Ready for change.

Normally fall isn't a season that I get really excited for, especially this time of it since a lot of the color has finished and it mostly means clean up.  For some reason this fall has me really excited though, probably because it means it's time for change.  I think like the old leaves falling and the spent perennials being cut back I feel as a gardener like I'm leaving a summer of gardening disinterest behind and am already looking forward to next spring and the changes it will bring.  I've already started some planning of rearranging plants, removing grass, more substantial container plantings and maybe even that picket fence I've been dreaming of for years will go up next year.  This quote pretty much says it all:

"Autumn is a season followed immediately by looking forward to spring."  - Doug Larson

We lucked out after a night of rain to have the clouds clear a bit and the sun come out.  I couldn't wait to get outside and start cleaning the leaves up.  The small Japanese Maple leaves seem to stick to the dog and the kids and there's always a small trail of them just inside the door.

The pond is now ready for winter.  The pump was cleaned, leaves and pine needles scooped out and any annual water plants have been removed.  To read the post I did last year on how I get the pond ready for winter go here.

The whole family pitched in to clean up as many leaves as possible from the deck and path.  There are still some more on the tree, but the majority fell after all the rain we had a couple of nights ago.

Some pretty fall color on the Winter Hazel (Corylopsis).

I love seeing that the Sarcococca/Sweet Box already has buds forming for the delicious flowers that will bloom around January.  Those flowers then become the purple berries that you can sort of see in this picture.

Sweet Pea bought the Mexican Feather Grass with her own money.  I wasn't sure where to plant it so it's in a container on the deck now.  I may regret letting it go to seed, but I'm really enjoying seeing it blow in the breeze.

A few of the containers on the deck.  I didn't used to plant much in containers for fall or winter, but the last couple of years I've done a lot more and really enjoy seeing something colorful growing when most of the garden is sleeping.

While I was out cleaning I noticed how many plants and shrubs have already started setting their buds for spring.  Even though I know we still have half of fall and all of winter left I can't help but already to be looking forward to spring.  In the meantime I'll be pulling out the gardening books and catalogs so I can keep dreaming and planning.  And I wouldn't even mind seeing some snow this year to help make the winter a little more interesting.