Sunday, September 25, 2011

Triumphs and Tragedies (and the winner is...)

Well, tragically it appears that summer really is at an end.  There's no denying it now that the leaves have started to make their transformation.


But fall brings with it some triumphs as well.  Like the much anticipated blooms of the gigantic sunflowers.


And a profusion of dahlias


The vegetable garden is bursting with edibles.


And the cooler weather has brought forth numerous violets


Rose hips have formed


And fall mums are blossoming


and of course the air is perfumed with the scent of ripening apples


So I guess it's not so bad after all!  

Thanks to all who participated in the giveaway for Novica and congratulations to WiseAcre Gardens,  the winner of the $50 gift certificate.  If you haven't had the opportunity to look at WiseAcre's blog you might want to check him out.  Fantastic fungus photos and he's a real whiz with wildflower identification.

19 comments:

Jennifer@threedogsinagarden said...

Marguerite, Fall is coming on strong here too. All of a sudden there is lots of color in the trees.
Your apples look amazing, well worth all the effort you have put into rejuvenating the old trees. Those carrots are huge! There have been so many disappointments with my vegetable garden, that I am almost afraid to check on mine. Your dahlias are also looking wonderful too. I like the striped one.

Johanna said...

Yesterday was so warm that without the colours of the trees I would have thought summer had come back :)
Your garden is so beautiful and those apples look awesome. What are your plans for so many apples?
Hugs

Unknown said...

Fall is very beautiful there. Still summer here (almost 100 yesterday) and all our leaves are falling early. On the upside I will be able to start composting them early this year.

RURAL said...

I love how you manage to find the good points in the ending of summer. Today it's definitely happening here, rain, and more rain.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Carolyn @ Carolyn's Shade Gardens said...

It really isn't fall here and yet it's not summer--it's just wet. No leaves turning, no clear blue skies.

Christine @ the Gardening Blog said...

With such lovely things going on in your garden, whats not to love about fall?

I was gifted some Dahlia bulbs and was in two minds - shout I give them away or plant them? After seeing your pics I think I'm going to plant them! Just lovely!

Gardeningbren said...

Oh your photos are lovely!! and your description really awakened the senses...it is truly a great time of year..but ahem..it was 25 degrees here today...abnormal but back to fall temps tomorrow. SIGH...;-)

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Say it isn't so! I desperately want to add another month to this short season. And, may I add that my horses were peering over my shoulder while viewing these lovely photos. Now they desperately want to eat your carrots! :)

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Apples and rosehips have to be two of my favourite things right now. The McIntoshes are in the stores and I am so happy to see them! :)

Great pics!

Jane said...

After my "lichen" post yesterday I really enjoyed browsing through WiseAcre's blog - those are some pretty freaky fungi he's found.
It is sad to see summer come to an end (although yesterday it got up to 30c with the humidity!!) but I love the harvest of fruit and veggies and have been reaping the benefits at the farmers' market every week.
Hopefully we'll have a looooong fall!

fer said...

autumn came so fast, and your garden is really showing it. It looks great!

Marguerite said...

Jennifer - I've had my share of disappointments with the garden this year too. But my carrots turned out great and I'm sure you'll find some vegetables that worked well for you too.

Johanna - the apple question looms again!! We asked ourselves the exact thing last year and this year. What the heck do we do with them all?!?! Give away as many as possible, make pies, strudel, cider, and chips. Unfortunately many trees are in poor health and the apples are not good so those get composted.

Tufa - I guess the stress of no water finally got to the trees so they're losing their leaves? Goodness but you've had a hard year there.

Jen, do I ever remember the rain. Funny but I sometimes miss it. NEVER thought I would think that!

Marguerite said...

Carolyn - it's one thing I really do enjoy here. Fall is a distinct season with nice weather and the colour on the trees is amazing.

Christine - I've encountered a number of people who aren't partial to dahlias and while I understand not wanting the extra work I just can't turn down a dahlia myself. I like the fact that there's so many colours and shapes and you can move them around each year to any spot needing extra colour. Here's hoping you plant them and fall in love!

Brenda - LOL, you're right. I was shocked on Sunday when I went outside. I had to remove several layers of clothing as the temperature just kept climbing. Long term forecast does show a consistent decline though and you can't argue with the changing leaves :)

Kate - those carrots are just huge this year. I'm not sure how I managed it. Unfortunately germination wasn't too high so there aren't a lot of them. I had exactly 3 carrots germinate from the seeds you sent me from Italy and I haven't picked one yet because I'm hoarding them.

Marguerite said...

Ms.S - I've seen loads of apples in stores right now and they all look so tempting...until I remember I have 20 trees at home loaded with apples!

Jane - freaky fungi is the perfect description. Some of them are just out of this world. I'm hoping for a long fall too, so far it's been really nice but I could still use another month of garden time to wrap things up.

fer - unfortunately the summer season is awfully short here, the downside to this part of the world but autumn has its own joys as well.

wiseacre said...

I'm already a weiner!

Thank you for the gift certificate. I'll be doing a post on Novica to further your endorsement of their good cause and the extraordinary arts and craft products they offer.

They deserve first world payments for their world class creations. This is globalization I can support.

The Witch said...

Marguerite,
Sunflowers are just a perfect flower for taking pictures of.
Your dahlias look gorgeous.
It a good year for carrots and apples. We have lots of carrots and by the looks of your post you have plenty of apples also.
I still need to pick up a Fall Mum, yours looks beautiful and will probably come back again nest year.

Janet/Plantaliscious said...

Hi Marguerite, great photos, particularly that wonderful sunflower. Would make a lovely print to hang on your wall. I am mildly envious of your carrots - the last I picked had been attacked by carrot fly...

Marguerite said...

Wiseacre - thanks for the lovely posting and glad to hear you found a great gift.

Witch - Carrots and apples are definitely in abundance this year. I'm not sure if it's the weather or I'm doing something right as last year we had many of the same. I won't complain though, I'm making carrot cake this weekend with the bounty.

Janet - I've never had problems with carrot fly (knock on wood!) but this year's veggie garden had it's fair share of woes so I wouldn't be too jealous!

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

Lovely fall photos! I am jealous of your great carrot harvest. I tried a few times and they were less than satisfactory.