I’ll wait while strawberries ripen, fireworks erupt, and leaves fall just to see cosmos like these bloom in my October garden.
Purple bean pods dry on the vine, and just as frost is about to set in, I harvest them. A handful of these beans will be planted in next summer’s kitchen garden.
Rue anemone, a volunteer plant sprouting amongst dormant Virginia bluebell roots, will end up in a spring-time garden I’m planting for my students. Read here about the project.
Their petals almost look like paper, but cosmos can withstand a lot of environmental stress, including strong winds, long bouts of drought, and temperatures that hover above freezing.
These are fall colors, too: dahlia, cosmo, zinnia, verbena, snapdragon, bunny tail, and yarrow.
If one day I must choose a way to leave my gardens, let it be slowly, and with hands full of dahlias.
October dahlias win best in show for their bright colors and captivating symmetrical form.
You can purchase photos from my collection! Just visit my Roots & Vines shop.
See you at the end of the month for a new essay.
-Betsy
GORGEOUS!
May and October are the only month that my garden manages to produce dahlias. I currently have a few that I'm just gaga over. Amen to the armfuls of dahlias....they have my heart even though they don't seem to like me much. 😂