Snow-white clouds scudding across skies of intense, endless blue; Goldenrods dancing in the afternoon sunshine to the tempo of a gentle breeze; fuzzy orange Wooly Bears scuttling across roadways . . . . Nature is hinting that autumn is just around the corner. And soon, God will flick His paintbrush and splashes of orange, red, and gold will appear on hillsides, in meadows, in our own gardens. Without a doubt, autumn will be here in all of her radiant splendor and we will be wishing that October lasted five months instead of just one!

I have an idea for prolonging the colors of autumn for at least one more month:

This October, when the trees in your garden or a nearby park are flaunting their colors, pack a picnic lunch, rally the kids (or grandkids), and head outside for a leaf-collecting adventure. Bring home the leaves you gather and place them between the pages of some old, heavy books you’ve been meaning to donate. Then, in November, as you set your Thanksgiving table, bring out the leaves and scatter them across your table for a spectacular encore of autumn’s extravagant colors!

–Contributed by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (& avid leaf collector)

One of the many reasons why well-maintained outdoor gardens are increasingly precious to us in this day and age is that they help us to escape the tyranny of speed. Our skies are streaked with jets, our roads have turned into race-tracks, and in the cities the crowds rush to and fro as though the devil were at their heels. But as soon as we open the garden gate, Time seems almost to stand still, slowing down to the gentle ticking of the Clock of the Universe.

~ John Beverley Nichols (English writer, 1888-1983)

Joyfully shared by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (& ‘Garden Time’ advocate)

Learn More via our Gardener’s Journal

If you are interested in bringing your garden and landscape dreams to life, schedule a consultation today.

“The first flash of color always excites me as much as the first frail, courageous bloom of spring. This is, in a sense, my season–sometimes warm and, when the wind blows an alert, sometimes cold. But there is a clarity about September. On clear days, the sun seems brighter, the sky more blue, the white clouds take on marvelous shapes; the moon is a wonderful apparition, rising gold, cooling to silver; and the stars are so big. The September storms–the hurricane warnings far away, the sudden gales, the downpour of rain that we have so badly needed here for so long–are exhilarating, and there’s a promise that what September starts, October will carry on, catching the torch flung into her hand.”

― Faith Baldwin (American writer, 1893 – 1978) in Evening Star

Joyfully shared by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (& fellow admirer of September’s gifts)

“I am sure it is a great mistake always to know enough to go in when it rains. One may keep snug and dry by such knowledge, but one misses a world of loveliness.” ~ Adeline Knapp (American journalist and environmentalist)

*James took this photo in the rain at Kyoto Gosho, one of his favorite gardens in
Kyoto, Japan.

Joyfully shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& garden-rain walker)