One day you are out in your garden and there out of the corner of your eye you notice one of those blooms that you always think of as a late bloom, one that marks the beginning of the end of the growing season.
Yes, those flowers, like these resurrection lilies. Didn’t I just cut back the dying foliage from these a few days ago?
And now they are up and blooming and acting like this is their time.
Time.
I guess it doesn’t actually stand still in a garden now, does it?
I don’t want to be an alarmist and sound a gong to announce the end of the growing season. But… make no mistake. Time is getting on this season.
You can hear it in the trees, all those cicadas making all that noise. That sound used to mean it was almost time to go back to school and even though it has been decades since I went to school, I still can’t help but think of doing so when I hear the cicadas singing from the trees. I get an urge to by notebooks and new pencils!
You think I’m being an alarmist just because a few resurrection lilies started blooming?
I saw mums blooming today.
Mums!
Now I do think I need to sound an alarm and make sure everyone knows to watch out for signs of fall. Fall is sneaky! First there will be these mums. Then one leaf on a tree will turn to its fall color. Then pretty soon another leaf will change, then another mum will bloom.
Then the Joe-Pye weed will start flowering.
Followed too quickly by toad lilies and asters.
And before you know it…
Head out to the garden, people! Just head out and enjoy the garden while you can!
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I spread another six bags of mulch on the garden today! I almost broke my arm patting myself on the back for this great accomplishment. Just nine more bags to go. The areas I mulched all look so nice, I don’t know why I didn’t mulch them way back in April when I had the bags delivered. Or in May, or June, or even July, which the sun is rapidly setting on. August! I feel pretty confident I’ll have all this mulch spread long before August is over. Who knows? Maybe in just a few days!
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The thought of Fall makes me shiver!
It must be happening everywhere because I noticed an oxblood lily just peaking its head through the soil today and weeks ago fall asters were blooming. As to fall-we can't wait donw in the south.
Thank you! Beautiful and graceful thoughts on time passing. Soon it will be spring again!
I have enjoyed being in my garden more than ever this year. We sit on our back patio just about every evening surrounded by many different kinds of lilies – my happy place!