Posted on by Donna

Seasonal Celebrations Revealed-Autumn 2014

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 “There is something incredibly nostalgic and significant about the annual cascade of autumn leaves.”  ― Joe L. Wheeler

 

 

I still to this day covet the time of year when leaves pile up in the garden.  They indeed make me nostalgic for a more playful time.  A time of rest coming.  When we sweep away the decaying old growth and make way for a rebirth.  When the musky smell calls us to slow, observe and bask in the gentleness of the new season of fall.

And in the midst of this slowdown comes a melancholy as the warm seasons are behind us, the profusion of flowers are going, going, gone.  And the harvest is ending with the first frost and freeze already too early this year.

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This autumn my mantra is all about honoring autumn and rejoicing in its abundance and blessings.  Time to weed, dig, amend and prep the garden for next year.  Time to notice the beauty of the colors as the foliage takes center stage.   

 

 

“All seasons have something to offer”  ~Jeannette Walls

 

Fall is not a favorite month for many as we don’t want to see the weather turn cold and the garden end.  With the early frost, I had to harvest all my homegrown marigolds. They filled 4 vases that I am sharing for this Seasonal Celebrations wrap-up post.

I am sharing this wrap-up of my seasonal meme with a few other link ups.  This week, I am linking with Cathy@Rambling in the Garden for her meme, In a Vase on Monday, and Today’s Flowers hosted by Denise@An English Girl Rambles.   And I am also linking this post to Judith@Lavender Cottage who is now hosting Mosaic Monday. 

 

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So let’s see what wishes, dreams and thoughts folks have for celebrating the new season…. 

 

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Pam@Pam’s English Cottage Garden has a wonderful way of celebrating the change of seasons.  She takes her harvest and flowers and displays them at the local county fair in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.  Pam took 28 ribbons for all her entries, 12 were first place ribbons.  I say that is a grand celebration:

 

…..Fair marks the unofficial end of summer here…… I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the changes!

 

 

As the seasons go along, we are reminded that we must provide for wildlife in all seasons.  And that is what Michelle@Rambling Woods has done with her beautiful post.  She shows the evolution of her wildlife garden and laments about the seasonal change in her Western New York garden:

 

While I do love the fall colors, I find it to be bittersweet and a reminder that Mother Nature keeps moving forward even if my heart is still with the summer.

 

 

 

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Sue Link@The Northern New York Gardener is marking the seasonal change by observing the fall migration.   Sue is just a half hour North of me in a beautiful rural area that glows with wildflowers and wildlife in her garden and surrounding areas.

 

Signs that fall is approaching in Northern New York. The geese are practicing their V-formations,
the fields are golden, the corn needs to be harvested., and a touch of red in the leaves of trees.

 

 

In Germany, Cathy@Words and Herbs is celebrating the coming of September by making the traditional Bavarian dish: Reiberdatschi, also known as potato pancakes.  Cathy has been busy with gardening chores, harvesting and basking in thoughts of autumn.

 

Autumn has always been my favourite time of year….And thoughts of golden Octobers, with all those rich colours, also made me happy even before I became a gardener.

 

 

 

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@Poetry In A Pot of Tea is watching summer change to fall and thinking of the hot temperatures and lots of sunshine in her California garden.  Many of her plants are drying and brown, and some like her red Celosia are looking like a flame.  As she says:

 

I wouldn’t mind a little less sunshine and a little more Fall.  

 

 

Harvesting the last of summer flowers in her Wisconsin garden, Beth@PlantPostings is arranging some lovely vases from her plentiful blooms.  She certainly has a wonderful knack for creating beautiful vases.  As Beth says:

 

Arranging flowers and other garden elements is one of my favorite things to do during the fall.
 

 

 

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In the state of Washington, Tatyana@My Secret Garden is also showing a dazzling array of blooms from her garden.  She picked one of each variety blooming and displayed them in various colorful arrangements on a table.  I love how she covered the table in there last of summer blooms as she celebrates fall’s arrival.

 

 

Rose@Prairie Rose’s Garden, in central Illinois, is marking the change of seasons by enjoying every minute.  She is savoring the flowers, veggies and critters that remain in her garden.  And as Rose says:

 

I am going to remember especially this last lesson and take some time each day to enjoy the beauty around me.  It’s nourishment for the soul.

