Tuesday, November 11

November Chill

Just last week, we were enjoying sunshiny, 60-degree days... and now the winds are biting and the air is chill. November has announced its presence. I have to hurry to take down Halloween decorations like this one:


And plant the rest of the garlic and spring bulbs that I have purchased. I have already replaced summer blooming annuals with pansies and winter cabbage like these:


I also want to take some time to enjoy the natural beauty of late fall, like the unnaturally bright green of the moss that grows on gnarled tree roots in my neighborhood:


And the contrast of red maple leaves against dark branches and a crisp azure sky:


But the reddening leaves of my doublefile viburnum, and the yellowing foliage of the grasses and herbs...


... tell me, "Hurry! You're running out of time!" Soon, winter will be here in earnest, and there's much to do, to get ready for its arrival.

15 comments:

Linda Lunda said...

LOL! Love the scelleton!
You have to let it be.. dont take it away! Ist great fun!!!!
You photos are wonderful!
LInda

flydragon said...

I'm surprised no one has called the cops to report a body half buried in your yard. LOL

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Go Kim Go...you can git er done before it freezes up.

Your skeleton is a hoot. I be the neighborhood children loved it. Maybe a budding archeologist would help you with the skeleton.

Anonymous said...

Isn't it funny how gardening is supposed to be a relaxing leisure activity (pretty picture books imply that) but we're actually always in a mad rush to get stuff done. I'm frantic spring and fall and frenetic in summer. Thank goodness for winter (I'm only half crazed then). Good luck with your last chilly chores.
I love -LOVE- the skeleton btw!

Colleen Vanderlinden said...

You know, I don't think I ever appreciated how pretty November can be until this year. We're a little ahead of you here--my maples are bare already, and my doublefile vib is starting to lose its leaves as well.

I know what you mean about needing to hurry now--I have tons of pots and containers sitting around that need to be emptied and stored, bulbs to plant, and a few perennials that are still sitting in their nursery pots. Oh, and the raking.....I better get myself out there today!

Gorgeous pictures, as always---I especially like that one of the moss---very soothing.

Anonymous said...

Hi Kim, great shots of a November day. Lots of gardening to do yet it sounds like. We are coming into what I call moss season. It never fails to grab my attention for intense study. It goes away during the hot months but is turning on the charm right now. Love your shot of it.
Frances

Gail said...

Kim,

You captured several of my favorite fallish scenes...sky through glorious leaves, moss greening up from fall weather and shrubbery looking it's nicest in russet reds! Your last shot is a lovely textural combo! Enjoy your time in the garden before winter gets ahold of it!

Gail

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Oh, my word, that skeleton with the cabbage belly is a hoot! I love the color of your Heuchera/Heucherella thingy. They & the Tiarellas pick up such great tones in colder weather. I was outside today to get rid of the dying Peony foliage, & I had to come in because my fingers got too cold. I don't enjoy gardening in mittens!

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

That skeleton cracked me up. We don't have Halloween down here so I'm not used to this kind of garden decoration. ;-) I've got to put the garlic in too and do a bit of sowing and put the last of the bulbs in and, and and. Yup, I'm in a hurry too.

November has been very mild so far over here. We've had some rin and one storm so far but also very balmy days when it's a joy to be out in de garden.

lisa said...

It made me smile to read how much you enjoy the changing colors of fall, even though it's "plant death". I enjoy it all too, and it's really cool to see how long some of the plants hang on as the cold weather approaches.

Amanda said...

love the stratigically placed Cabbage....

Stratoz said...

is that a geyser emerging from the gnarled tree roots or a natural gas leak?

I have snapdragons that seem to think this is great garden weather. good for them!

Digital Flower Pictures said...

I feel your sense of urgency. We are always trying to get few more things done in the gardens. It seems the window to get things done is much less forgiving in the fall. You have been posting some great pictures. Very impressive.

Unknown said...

Thanks, Linda Lunda! I think he's fun, too... he'll probably be the last thing I take out of the garden, decor-wise, because of that. He makes me grin. :)

LOL, flydragon! Well, 'tis the season--maybe if it were spring, the neighbors would be more concerned?!

Greenbow Lisa, I've been sick all week, so I'm really not sure that everything is going to get done this fall... yikes! But I may try to go slip in some garlic this afternoon before it gets dark...

And I wasn't here to pass out candy, but my friends who took over that job for me report that the neighborhood kids did indeed appreciate the decorations!

Blithewold Kris, I always crack up when I see those pretty picture books. And when I see the magazine articles with people in light-colored gloves, no sweat, and no dirt smudges all over their faces! lol.

Colleen, I suffer a bit in the spring, as the lake tends to keep us a little chillier here and so our spring is delayed a few weeks... but it does do nice things for us in the fall. My doublefile hasn't even achieved its full color yet!

I think I'm going to subscribe to the lazy gardener version of raking this year. In other words, I'm going to let the leaves go wherever they want, and deal with them in the spring!

Frances, thanks! Yes, there is a lot of gardening yet to do--the problem with being a procrastinator. *grin* Moss Season is a very good word for it--I can't help but notice it now that the temps are cooler, it gets more light through the thinning trees, and not much else is green.

Gail, that last area is one of my favorites in the garden--it goes through such interesting color changes throughout the year! That spot is the first thing I see when I walk down my front steps. :)

Mr McGregor's Daughter, the heucheras and tiarellas really do pick up nice tones in colder weather--part of what I like about them. And I'm with you... I rarely wear gardening gloves, so gardening in mittens does NOTHING for me, either!

Yolanda Elizabet, I should show you the ghost peole who are waltzing on my front porch, then... :)

November was mild here for the first week, but of course that was when I was stuck at work late every day. *sigh* Now that I have more time to do things, the sun goes down earlier and it's much colder! Boo.

Lisa, "plant death" is still beautiful! :) It looks like I will even have outdoor plants to show off for Bloom Day tomorrow--amazing.

Thanks, Amanda! The skeleton was there already when I brought home some pansies and ornamental cabbage from the garden center (they were disassembling the large planters and let us take out whatever we wanted)... and I couldn't resist planting one of the cabbages there. Sometimes when I see him I imagine Ah-nuld saying, "It's a tooo-mer!" lol.

Stratoz, you're so funny! :) Actually, it's neither--it's a rogue sunbeam that I couldn't manage to shoo out of the photo. I kept trying to angle the camera correctly, but every time the sunbeam left, the moss would lose definition or something and so I finally gave up and kept it in.

(And yay! for your snapdragons!) :)

Digital Flower Pictures, that's a good word for it--urgency. I feel it even more when I look and see that this may be our last 60 degree day of the year... *sigh* Thanks for the compliments on my photos. Especially coming from you, that means a lot to me.

Kylee Baumle said...

We have that glowing green moss growing in the cracks of our brick walkways and I love it. I had to ask Romie to not tear it out. He doesn't quite understand that, but there's much that he doesn't understand about me! LOL!

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