fall blooming flowers in the garden. They are my autumn fruits as well.

  11. Thanks for reminding me about autumn’s bounty, Donna. I enjoy autumn, but summer is a hard act to follow in my book. It wouldn’t be so bad, but it’s followed by the big, cold, white month. Ick. Your veggies look so tasty! I hope to link in soon.

    1. Beth that has always been the downside of autumn for me too. I think it is why I feel melancholy during fall and especially in later fall. We accept the fate of winter waiting again for spring to return. So I think I will savor all the seasons before that white month.

  12. I love the feeling of fall, although we have a ways to go until we experience the first fall days, I can feel the seasons turning. It’s reassuring to know that the intense days of summer will soon be gone. I hope you are enjoying the gentleness of the season!

    1. Thank you Dorothy. It is indeed turning as the signs niggle a bit here and there. Wishing you some respite from the intense summer.

  13. Hello Donna
    I’m ready for autumn, my inner clock is wanting change from hot and humid to cool and earthy smelling days.
    Your autumn flowers and garden bounty are quite lovely and I like the way the little text pops up from each photo in the collage.
    Judith

    1. Judith as our gardens tire so do the gardeners. It is time for me to feel refreshed with the cool autumn air. The text pop up is a WordPress feature when you do a collage right from the photo gallery. I like it too.

    1. Jen that shrub is Coralberry. Isn’t it magnificent with the pink berries. I don’t know why I don’t have more planted.

  15. The obedient plant looks beautiful interspersed with your verbena bonariensis. The cosmos are looking pretty as well; so are the sunflowers and asters. Your tomatoes and green beans look great too. We have lots of tomatoes and cucumbers too. Still very hot here (high 90s) and we look forward to cooler days and also rain. Take care and enjoy the last of summer in your beautiful garden, Donna.
    Hugs, Beth

    1. Thanks Beth. Wishing you a beautiful and bountiful end of summer….it will be nice to have a bit more rain and cooler breezes.

    1. Michelle the celebration has just started so you have about 20 days still to participate if the spirit moves you…enjoy as many days outdoors as you can. I am looking forward to being out in the autumn air as well.

  17. I love your end-of-summer garden, Donna! One of the things I like most about your blog – and I may have said this before – is the abundance of beautiful quotations. The thoughtful time you spend choosing them for each posting is appreciated. I especially like your autumn mantra! I hope you find time to truly enjoy ‘the fruits of your labors’ in spite of work.

    I have joined you in your seasonal celebrations on my blog today. P. x

    1. Thank you Pam. I enjoy the quotations too which inspire me. I think that is why I include them and take time to find just the right ones.

      I am looking forward to your SC post Pam. I am so happy you are joining in!!! 🙂

  18. Autumn is arriving here too in the subtle changing of leaves. It seems like it has been going on for a while but then we look and finally notice. It’s been such a wonderful summer I don’t want to let it go!

  21. Hello Donna, I’d like to participate in your seasonal celebrations meme and my post is noted below:

    http://www.life-change-compost.com/childless-by-choice-a-letter-to-the-daughter-i-never-had/

    This post is a little different in that I have allowed the garden to be my teacher in a lesson I needed to finally internalize. I often find that fall is when these things happen for me as it is–what I call–the deepening season. Grief and joy go hand in hand for me, so I call this a celebration of my own making!

    1. Wonderful Susie…a lovely, deep, beautifully written post…I also associate autumn with grief and joy. One of my first posts was relating autumn to the stages of grief. My blog was started as a means for me to relate my life’s lessons I had learned in my garden…kindred spirits!

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