Gee whiz, is it already late summer? I don’t feel it but there are signs that are saying so. I have seen a few trees with leaves turning bright red and orange – not like they are dying but like they are anticipating fall. It seems really early for lower Michigan.
As always at this time of year the Blackeyed Susans are stealing the show in the front garden. Their bright color and prolific blooming create waves of yellow so that the other lingering flowers of summer don’t have to work as hard.
In the back, my Limelight Hydrangea is tall and strong with large blossoms. In the late evening shade they glow, and if I happen to be up during a moon-light night they look like they have been wired with electricity. The nights have been cool and I have been sleeping soundly so I have missed that sight – and because sleep is so important for my daytime well-being I won’t be setting my alarm for it.
A part of me isn’t ready to let go of summer, but in the garden I have begun to feel like fall. I recognize my late-summer-gardening attitude kicking in. I don’t dead-head as much and I am not focused on new blooms about to unfold. Late summer seems to allow me to be more relaxed and I like that. Hubby and I finished up the spring weeding and got the last of the mulch spread this past week. Isn’t it funny how our aging bodies require that we not be as hung up on seasonal schedules. Being retired also helps because we know we have tomorrow if we are too tired or achy to complete it today. And if it doesn’t get done, well that will be okay too. So far the seasons have happened without my help.
Even here in the South we are seeing signs of fall, along with hot, humid weather and our never-ending torrential rain. It has been and is continuing to be an unusual summer.
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Indeed it’s to believe summer is coming to an end, but it is getting dark earlier in southern Ontario. I am surprised though the leaves are turning red in Michigan already and I am still waiting for my tomatoes to do so.
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Oh, no. Are you hoping to can some?
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My late season gardening attitude has kicked in, too. You should see the flowers on my basil 😦
I planted some blackeyed susans last year because they take up where my laziness leaves off this time of year.
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Funny. The bees love the basil flowers. 🙂 I know because I sit and watch them buzz around them.
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I love the cooler days though.
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Yes. 🙂
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I noticed last night that it was darker earlier. Having been in NI where the days are always lighter longer in the summer, this is an unwelcome side of being home. Still, that said, when I sat outside as it grew dark, the sky was still far more blue than black. Summer isn’t over yet!
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And early fall brings us some delightful weather.
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I was gifted an hydrangea recently just like your one. It`s adorable. Love your pics. As always!
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Thanks, and enjoy the hydrangea. It took ours two or three years to really take off.
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