It is rather odd, rather a contradiction for the gardener who usually devotes all efforts to promoting growth, nurturing good health and fostering the treasures of the garden that, at this time of year, s/he should rejoice in the death processes of those very same plants.

Autumn is almost a second spring rather than the death knell of the garden, a time of change, a swing in the seasons; nature’s sign that it is not an end, not a death, but simply part of the eternal cycle. It is a time of hope or of nature giving hope, encouraging us to look beyond the coming winter of bareness, cold, misery and … death! No – simply a suspension of life!


So, as we pretend we are frightened by the children dressed for Hallowe’en, it is good to play along with nature’s pretence, to view the autumn colour as a continuation of summer rather than an announcing of winter.

This has been a most glorious autumn with colour more fabulous than seen for many years. A storm was forecast for today and has now arrived with strong winds and torrential rain but I dashed outside this morning to snap what may well be the last of this year’s autumn colour.

Already, nature is showing that there are new beginnings. We haven’t reached what we would consider the end of this gardening year when next year has already begun.


Consolotary, celebratory and with a dash of divilment….I really enjoyed this meditation. Quelle Phiosophe!Que filosopho!-I guessed that last one!
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More a case of wet day scribbling, I think, Peter!
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Peter rightly called it a meditation, and an eloquent one at that. Here with our temperate climate, we expect good autumn colour after a long, hot summer…perhaps the “big dry” in Ireland accounts for your striking display?
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Yes, I think so. We had an unusually hot and dry summer, quite a rare occurrence here and it was a trial but we are now rewarded by good autumn colour.
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So true that the colors this year seem to be more vibrant, and we have so enjoyed them! (Perhaps less windy than usual, at least it seems that way to me.) Lovely thoughts on fall and winter. Although I’d love to think of it as a time of “rest” I know that I will have too many projects planned to even consider resting! 🙂
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The hot dry summer most likely lead to the good autumn colour and it is good to enjoy it.
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Reblogged this on Paddy Tobin, An Irish Gardener and commented:
This seems appropriate again – Facebook threw it up in my daily “Memories”
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