Chicagoland enjoyed Indian Summer this week, with highs in the 70s (20s C) for the first half of the week. I spent my outdoor time staining the fence. I decided I wanted to protect the fence so that it would last longer and delay the return of clumsy alien feet entering my garden to replace it. I'm pleased with the result.
It shows off the magnificent color of the Cornus alternifolia, which is now blown. Things seem to reach a peak of incandescence and then rapidly lose all those beautiful leaves, which scatter like gems across the lawn and garden. The Crabapple looked like this a few days ago.
Now, only a few leaves remain.I've enjoyed watching the Calycanthus floridus gradually turn gold while the Phlox 'Nicky' in front of it spits out the last few blooms.
The sight of it cheers me up every time I look out my kitchen window. It's still in full color, as are the Yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea)
the Physocarpus opulifolius 'Monlo' (Diabolo),
and the baby Cornus kousa 'Beni Fuji.'
These three are out front, picking up from the Magnolia, which is now completely leafless. This Gillenia seemed to glow from the inside before the fire went out,
leaving it dull and brown now. I'm glad I got a shot of these lilies before they turned brown.
The Hosta near them had already had their moment in the spotlight and had started to shrivel. Most of these photos were taken on warm, sunny afternoons. The weather has turned nasty now. The sky is gray and the temperature is 36 F (2.4C). There was snow mixed with the rain yesterday and more snow is expected today. My motto for autumn truly is carpe diem (seize the day).
31 comments:
That's a wonderful color you used on the fence. It really makes the reds pop but will fade into the background nicely when everything is green. We see our fence clearly in the winter so having a good looking fence is a major garden feature for us when most things are leafless.
We had the same beautiful weather in Madison (WI). A friend said nature was sharing in the euhporia we are all feeling. Snow showers yesterday with a dusting on the deck this morning.
That is a great colour fence - the sort of colour that fades gracefully into the background and sets off the reds.
K
Love that color on the fence! Great garden backdrop. All that hard work is paying off.
MMD,
Lovely color to accompany the great Indian Summer weather. You have several very nice and attractive small trees/shrubs; NInebark and Yellowwood are outstanding colors. It is something...one day the garden is filled with lovely jewel colors and then they're gone, replaced by grey days and wet cold! I agree with Karen and Ms Wis the fence stain is perfect!
Gail
I'm glad you were able to "seize the day" before the weather changed, MMD. We haven't had any snow (!) yet, but much colder temperatures and rain with strong winds blowing all the beautiful leaves off the trees. I'm glad you were able to capture these lovely golds and yellows while they were still in all their glory.
The fence color looks great!
The fence looks great! Interesting, subtle color. And all the foliage too of course.
Hi MMD, good for you getting that job done so the alien feet don't have to come. They really hold no regard for garden plants I have found. And double goody good for you to get these final parting shots in of the foliage display before winter strips the stems clean.
Frances
We enjoyed some great weather this week ourselves but our leaves had already dropped. And I will add my voice to the chorus of fence-color-admirers. It's a tricky thing to choose a color that will be in the garden for all four seasons. I think you picked a good one.
Tall trees aflame in gold...that's what I love about Autumn! You are certainly enjoying the gorgeous hues of Autumn beauty in your sunkissed garden! We are also experiencing temps of 70F...lots of sunlight gleaming through the trees!a Canadian
nature lover
You chose a perfect colour for the fence, and the rest of the colour in your garden is wonderful!
I love the color you picked for your fence staining project. It really is a nice backdrop for all that beautiful color showing off in your garden!
Your fence looks great MrMcD. It was well worth the effort. All the color in your garden is so pretty. It is a good that you got to get out and enjoy it before the nasty weather took hold.
MMD, I really like your choice of paint color for the fence! It is a good background for your colorful plants. :-) Has it been COLD the last couple of days over your way?
Wow, gather ye photos while ye may and all that . . . We're having similar spikes and troughs--it was 60 when I walked this morning and it was below 50 by midday, and we've had a pretty constant rain of leaves. But your photos make it all beautiful--
That's a good motto to have in the fall. Nice days are numbered, live them to the fullest!
