On my weekly trip to the grocery, my heart was lifted by the sight of swathes of bright goldenrod and purple ironweed, filling a bottom by the river with the intimation of coming autumn.
Another intimation then came to me: this bottom has always been used for pasturing fat Black Angus steers. And when they're not there, the proprietor has kept it mowed with his tractor.
Not this year. As I recall, the proprietor lives elsewhere and is an elderly man--perhaps this is one of those bitter-sweet September songs of coming to the end of things.
Time of year; time of life . . .
Like a garden I pass on my way: meticulously maintained until this year when its size was much reduced. Now the weeds are taking it, though some brave zinnias persist.
Though I said goodbye to my own garden a few years ago, I'm sad to see others succumbing.
But I can still enjoy the goldenrod and ironweed. And the zinnias.
6 comments:
I've been looking at the potted plants and thinking I don't want all of them in the house this winter. It would be a small forest. Thinning them out will be hard, but like your neighbors who've let go of their gardens, there's a time and place for everything. Each spring I purchase more things that I enjoy. But the petunias are at their end. The giant coleus won't over winter. And maybe a sprig of the apple mint might be nice to keep around. Orchids, lavender, kalanchoe...that's about what I think will be ok. Ooops, been thinking out loud again.
I know what you mean. My porch plants will soon face a reckoning.
We put three of our hanging houseplants on the porch for the summer. Time for them to come back inside. It's 54 degrees this morning!
It's hard not to think "Oh I can use that plant here." But to do that requires expanding the garden. I think I'll leave the gardens the present size as caring for them is getting harder these days. One day they will disappear I guess.
Nature does her best to fill in abundantly.
That's a lovely combination of colours, very photogenic.
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