October Country

Muhly grass

We're entering October Country, when the seasonal changes become more dramatic in the garden. I named this post after Ray Bradbury's classic "October Country" a collection of sci-fi short stories with a weird, ominous feel... I read it some fifty years ago, but I still remember some of them despite the years! When I first met my husband, a sci-fi fan, he introduced me to his library of favorite books, wanting me to learn about a genre that I'd never seriously considered before.

In my garden, the changes in foliage begin showing up in late summer with the dogwood turning bronze, then gradually red, then the maple 'Autumn Blaze' starts to turn red. Clear cloudless skies dominate while the summer flowers in pots and beds are still hanging on. My front porch baskets look particularly full this year towards the end of the season-- probably the best in years-- just before the first frost cuts them down, such a shame! But to everything there is a season.

Along the front walk, with dogwood tree.

Maple 'Autumn Blaze'

Front porch hanging basket

My thermometer marked 37 degrees yesterday morning, signaling that it's time to start bringing in my tender tropical  plants in pots. This is the time for me to get a lot of work done in the garden, fertilizing, mulching, weeding, planting new bulbs, etc. I wish I could afford to hire an extra hand to help, I hardly have time to enjoy fall flowers as the asters and mums begin their display. 

The plumes of the Muhly grass begin to unfurl their airy pink flowers, looking lovely in the late afternoon light. The perennial red Salvia is blooming profusely, and the last of the migrating hummingbirds came by a few days ago to sip its nectar. That may be the last hummingbird we'll see this year.

The path in Herb's bed.

The veggie pagoda from the deck

I finally took down the Blue Lake green beans that had grown to the top of the veggie enclosure, to make room for some lettuce and spinach. Next, I'll be harvesting some of the Jerusalem artichokes, or sunchokes, as some call them.

I love the little wild aster plant growing along the path. I was amazed to see how many bees and wasps were foraging on the flowers! I managed to capture just a fraction on the action in this shot with a little skipper butterfly and a bumblebee.

Skipper butterfly and bumblebee on wild asters.

The Nasturtiums are blooming their heads off in the basket on the back deck, and the other plants back there still look fairly decent considering the late season.

Nasturtiums

Plant stand on the back deck in October

My variegated black cotton plant never developed much variegation, but my friend's did, and she loaned me hers so I could do a sketch of it in my new botanical sketchbook. Here's a shot of the almost finished sketch.

Variegated Black Cotton watercolor sketch on Bockingford paper.

Another sketch, in colored pencils, of a Miniwarts pumpkin.

Miniwarts pumpkin in colored pencils on Bristol 300 Vellum finish paper, 14" x 11"

Yesterday our Plein Aire painting group went out to paint at the farm of one of our friends, and this is my sketch from it. This farm is in Rappahannock County, the next county from mine, and the mountain behind is in Shenandoah National Park, where the Bear Wallow Overlook on Skyline Drive is. I'll have to stop and take a look the next time I'm up there, to see if I can spot Donna's farm below.

Persimmon Springs Farm, plein aire watercolor, 14" x 10"

I have another colorful pumpkin I bought for painting, but haven't had a chance to start on that one yet. I hope to have some time next week for it. Next week on the 15th will be October Bloom Day--tune in for Bloom Day.

Fall Equinox 2026

Colchicum 'Waterlily'

 

The Fall Equinox came last week with over an inch of rain, and my Colchicum 'Waterlily' sprouted three lovely flowers. The previous year it didn't bloom at all--I dug it up and re-planted it just a foot or so from where it had been--it was being crowded out by other plants-- it seems a lot happier now.

 

 

As the summer flowers in other beds fade, the classic fall flowers begin their show, and berries decorate my bushes. Along my front yard the Salvias in pots are still hanging on, feeding the hummingbirds that are now migrating, while the leaves of the dogwood tree turn to autumn shades.

 

Along the front walk

 

The Viburnum 'Brandywine' on the east side of the house is displaying its berries in pinks and blues. My Pink Turtlehead in the woodland garden managed to produce one flowering spike; the deer ate all the other buds, despite having a deer repellent on a stake right next to it! I'll have to try to protect it more next year, in hopes it will become a respectable clump. The Anemone 'Honorine Jobert is still looking good.

 

Viburnum 'Branydwine'

Pink Turtlehead (Chelone obliqua)

Anemone 'Honorine Jobert'

 

In the back yard the swamp sunflowers have opened up, making a nice display. Last Friday I had agreed to lead a workshop drawing flowers for Art in the Park, an annual weekend event at Shenandoah National Park. I had to provide my own flowers, as one is not allowed to cut any plants from the park, so I went out that morning and cut a bunch of my sunflowers and little wild asters that I let grow all over my yard, along with a few of my Agastaches and ornamental grasses. 

 

Swamp sunflowers (Helianthus angustifolium)

Wild asters growing next to my veggie pagoda

The workshop turned out very well, I had about 20 people, four adults had brought children with them, between the ages of 6 and 10--I was impressed by how well-behaved and attentive the kids were. It was wonderful to see them doing art, brought back memories of myself at that age.

Driving south on Skyline Drive on my way in, I almost ran into two wild turkey hens eating something in the middle of the road. I slowed down and carefully drove around them--they didn't even budge, they were so absorbed in whatever was there. Two other cars behind me did the same. I wish I'd had the time to stop and take a photo, it's seldom one sees a wild turkey these days, much less two! But I was running late...

Yesterday I found a neat surprise in my back yard--a circle of lawn mushrooms growing in front of the back bed--these are the edible Agaricus campestris, same variety that are sold at the grocery store as button mushrooms. Naturally, I went out this morning and collected enough for dinner tonight. These will have more flavor than the grocery-bought ones, which have had the flavor bred out of them.

 

Edible lawn mushrooms (Agaricus campestre)

 

Lawn mushroom harvest

In the backyard the Muhly grass is starting to open its airy plumes, and Herb's bed still has some Agastaches, Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and ornamental grasses. The yellow Chrisanthemums are holding their own, while the other mums are getting ready to open.

 

Muhly grass

  

Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

Yellow Chrysanthemum

 

Pink mum in bud

 

The two Beautyberries 'Early Amethyst' in the back yard have a nice crop of berries--the color is so lovely against the yellowing leaves.

 

Beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma 'Early Amethyst')

Recently I've been working on a new piece on a material new to me--Aquabord. This mineral and clay surface is quite different from working on paper, it absorbs water and dries at a very different rate from paper. It's challenging whenever one tries something new, but the idea is to be able to seal it and mount it in a floater frame rather than put it under plexiglas and a mat. Below is the new work in progress.

 

Monarchs on Prairie Blazing Meadow Star, 16" x 20"

 

As the nights get colder, the leaves will soon begin to turn shades of red and gold. I wonder if we'll have a colorful fall this year?