Autumn is not my favorite season

Category: Garden | Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 7:01 pm

As I walked in my garden today, I really felt wretched. My lovely hostas are yellow, slimy heaps of collapsed leaves. My colourful lilies are stalks. Brown stalks with brown leaves and the odd bright red lily beetle. I see the tips of my trilliums and know for a fact that I won't see their blooms until May.

Everywhere there are drifts of leaves to remove, but they are all soggy and heavy because of the wet weather, and I can't find my thick rubber gloves anywhere.

The apples that I lovingly thinned in early summer are small and scurvy and mostly birds' food. And the elderberries destined for my husband's wine cellar are gone too, along with the starlings.

Jeez, I do need to find something about autumn and winter that will cheer me up, or else I'll end up in the hospital's emergency room, raving and ranting and clutching my lily bulbs.

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toni wrote on Mon Oct 22, 2007 7:38 pm:

Droopy, I know how you feel except I feel that way from July thru Sept when my garden is suffering so much from the heat and lack of rain.

Hopefully there are enough garden pictures on the Stew to keep you sane thru the winter.

Droopy wrote on Mon Oct 22, 2007 7:41 pm:

That's what I hope too! The Stew has so many wonderful people from all over, I'm sure it will be a big help.

Frank wrote on Mon Oct 22, 2007 8:16 pm:

Just think of it this way Droopy, sometimes you need to go through a rough patch to appreciate the good times. Next years beauty will look all the more beautiful!

eileen wrote on Mon Oct 22, 2007 9:45 pm:

Awww Droopy I think that autumn is a sad time in the garden too. Everything is dying or shedding its leaves but there is an upside - well at least here there is - no more biting insects around to make working in the garden a real drag!! Also when the first hard frost hits doesn't the garden look soooo beautiful with everything covered in glittering diamonds?

CritterPainter wrote on Mon Oct 22, 2007 11:40 pm:

((hugs)) hang in there! Do you have a library nearby to go gazing at the promise of spring in garden books? Maybe get proactive and hit the scabby apple with dormant spray? Get some herbs growing on a windowsill for eventual transplant?

Netty wrote on Mon Oct 22, 2007 11:40 pm:

I feel the same way too Droopy. I can't wait until spring!

newgrowth wrote on Tue Oct 23, 2007 12:21 am:

Ahh, I can't agree with you more. I do have one word for you though (OK- a lot of words). There is a time and season for everything. Why, just this past week I have been teaching my Grade 1 students (6 year-olds) about the cyclical nature of the seasons and how plants and animals behave in each of them. They could see the wonder in the autumn and are anxiously awaiting the first snowfall. When I told about the pussywillow bushes behind my house in the ravine they were ecstatic when I told them what would happen to the bushes in the spring. They can't wait to see the soft fuzzy little catkins. Children seem to enjoy each day as it comes with whatever it brings. I had to remind myself of that just today as I taught them. They enjoy all the seasons, even the fall.

And you are right, there is nothing worse than slimy hostas and this summer I had my first introduction to the lily beetle. Boo!!

glendann wrote on Tue Oct 23, 2007 12:34 am:

Dooley I know how you feel I took Oreo out and its so dreary outside today.I hate to see almy blooms gone and mine are still pretty well some are but leaving little by little.:) makes me want to cry.

Droopy wrote on Tue Oct 23, 2007 7:45 am:

Thank you all, it's good not to feel wretched alone. I'll probably find some nice winter photos to post, too. And there's December coming up. I should be used to the seasonal changes, but I think I never will.

purlgold wrote on Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:05 pm:

Droopy,
Sorry that you're blue. I take all of my house plant outside in the spring, leave them in their pots, barely in the ground, in the shade. I bring them back in before night temps reach 45F. They grow quite a lot while out. When I bring them back inside, they fill every room including bathrooms. My cabin is very small but as I tend them during the winter and start seedling (Feb) for the spring I love to plan for next Spring and Summer. It keeps me from despair in January and February. Hope you feel better.
debra