 

 

In Texas, Shirley@Rock-Oak-Deer is joining in our celebration of autumn with fall events for San Antonio gardeners.  As Shirley says:

 

…in San Antonio, we are beginning our second gardening season of the year which typically lasts until late November.  We are so fortunate have a number of active gardening groups in San Antonio sponsoring excellent events over the next few weeks to help get our gardens going.

 

What a dream to be gardening well into fall, and attending native plant and herb sales.  Oh and the garden tours are a perfect culmination to the end of the gardening season in late fall.

 

 

And finally Susie@life-change-compost has a wonderful celebration of life, history, and adventure as fall slips in now.  Susie made a wonderful trip to Vermont for a reunion and to experience what she calls her mantra of Love, Beauty and Spirituality.  I have a similar mantra these days.  Her perceptions about life and the beauty of Vermont were a treat:

 

Getting out of our comfort zone once again proved to be magic. With the passing of time and the losses that life brings, we knew doing something neither of us had ever done before would be another way to keep us feeling young and alive.

 

Here’s to constantly moving that comfort zone and forever trying new adventures.  Thanks for the reminder Susie! 

 

 

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“I have an affection for those transitional seasons, the way they take the edge off the intense cold of winter, or heat of summer.”  ― Whitney Otto

 

 

 

 

 

 

Special Note:  All the vases used a mixture of 6 plants:  marigolds, chameleon plant leaves with a tinge of burgundy, grasses turning orange, giant horsetail, giant burnet and small white asters.  Some vases used as few as three of these plants and some used all 6.  I love how they all blend together.

marigold vases 

 

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Next up on the blog:  

Wednesday I will have another Native Plant profile.  And next Monday, I will have an update on my veg garden.

sharetheloveI am also joining in I Heart Macro with Laura@Shine The Divine that happens every Saturday.  

 

All original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Gardens Eye View, 2010-2014.  Any reprints or use of content or photos is by permission only.

 

 

52 Replies to “Seasonal Celebrations Revealed-Autumn 2014”

  1. I’d agree, very mixed feelings about autumn here. We have just woken up to the first really chilly morning. I like the idea of getting ready for a rest though, and the garden’s rebirth. It makes me feel a bit better about it!

  3. Overwhelmed with your Marigolds! Such beautiful arrangements. I just gave my Sunflowers away to a birthday girl. I need to prune my spice currants and I will bring the branches in for an arrangement. I love Autumn arrangements. Potato pancakes sound divine! I am okay with Autumn this year as we look forward to a nice reprieve from the too long Winter and progress on our porch. I am already thinking ahead to next Spring, too. I do plan to keep working in my garden until it freezes. There is much to clean up from my neglectful Summer.

    1. Thanks Kathy…glad you enjoyed the marigolds. My garden has been neglected too and we are still getting a few veggies. But I will be glad to cleanup and prep for next year.

  4. Happy autumn, Donna! Wow, you have quite a bit of color already. We still haven’t had a freeze or frost, although the temperatures were close about a week ago. Your Marigolds and arrangements are very pretty. 🙂

  5. Oh my, this Autumn post is divine! I am one wh loves this changing season, probably because our winters are not that usually harsh, so after all the humidity of summer, that first coolness in the air is always welcome. Wishing you a wonderful day Donna!

    1. So glad you enjoyed the post Denise…I welcome autumn too but ours is usually too short before the ground freezes….and I will make the most of the time I can in the garden this fall.

  7. Your vases make a lovely tribute to fall, Donna! Fall is probably my favorite season, even though it’s slow to start here as summer attempts to reassert itself at intervals into October. We don’t get the beautiful color changes of the Northeast but the temperatures gradually cool and work in the garden becomes pleasant. We do all the planting we can in the fall to catch the benefits of whatever rain winter brings. This year, we’re beating the drums in the hope that rain will come, despite the negative prognostications of the weather forecasters.

    1. I do hope you get a good amount of rain in CA. With our lovely fall color we do pay the price with our winter…but I love our fall. So glad you liked the marigold vases Kris.

  8. What a great start to Autumn blog post! Your photos are amazing and I love the first one of the gazebo roof! The colors are just beautiful.
    And your marigolds are outstanding especially the yellow ones. I’ve always been attracted to yellow marigolds.
    Thanks for including the link to my Seasonal Celebration blog post. It it very much appreciated.

    1. Thank you Sue for writing a great celebration post…my pleasure to include it here in the wrap-up. And I am so glad you enjoyed the SC post.

