The spell has been broken.

We’ve made it to the other side.

We are now in the land of autumn, with clear blue skies, crisp morning temperatures, and bees hastily gobbling up the last of the nectar and pollen.

Behind us are those last hot, decidedly unseasonable days of record setting temperatures above 90ºF.

Ahead of us, fallen leaves will soon carpet the lawn and flower borders and I’ll be clearing off the vegetable garden and pulling all the weeds I can find.

Packages and boxes of flower bulbs are showing up on my doorstep. Who ordered all those bulbs in those carefree days of spring and then forget how many she actually ordered?

(Rhetorical question. Of course I ordered those bulbs but I do not remember how many I ordered. I like to prove that I can still plant 1,000 crocus corms in my lawn on a bright, cold late October day.)

The spell has been broken.

At last, we are really going to have a Fall.  No more shorts and T-shorts. Time to go back to jeans and long-sleeved shirts. Time for hot tea instead of cold tea, time for relaxing.

Relaxing?

The spell has been broken!

Now is not the time to relax. Now is the time to go out into the garden and get caught up on weeding, tending, primping, and cleaning up. No more whining about how hot it is or how dry it is.

(Yes, it is still dry. Water or move on.)

Now is the time for action! There is far too much to do sit around and talk about the weather.

The spell has been broken. Everyone! Back out to the garden!

Though the spell has been broken and now you must be very busy, there is still time to listen to The Gardenangelists podcast. Perhaps listen while you are gardening? Our newest episode features bulbs that deer don’t like, fall vegetables, and how to keep deer away from your tulips, which they do like.

And there is still time, until October 9th, to enter our Botanical Interests seed giveaway. The instructions for doing so are on The Gardenangelists Instagram post, where you also officially enter. We are giving away five sets of fall-sown vegetable seeds. That’s right. Five winners!