A Beautiful Fall

No question about it, Fall is here.  Yesterday there was a coating of frost on the grass and flowers.  I spent most of the afternoon cutting down perennials that have turned yellow.  This is the first time in a long time that I can remember being able to spend an entire afternoon doing fall yard-cleaning without having back aches. 

A few flowers are still blooming.  Despite some unseen Japanese beetles devouring one rose bush (where were they hiding?), I still have some blooms.

 

I will cut this to the ground this fall and let it re-emerge bigger and better in the Spring.

 

Last year I planted Montauk daisies and I have been concerned that the frost would get them before they opened.  I have purchased frost blankets, just in case, but they started opening and are a nice addition to a brown and yellow landscape.

 

 

This year I planted chocolate eupatorium, otherwise known as white snakeroot.  I am not as fond of it as I am of my joe-pye weed, but it is blooming now when not much else is.

 

 

The birds are all over the yard this morning eating the seed heads on the black-eyed Susans.  I have been literally throwing out buckets of these plants in addition to giving them to anyone who is breathing and has a garden.  I also have lots of dutch iris to eliminate, but that is a job for next year.

 

It is supposed to be a nice day, and, since I was so conscientious yesterday, I have nothing to clean up outside.  Yet.  Guess I can spend the day lounging in the garden and reading.  There won't be many more chances left this year.