  9. The arrangements are so beautiful. I must put marigolds on my list for next year. And thanks for soap boxy comment at the Garden Spot. I do enjoy good discussion.

  11. I loved your introduction to the post, Donna – the words really resonated. Those pale yellow marigolds are lovely, aren’t they? The other 5 plants really work with them and the different vases were a really stylistic way of showcasing them. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    1. So glad you liked the group of vases and especially the marigolds. I wonder what I will be plucking from the garden next? And I am so pleased you really enjoyed the autumn post Cathy!

  12. What a lovely cheery collection of vases Donna. We haven’t had frost yet, but the next few nights are forecast to be very cool. I suppose it’s goodbye to the summer herbs and container flowers now. But I am also embracing the season. Your first photo is lovely!

    1. Autumn can be so lovely here and it is showing itself already with our cool weather…this week though the weather has warmed…so very happy you enjoyed the vases…they are looking so bright wherever they are placed throughout the house.

  14. Such a warm glowing collection and mosiac, love the marigolds. I too had to get my garden ready for the Winter, pulled it and left all the flowers that were in bloom. With hopes that my kids will collect the seeds for me, wishful thinking. I’m trying to embrace the season but for some reason this season causes me a bit of anxiety, walking helps. You post, pictures and words are inspirations to me, thanks

    1. Cindy how wonderful of you to visit….I know how autumn can bring us a bit of melancholy as it signals a change, an end..but I am so happy you found some inspiration here.

  16. Your flowers are still looking lovely. We are due for lows in the 40’s tonight.. That is the coldest we have been so far.. But, fall is just starting.. I enjoyed your beautiful images. Have a happy week!

    1. Yes we are getting a few low 40s and Monday the high was 55… but the rest of the week we should be in the upper 70s. The garden will still keep blooming.

  18. I will have to hop around and check out all of these lovely blogs! Your vases are just so pretty this week Donna….they evoke the feeling of autumn in all of their warm hues! Wishing you an outstanding week! Nicole

  19. It was almost cold enough to fire up the woodstove today but I just couldn’t do it. I’m not ready to admit the grey days of Fall and Winter are upon me. I still have sweet peas growing along the fence, I’ll give in when they do.

    1. Oh sweet peas…I can never get mine to grow a second time…i am not surrendering either…even with the cold weather we are not turning on the furnace or lighting a fire…the days are warming again and I will bathe in the sunny warmth.

  21. Thanks so much for linking me in Donna, I really appreciate it. I am completely in thrall to your opening photograph. What a gorgeous image. I can’t believe you’ve had a frost already! It’s still warm here, but the harvest is in. I’m able to do arrangements with dahlias as the central theme–oranges, reds and even one particular dahlia that is a burgundy shade. Reminds me of the deciduous forest hillsides in New England. Yesterday, I baked pumpkin bread…..yes, fall is here! (BTW, somebody asked me about the heirloom French pumpkins–yes, they DO have a good flavor and texture for baking.)

    1. I love the look of those pumpkins Susie and I bet they do have a great flavor. And your arrangements with dahlias sound heavenly. So glad to have you join in the link up!

  22. Marigolds are one of my favourite flowers so thank you for sharing your harvest. Mine are still growing well in the garden – hopefully for a few weeks more. Fall (autumn to us in the UK) is just beginning. The mornings are often misty and the evenings are drawing in. Temperatures are still high though so the real sign of autumn – lighting the fire – is still a few weeks away. Even so I am starting to prepare the garden for the winter (in many ways my favourite gardening season) and getting ready to plant the bulbs that will welcome in the spring.

    1. Oh I do love gardening in autumn too Julie. And it is wonderful to hear you also love marigolds. I would have loved a few more weeks of warmer weather but not to be had this year.

  25. Hey Donna,
    Nicely done. While I don’t have any pollen issues, I must admit I find working with marigolds inside just too overpowering. During my exhibitor days (sounds like a psych disorder, doesn’t it?) I did enter them in shows in hopes of winning the sweepstakes ribbon. So am enjoying yours from afar… very, very afar. Please visit as my nursing home garden has never looked better.

    1. I am behind reading Patrick but promise to stop by soon. I always look forward to seeing your garden. I thought the marigolds would be overpowering once indoors but they were mild once cut and put in vases and the odor actually lessened each day. Not at all what I expected. Glad you enjoyed them.

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