Summer’s gone and the yellow’s, orange and reds slowly fade. The grass browns and shrivels as the swift cold air makes way. As we watch what once was and what never came to be slip away we ponder what will be for this next season.
Birds abandon their homes for warmer weather, bugs are hardly to be seen and the still of the night loudens. The sun hastily leaves and nightfall besets us early. Time is but a vapor quickly running and vanishing away. It’s time to review and repair for next year’s Summer.
These were some of the thoughts running through my mind while outside looking at the remnants of our Summer planting. I hadn’t been out there in about a month or so and wasn’t sure what to expect.
We will soon be uprooting and removing some of the plants we had this year making room for other plants we’d like to have. I am hoping we are able to make those raised beds I spoke of earlier but the first step is to get the grounds prepared and set for another year of planting.
I went around our home and took some photos of its current state. Even though Fall is in session there is still such a beauty about plants even when they’re not blooming.
But first let’s have a little fun. How many gray and white birds are in this photo?
It’s funny how strong weeds can be. It seems they stick around the longest trying to wait out the weather.
Then we have our strawberry leaves still hanging around. Leaves are all they ever were. We seen not one strawberry from them this year. We waited and waited but unfortunately no yield came to be.
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The winds have picked up random unwanted things along the way and deposited them on our lonely grounds. I guess the bareness is inviting for such things. From which direction did these things come?
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What once looked organized and beautiful is now intertwined in a jungle of confusion and chaos.
The shriveled leaves and plants have caved in to hide the goodness of the Summer.
Move in, look closer and you’ll see all is not lost. Here’s what’s left of our grape tomato plants.
Oh we can’t forget about the sunflowers. Can you spot the diamond in the rough?
Look closely. Over there in the left corner, do you see?
Here it is up close and personal. The bright yellow adornment still holding strong...still holding on to it’s Summer.
Browns dominate the season turning and crisping soft nature into a new form. Curling, creasing and reshaping the plants that were once thriving.
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Dear marigolds, what happened to your bloom? You have closed up and shut us out from your beauty. Will you unveil once more? We’ll await for the uncovering of your new assemblage.
Then there’s our vacant vegetable grounds.
Some plans came to pass while others failed. Ideas were born and new methods tried. Notes were taken on how to’s and when not’s, how much and how less.
It was a fun first run. How will round two be? What will become of this space? Will it thrive survive stay alive for the ride? One will only know in due time, time of the Summer sprouts which reveals all.
Vacant, bare and alone it will stay until the Fall and Winter have both passed on. Rest well dear ground to prepare for your tilling. You will be visited by snow and ice but no need to be alarmed. It’s all apart of the cycle that takes place. Your time to shine will come again.
As I looked up in the trees I noticed so many abandoned birds nests. An animal’s instinct on when to migrate never ceases to amaze me. The fact that they can travel hundreds of miles away from their homes and then come back months later to the exact same spot is another fascination. Humans aren’t the only ones using landmarks to help get around and to find their way home.
Did you find any birds in that photo above? I am curious to see if anyone figured out the correct amount. Are you ready for the answer?…
There are 5 birds total!
One is really hard to see because you can only see the gray part of it’s body. It was really low to the ground trying to find those worms.
Thanks for playing along and I hope you enjoyed all the photos ;D
Such a beautiful post! It does bring out a certain sadness but it is a part of nature's chain .. this needs to be done and taken care of, so that the next season will be bringing colorful spring time..
Some parts of your garden reminded me of my tiny garden :) I may post about it soon!
Your post was a nice break during my studying..! Thank you!
Thank you so much! ☺️
Yes very true. We’re always hoping for a colorful Spring.
Oh nice! I hope you’re able to post about yours. Thanks so much for reading about mine and for your nice comment ~ 😊
You are so poetic! What a delightful almost poem @crosheille. I see so many parables in your winter garden .....
Awww Thank you!! I've been really trying to revisit that side of myself. I used to enjoy writing poetry and for some reason it's been rising back up from within. 😊
Thanks for your nice comment, it means a lot they you enjoyed this post ~ ❤️
Really appreciating the way you have elevated withering to an art form. Almost whimsical. 😍
Wow thank you so much for such a nice comment. You got exactly what I was trying to do and it makes it even more worth while when others can appreciate it. Thank you so much ~ ☺️
I missed the fifth bird! 😆
It's funny how your garden turning brown with the cold weather looks very similar to our garden turning brown with the hot weather. The weeds also look very familiar. Despite our opposite seasons, I still marvel at how similar our concurrent seasons end up looking just for opposing reasons. Our winter is green, your summer is green, our summer turns brown your winter turns brown.
