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| Crocus speciosus among fallen leaves |
I've always loved the autumn colors at this time of the year, and remember vividly how as a girl in Cuba I'd dream about seeing a real colorful fall in northern latitudes... little did I know then that my wish would be fulfilled a few years later when my family was exiled and came to the Washington, D.C. area. This year's colors in my area of rural Virginia are fabulous! Here are some shots from my garden and the woods in back.
Below is a sequence I took of the back yard and woods as seen from my studio window early in the morning starting on Oct. 23rd. The changes in the leaves seem to take place almost overnight!
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Back yard from my studio window on Oct. 23
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| October 27 |
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| October 29 (from the deck) |
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| October 31, Halloween |
The cherry tree in front and the Magnolia look very colorful right now as their leaves begin to drop. My Chrysanthemums are in full bloom. The fall-blooming Crocus speciosus I planted earlier in the front yard finally bloomed, as you can see in the first photo--love the contrast of the rosy purple with the golden leaves on the ground!
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| Front yard |
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| Crocus speciosus |
The woodland garden on the east side of the house is colorful too, although some trees are already completely denuded of their leaves.
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| East side of the house with woodland garden |
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| Woodland garden closer |
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| Oak-leaf Hydrangea |
The Little Indians bed in the back yard also shows lots of color with the red leaves of Virginia Sweetspire (Itea 'Little Henry') and the Amsonia hubrichtii turning gold.
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Little Indians bed
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Herb's bed still has the lovely display of asters with the Muhly grass, and the red-purple mum next to the pink one finally opened.
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| Herb's bed in late October |
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| Pink and red mums |
The 'Autumn Blaze' maple is losing its leaves as the other trees on the west side of the house turn to golden shades. I probably won't need to rake up these leaves, the wind will take care of them, but I'll rake up what I can to mulch the trees and add to the compost pile.
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| The west yard from the deck |
A cache of spring-blooming bulbs that I'd ordered over the summer arrived this week and need to be planted--that'll keep me busy for the next few weeks. Hopefully the warm weather will hold out before the cold sets in. In all, a beautiful fall!
