Only three months left now in this peculiar, traumatic, tragic, culture-changing year. 2020 has been the year when ‘working from home’ stopped being a perk and, instead, became a necessity. The year when the definition of ‘bubble,’ ‘social distance’ and ‘isolation’ took on a frightening new nuance. For many gardeners, working from home has meant a season of expanded horticultural enlightenment. Hours normally spent commuting or eating lunch indoors were suddenly available for weeding, mulching, watering or planting unusual vegetables. Or simply observing. Noticing small things in the garden that previously went un-gazed at. Long dreamed of projects were completed. Brand new projects were dreamed of and, perhaps, completed. The Propagator hosts Six things in gardens around the world every Saturday. Six things in my garden this week have been well gazed at, either from a distance or up close and personal.
Love the colours in your top photo, and also the burning bush plants and their setting. And I’ve just noticed you’re on twitter.. how great is that? so am I! Must go and see your twitter feed 🙂
Thank you! I generally prefer to hear tweets from the birds (so many blue jays this time of year!) but it’s great for a quick look around the world.
Oh I’d love a rust red spreader, Chris! That featured image is what Autumn is all about. There is beauty and grace in old age.
There is indeed!
Beautiful #2 photo with this old antique manure spreader! My second batch of cucumbers is at the same stage as yours. Maybe the frost will hit you first though… 🤞
Likely – last year our first frost was Oct 5 with snow just a month later; but two years ago it was October 17. Nothing approaching frost temps are forecast for the next two weeks so fingers crossed!
You’re spot on regarding working from home and horticultural enlightenment. Great fungus and Gerbera photos.
Thank you. I’m not much on eating mushrooms but I love to stumble across them outdoors. These have a really sticky surface; so strange.
What a fabulous autumnal lead photograph. I’m retired, so ‘working from home’ has a whole different meaning to me, but I can relate to the way you have expressed your horticultural enlightenment. Lockdown had the same effect on me. For almost six months, I spent six days a week working in the garden, planning, and there was a bit of day-dreaming too.
Your photos are dark and moody with strong splashes of colour – perfectly autumnal! A lovely post.
Thank you so much Catherine!
These aren’t the vibrant (read: over-saturated) colors of calendars and postcards, but they’re gorgeous. I always have liked fall’s more subtle colors, and you certainly have some fine ones — in abundance.
Thank you – it’s been a gorgeous season so far.
I hope that little cucumber gets to reach your plate.
Me too!
The reds around the rusting machinery look really good!
Thanks! This colour for a few weeks in early autumn make the burning bushes worthwhile, I think.
Chris, I think you are right……we have really had an unsettling year, but what joys we have had too, especially enjoying the outdoors soooooo much more! Your photos are lovely! My favorite item in your garden has to be the primitive manure spreader!
It was a birthday present, many years ago. So romantic eh? 😁😁
Chris, I have been known to get baseball caps for Christmas presents from my hubby. Life is just a box of chocolates, right! I also once got a peat digger, and loved it!
😆😆😆
I love fungus photos! Very pretty composition with the chairs and red bushes.
Thank you Lisa!
Very autumnal. My garden is looking to skip autumn again. The leaves are looking to get blown over without time to change colour. I like the mushroom with it’s wet shine. The coleus looks good in its urn, especially with the leaves around changing.
Thanks! We must have had the perfect combo of rain and temperature this year because the fall foliage is spectacular. Often though, it’s so dry or it gets cold so quickly leaves just turn brown and fall/get blown off. I feel your disappointment@
That’s it for cucumbers?! I know your season for them is different from ours, but I also guess that it ends with frost. Ours are supposed to be a spring and autumn vegetable, but continued all through summer. They even survived without watering during evacuation.
I didn’t plant the seeds until mid August….there should be another two weeks or so before first frost….
I’m pulling for that cucumber, Chris! 😉
😁🤞
I do love your featured photo full of those gorgeous autumn colours and leaves. The photo featuring things red is also stunning. I am very impressed with the size of the coleus leaves too! My coleus certainly do not have leaves that size. What interesting mushrooms growing on the log – or is it a tree stump?
It’s a stump – or a chunk maybe – cut from a not quite dead tree that fell across the driveway last winter. I think it may have been an Ash tree. And I was happily surprised by how well the Coleus did this year – must have had perfect conditions, light wise, and I did try to keep it watered!
agree with the sentiments in your opening paragraph. if there can be an upside to a global pandemic, less time commuting, more time in the garden is definitely one of them. lovely photos, i’m with many others here, the red chair/muck spreader photo is a beaut.
Thank you!
Awesome work, that’s so awesome