By the way, I love your prose as you take us on the tour of the garden. It gives a bit of insight into your feelings.
I've featured your post in the Garden Journal Weekly curation.
Lol, it seems most counted only four. I knew that fifth bird would be a doozy since it blended in so well with it’s surroundings. 😁
That is so cool of and observation and quite amazing too!! Thanks for pointing that out.
Thank you so much. That was exactly my aim and I am glad it was perceived as I intended. I really appreciate the support ~ ❤️
You tricked us all! 😆 It did blend in well, even once circled it's hard to pick out.
😃😄 Yay mission accomplished!! Hahaha!
Super lovely photos as always. Here we are nearing winter (first snow today). We also tried to learn from last year’s experience but still there is so much I do not know… I planted some spinach and baby leave salad in October and it is still growing (but not much) I hoped to even have harvest in winter (as one book I read promised).
ANd with the strawberries this seems to be not unusual. Ours are in the second year and had so much more fruits than last year (even now, but they are not getting red in the cold). Again some smart-alec book knowledge: I read that strawberries have the most fruits in the third year at the same place and then have to be removed to a different spot for the next three years. Perhaps you will get more fruits next year (but as my knowledge is only superficial half knowledge I would not rely on it :-DDDD)
Thank you so much for always appreciating my photos. I enjoy finding the beauty in places you may not see it at first glance. ☺️
Thank you for sharing that strawberry knowledge. I was told they could be very tricky (and picky about the conditions they choose to grow in). I will actually give them another try next year. I’m not sure I’ll be able to place them in the same spot as we are wanting to create raised beds. I also read that if you plant them to deep then won’t grow or if you don’t plant them deep enough they won’t grow either. Yikes, it’s like you have to get them just right to yield any.
I hope you get that winter harvest you were hoping for. 🙂
I too am impressed with their persistence, they kept on growing.
This is also the same scenario that I am afraid to experience because my effort will be worthless.
Great publication and it was an interesting read. By the way, I counted five birds (^_^)
Yes, they are so persistent. I wish my plants grew as well as they did :D
I think it's worth the effort though. I'm going to look into more ways to help them grow better next year. Before planting them I heard that strawberries can be really tricky.
Yay I’m glad you found them all!
Thank you so much for reading and I'm glad you enjoyed :)
You're welcome, it was a an interesting read.
I'd found 4 and thought the middle one was a leaf due to different coloring.
Nice post on the changes in the garden as frost hits.
Hahaha that's so funny. I knew the middle one would be hard to find and that's why I wanted to play this little game. 😄
Thank you very much ~ 😊
winter has arrived, it's time for us to look for various beautiful wild plants
Exactly ;D
It seems like ordinary plants, but they look very cool, bright photos
Thank you so much! Yes, they are very ordinary. I like to challenge myself to capture their beauty in ways you may not see at first glance.
Thanks for stopping by and supporting ~
I spotted 4 of the birds missed one
I need to get out and do some cleanup in the yard but my body just doesn’t enjoy the cold like it used to
Have a great day
You came close lol! 😄
I definitely get it. The only reason I waited for the cold is so the bees wouldn’t buzz around me. They are gone for the most part and now I can work in peace. 😅
Enjoy your week ~
That makes sense to avoid the bees, this afternoon is the warmest day we will have for a while so MY plan is to get outdoors and get what needs to be done out of the way
Smart of you to take advantage. I hope you get lots done out there.
Me to LOL
This is really beautiful. Keep up the good work @crosheille
Thank you much @emeka4. Always appreciate your comments ;)
I think you missed a bird. I think there's one in the upper left hand corner, beyond the one you circled and out of focus. 😀
Hey you know what, you could be right! 😄
I see what you're talking about and I believe that is just part of the rubbish in the background and I don't think it was a bird. However, I could have easily missed that it was one. I just focused on the ones that were apparently visible. 😉
Thanks so much for stopping in ~