A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust. ~Gertrude Jekyll
The final bloom day of summer is bittersweet. Here in the NE we know that there will be less and less flowers, colder weather, last call for veggies and shorter days. The garden slows down, but this gardener kicks into high gear to finish the chores before the ground freezes. Though with the slow feel of the season, I have been contemplating the concept of slow gardening.
I think it is best to take our cue from the garden and nature. Feel its rhythm and connect to it. Savor the opportunities as they happen. These are the lessons that happened for me in summer due to my work schedule. Less and less time to stay connected to the garden brought upon exhaustion and sickness. And what I have learned is that I must have more time just to “be” in my garden or nature if not for my health then for my sanity.
For me it is the gardening for wildlife giving me opportunities to watch the critters, the long slow walks taking stock and taking pictures of the garden, listening to the sounds and smelling the sweet breezes punctuated with the scent of decaying plants….these are pleasures my garden brings that helps me slow and reconnect with Mother Earth. As I contemplate this past season, I am linking in with Beth@PlantPostings for her wonderful Garden Lessons Learned meme.
As summer closes, I will be celebrating every little bloom I can. And there are many although they are more of a hodge podge with a few surprises. I am also linking in for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day as I join Carol@May Dreams Gardens.
The funny thing about late summer/early fall flowers is they are many repeaters from late spring coming back again. What a wonderful treat to see them again.
And then there are the beauties I love to see every late season….lobelias, asters, rudbeckias, sedum and Japanese anemone.
Of course who can ignore the annuals like the marigold above and nasturtiums that keep going until the first frost. Most are grown from seed.
With fall, the foliage begins to shine. Our maples have been shifting for weeks now. Enjoy these lovely foliage specimens that are shining in my garden right now as I join in with Pam@Digging for her Foliage Follow Up on the 16th, and Christina@Creating my own garden of the Hesperides for her Garden Bloggers Foliage Day on the 22nd.
Trees beginning to sport their new fall colors….
And then there are the variegated weigelas…..
My final lesson this summer was the following quote. In my day job and my garden I need to simplify and know my limits; have time to do nothing. I am beginning to practice this now, and these lessons will serve me well as I enter the seasons of my life.
There’s no quicker way to extinguish the spark that ignites the joy of gardening than by taking on too much too soon. ~Edward C. Smith
I hope you will join me for Seasonal Celebrations which is underway until the Equinox around the 21st. Read more about how to join in below.
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: Saturday brings the Seasonal Celebrations wrap-up post. I hope you will join in. Then Monday is time for another Garden Book Review.
I am linking in with Michelle@Rambling Woods for her Nature Notes meme. It is a great way to see what is happening in nature around the world every Wednesday.
I hope you will join me for my posts once a month at Beautiful Wildlife Garden. See my most current post now. Tuesday brings my next post.
As always, I’ll be joining Tootsie Time’s Fertilizer Friday.
Please remember, to comment click on the title of the post and the page will reload with the comments section.
Sorry to hear about your health. I too use daily walks in nature to aid in better health. Your garden is larger, so you can go right out your back door, but I need to walk a few blocks to get to the Falls meadow. I hope your life slows down and you get your joy and sense of calm. It will be awhile before Fall sets in here. We are still having warm nights in the upper 50’s and 60’s. Days much warmer. The leaves are slowly falling but not much color yet.
Thanks Donna for all your good wishes. Leaves are already changing here and our first frost tonight…too early!
I was first introduced to Slow Gardening on Diana’s blog ‘Elephant’s Eye’ and it is a wonderful philosophy. Have you visited their website, http://www.slowgardening.net/ ?
There is so much blooming still in your fall garden, Dona. Take it easy and enjoy! P. x
Sorry for the typo with your name, Donna!
No worries Pam…it is the Italian spelling 🙂
I have visited the site and have the book…another great one to read and review and will probably review it this winter. I plan to take days off this fall just so I can relish the garden in fall and get my dose of dirt therapy!!
I take that time to BE in the garden, with my muesli, or a cup of tea – which prevents the instinctive impulse – to pull out that Weed, or trim that … or harvest cuttings for False Bay. Sit, and look, and enjoy.
