My Garden Notebook - October 2012

September has been very pleasant with cooler temperatures and some rain to keep all the plants surviving.  

Stats

Gardening Zone: 7a
September High Temperature: 98 degrees F
September Low Temperature: 50 degrees F
Precipitation: 2.68 inches

Seasonally Thinking

In a few weeks, autumn will officially arrive, and I cannot wait. Summer has had its ups and downs, and I am more than ready to enjoy the morning breezes and the rusty and golden hues.

Donna from Gardens Eye View hosts Seasonal Celebrations this month for autumn. And I have listed a few of the treasures of my autumn.

quiescence

In nature, there is a time for everything.

There is a time to sprout and grow.

There is a time to flourish and flow.

There is a time to slow down.

And there is a time to rest.

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There is also a time of reflection...a time to reflect on all for which I am grateful.  Cat at The Whimsical Gardener has created the Thanksgiving 30-day Challenge.

sunrises

mornings in the garden

beauty of blooms

surprises that make me smile

special visits

magical sights

nature walks

quiet moments

sunsets

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Like nature, I am in the midst of slowing down. Although there are a few chores left to do in the garden, there soon will be nothing left to do in the garden until spring. With the chores in the garden decreasing,  the joys and festivities of the holidays will keep me very busy with family visits, cooking, baking, short holiday trips, and celebrating this special time of year. I hope to find some time to rest as well. And so with all of that, I will be taking a blog-cation until January.

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.
Ovid

Blogging has offered a very interesting time of discovery and exploration. I have met so many wonderful bloggers and gardeners. And I will miss the interaction that comes with blogging on a regular basis during these weeks until the new year.

To all the readers of The Sage Butterfly, I wish you pleasant holiday feasts and happy moments. I hope during these fun and hectic times of celebration, you will also find some time to rest.

See you in the new year of 2012!
©Michelle A. Potter

October's Garden Palette

In my October garden, the trees  and shrubs have begun their autumn dance of transition from jades and olives to golds and tangerines and garnets.

Sometimes there is only a branch that has begun the dance to burnt orange among the lime-colored surroundings.

Before this leaf reaches russet, it offers a deep violet.

The finale has come in toasted umber, and it is time to sleep.

A passing hummingbird came by for her last dance in my garden for the year. Her milky white breast fluffs as she grooms herself on a high branch.

With her painted iridescence, she visited flowers that were fading and beginning to close and turn ruddy.

The hydrangeas continue their metamorphosis into shades of fading blush...

to muddy silver...

to crispy ecru.

A few of the blooms of summer burst through for one last show of boldness in scarlet, amethyst, and fuchsia.

Other blooms have reached a state of slumber, turning honeyed gold with edges of cocoa sand.

Autumn chrysanthemums open with gem-colored claret and flaxen sunshine.

What are some of the colors in your October garden pallette?

I am linking up with Carolyn at This Grandmother's Garden for Autumn Walk Challenge and with Carol at May Dream Gardens for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.
©Michelle A. Potter