It's a dull, dreary day at the farmette. The temperature is at a crispy 5C and I wore my red winter coat at 7 a.m. to check the rain gauge and get the newspaper. Guess it really is autumn. I'm bracing myself for a day of yard clean-up, so in the spirit of celebration, I thought I'd gather up some of the photos that Rob and I have taken over the last couple of weeks around the property. While I really enjoy the farmette in all its blooming summer glory, the later part of the year is pretty spectacular too. So here, for your enjoyment, is the farmette in the fall:
The trees in front of the house were not quite as brilliant as they are most years. The maples took on a bit of a reddish/yellow hue later on, but I think they didn't put on a big display because of all the rain we got earlier in the season. None of them were really stressed for any length of time. At least that's my theory.
Our smoke bush did do very well, however. Back in Guelph, I fussed over a smoke bush that never smoked! This one, luckily, was planted by previous owners, so was already puffing away before we bought the place. Now, it's a really rich purply-red-bronze. The vines that grow on the side of the house came along nicely, colour-wise. I was up on the ladder at least three times over the summer with the secaturs trying to keep them from completely blocking out the sunlight.
While I love the way they look, I have to really work at keeping the place from turning into Miss Havisham's unkempt and overgrown mausoleum. (Yes, I'm a Dickens fan).
Rob caught this arty shot of our hibiscus before I chopped it back by about two-thirds and we hoiked it into the sunroom.
This is the plant that just won't die - hard as I've tried over 20+ years to inadvertently kill it through neglect.
In one shot, Rob managed to get the flower, the maple tree trunk, a bit of our tool shed, the back fence, the barn and, if you look really hard, you can see my clothesline. Cool.
Anyway, enough of the autumn reverie. Time to get out in it...we're tilling the garden, trimming back some hostas (which turn into a disgusting slime if we don't) raking leaves, and maybe putting in some garlic for next year. Until next week!