It is a wish of mine to spend more time in the garden and just BE…work so far prevents that but someday.
Nice prose and flowers Donna! Susie
Susie so glad you enjoyed the glimpse at the garden…lots more is just beginning to pop up still…worried a bit for some plants as we are getting our first early frost…a full month early! So we will be bidding adieu to the summer plants.
Beautiful lessons, Donna! You seem to have a lot more foliage color than we do. But there’s no denying autumn is unfolding. Thanks for sharing your excellent lessons!
Thanks Beth….cold tonight so we are looking at an early fall here!!
Lovely blooms as we move into this last week of summer. The leaves on a few trees are slowly changing and with the cooling down overnight of the temperatures we will soon be enjoying all the gorgeous fall colours.
Yes we have a frost tonight and a freeze in some areas so fall has begun. But with it comes Indian Summer 🙂
Hi Donna
There are times when we simply have to slow down, its so easy to lose ourselves in gardening that we at times forget that its not a chore. I have to say my heart isn’t in the winding down of the garden this year and with having such a beautiful Summer the cooler weather is more unpleasant than usual. Love your late Summer plants especially that Rudbeckia. Take care, Alistair
Agreed Alistair which is one reason I have not begun the wind down…too much of a chore what with work still busy. But I will be doing that which is necessary and trying to regain my love for even the “chores” which I loved.
My morning began with your beautifully written post. I shall ponder it through the rest of the day and beyond.
Just remember, we also have the capacity to rebloom.
Indeed we do Susan and I shall remember that as I reacquaint myself with my garden!! How lovely to hear my post got you to ponder!
always seems like the first and last bloomers
of the year hold the sweetest and deepest colors
and touch me the most profoundly.
I love Indian Summer and her blossoms,
so brave and longsuffering and gutsy.
Your photos are gorgeous….a feast for the eyes.
Thank you,
Jennifer
I also love those gutsy last blooms as they defy the constant frosts and freezes to keep going for months…those blooms I am sure will be featured in October and hopefully in November. So happy to hear you enjoyed the “bloom candy” Jennifer!
What a lovely and thoughtful post! I know what you mean about just “being” in the garden with nature. Somehow it restores me even if I don’t even pull a weed.
Exactly Dorothy…just me, myself and I sometimes with a camera wandering is such a restorative.
That is one amazing quote, and it rings true…
I am wondering if we all need to just take a step back, and enjoy our gardens more, do less, look longer.
There is this feeling that it’s not a beautiful garden unless it has so many blooms, but why? Is it only flowers that catch our eye, what about foliage, rain drops, blades of grass..they are all equally lovely.
I’m starting to change my focus from looking for a bloom, to appreciating the entire garden. And I like that.
Jen
When I took a walk around this past weekend, I was called by so many plants…friends I have not seen and some who have come back to delight. I have no choice but to slow down and I am liking it taking stock of the whole garden…it is such a nice perspective seeing the whole garden Jen!
What a beautiful post Donna and wise advice that I could use… Of course different from your situation… Too cold here too.. Michelle
Glad you enjoyed the the post and lessons Michelle! Stay warm it’s going to be cold here tonight.
I hope you are feeling better soon, Donna. I envy you the beautiful fall foliage you’re sure to have soon. Thanks for joining in for Foliage Follow-Up.
Thanks Pam…indeed that fall foliage makes the season wonderful leading up to winter.
Wonderful shots of the beautiful flowers. I always enjoy fall blooms knowing they won’t last long.
Carver I know what you mean. These fall blooms are loved even more so as we bid them farewell
You’re so right, nature is a real healer and calming influence.
Your photos are beautiful,
Welcome to the garden here…I am so happy that you enjoyed the post…I am enjoying getting to know your wonderful blog and will be stopping by often!
Hi friend Donna, you are so right in what you get from the gardens. At least you get those! In my case, I always feel everything i haven’t done, or so many things I haven’t started yet whenever i see my garden. And we can do things only during the rainy season because dry months are like your fall, just that ours is uncolorful.
