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!!
______________________________________________________________________
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.