It is hard Andrea…I will be trying to get a lot of work done in a short time as there is no gardening here all winter…then again a lot of work in spring as summer is too hot….it seems interesting how our circumstances are different but the results the same….not enough time to enjoy the garden as much as we would like. Soon mine will be buried for 4-5 months…oh well…time for me to rest then 🙂
I think that last quote is one I need to contemplate. Your flowers are beautiful – but I was very intrigued by the Henry Eilers. I’ve never seen petals like that before! I love the way you incorporated the names in the photos when you scroll over them, too.
Holley, Henry is quite unique and I look forward to his appearance every year at this time. The names popping up is a recent feature on WordPress…I like it too!!
Know your limits is such good advice but hard to put into practice especially if economics get in the way. The fall nursery season is so short that I always overdo it. Your gardens look beautiful.
I hear what you are saying Carolyn…my day job has me overworking as well although I am trying to get that changed…just too darn busy still with the start of the school year. I know you will get some time off though after the season ends so enjoy!!
Looks like your garden did well this summer. Gorgeous blooms all around! It’s so true that spending time in nature helps to stay healthy and more balanced. Great post 🙂
The garden has healed me so many times…I love paying it back for all its wondrous peace!
Wonderful lessons, Donna, that we can all learn from. Having time to do nothing but enjoy the sights and sounds of the garden is important. Too often I see all the work that needs to be done, but right now I’m taking time to enjoy the antics of the hummingbirds, because I know all too soon they will be gone.
Happy Bloom Day and wishing you extra time to enjoy all these lovely blooms!
Thanks Rose…today is one of those days for me. I took a day off to just do as I please or maybe nothing…fun!!
With these shorter days, we have no choice but to slow down. I am missing summer already. I love all your beautiful blooms. You have so much there enjoy, take care and have a happy day!
For me Eileen summer is that slower time due to heat not much goes on in the garden but boy in fall I have so much to get done before the snow flies….but I do have to be sure to not burn out. So glad you enjoyed the blooms!
I agree that time in the garden is good for the soul. It brings peace, serenity and rejuvenation! I definitely need my time with nature otherwise I get unbalanced. Your end of season blooms are certainly putting out their last show! I wonder what winter will bring this year…the weather patterns have been so out of the ordinary this year.
I was wondering the same thing Karin as we just had our first frost a full month early! I will just have to accept it though and hope for the best. Glad you enjoyed the post and blooms!
What you have learned, Donna, is so important, even though you had to get sick to learn it. I get sick too if I don’t manage to get my daily nature fix. Lots of lovely flowers in your end of summer garden.
We already had a frost but I hope the blooms bounce back…they are resilient blooms and should keep blooming for quite a while.
I like Edward C. Smith’s quote. Sometimes I feel just like that! It’s sad to see the garden wind down but good too, it means a rest, however short or long a rest from the garden and the daily drudgery of weeding and mowing cannot be a bad thing.
I agree I need a rest as well although I have had hardly any time this year in the garden due to so many circumstances….fall will be busy though. Next spring will hold so much promise for me to see the blooms and maybe finally get a chance to change some gardens around. Tina, I know you need a good rest with all the work in the new gardens.
your narrative is slow and easy Donna so you obviously have it in you to be less frenetic. I’m sure gardeners have become more anxious – seemingly under pressure to make everything right, like a show garden. My grandmother used to just potter. Anyway I love that vivacious lobelia. Enjoy the second coming of the blooms – its like a mix of seasons at the moment.
Thanks Laura…I like the idea of pottering…what I plan to do this fall as I don’t have enough time to do major projects
In summer when it is very hot it is easy not to do anything, but your advice about enjoying the garden is good; what is a garden for if not for the enjoyment of its owner.
Exactly Christina…a garden should be first for the gardener’s enjoyment!
Donna, you have so much still going on in your garden, thanks for sharing it all.
Thank you for stopping by…the fall garden is just getting going which makes fall very special here in my neck of the woods!
Beautiful blooms Donna!
Thanks and I am so glad you could stop by…I hope you have been well and your garden has been wonderful!!
My garden brings me relief from everything — whenever I am feeling sick, sad or depressed. Hope you are getting better. Researchers are finding that just having the office-lunch sitting in nature brings lots of health benefits.
I should take advantage more at work and my window looks out on woods and critters which does help…I keep getting some virus or other which is a big message to slow down more.