Your colors were gorgeous! Your weather has been similar to ours in Nebraska. We have to adjust from having unseasonably warm weather to colder than normal. It looks like the cold is here to stay awhile. Our leaves are dropping now, too.
Hi MMD,
You have some really great colors going on still over your way! And to pile on, I think the color you chose to stain the fence is near perfectly neutral to complement all shades of the plants over the season.
We had snow/rain all day yesterday and last night too ... today was so chilly that we focused on taking down the numerous Halloween decorations. I did venture out to gather up the tombstones (otherwise they might have blown away!) and the skeletons, and we dismantled the porch display, sigh.
Your place looks gorgeous, even in the late fall, so big ole kudos to you!
I like the colour of your fence a lot! It goes very well with the different shades of foliage.
Katarina
MMD, Wasn't is glorious weather the past couple of weeks? Makes this nasty cold dreary weather all the harder to take. Your fence looks great and I love the color. I'm so glad you were able to enjoy the last of the beauty in your gardens. All of those gold, and reds are beautiful. I especially liked your little 'Beni Fuji'. Let's hope the snow holds off until at least Christmas, then have it quickly turn into spring.
Diablo ninebark is one of my favorite shrubs. Their foliage is so dark and lovely during the season and then so red in fall. Plus cute white flowers in spring! We've also had an Indian summer in MI--funny how we use this time to do the type of gardening chores we never do throughout the season, when we're busy minding the plants. I filled up a groundhog hole yesterday, for example.
~ Monica
I have absolutely enjoyed our Indian summer, with temperatures above 25C for weeks (and we should be deep in snow by now). I'm glad somebody across the ocean felt just about the same and delighted in these beautiful fall days and burning colors. Carpe diem!
Good morning MMD, LOVE the fence color! Your autumn garden is very colorful and beautiful. I love all the reds and golds. Jack Frost adds a nice contrast to the vignet near the magnolia.
Hi, Ms. Wis. - thanks for visiting! Our fence has become completely visible now too. Makes you want to gussie it up for winter.
Karen - yes, that's exactly what I was going for was a color to make the fence background and not a focal point in itself.
MA - if only I had been able to finish the touchups before this cold spell. All the bruises & scratches (from staining under & next to shrubs) was worth it.
Gail - I always forget that the Ninebark's foliage turns in the autumn because it's so colorful all season.
Rose - I found traces of snow in a planter & on the grill cover this morning. :-(
EAL - I'm enjoying looking out my bedroom window at my beautiful fence.
Frances - it won't be long before it's all bare branches.
Kathy - I owe my color sense to my mom for making me hang out in my granpa's paint store where she helped out when I was in grade school.
Welcome, Naturegirl! Soak up that sun & those 70s, winter can be very long up north.
Nancy Bond - thanks!
Perennialgardener - I hadn't really thought about how the color would contrast with the fall foliage as I picked it out before the Dogwood started coloring up.
Lisa - it was wonderful to paint in such weather with no mosquitoes. One day I got to watch the fallen leaves dance down the street & across the lawns.
Shady - I don't want to talk about how cold it is.
Thanks, Cosmo! It seems like I get all the leaves off the front lawn, then the next day it's covered in gold again.
Dave - carpe diem is a good motto for everyday, but today I feel like seizing only my down comforter!
Sue - isn't life in the Midwest fun? I finally faced the inevitable & packed up all my shorts for the winter.
IVG - thanks! Last weekend my husband remarked that it was perfect weather for putting up Christmas decorations. Of course we always wait until it's in the 20s to put them up.
Katarina - thanks!
Beckie - actually, I like having a light coating of snow in December. It makes everything look brighter & better. Of course I don't want a repeat of last year. I must admit, though, that it is fun when the Snowdrops start blooming in December.
Monica - with the flowers (mostly) gone, we can see what needs to be done. Usually, it's something involving leaves.
Hi, Viooltje, thanks for visiting! The extra bit of warmth is so welcome & delightful.
Gardengirl - that's a Chionanthus near the Brunnera 'Jack Frost'. I've had it for only a couple of years & am trying to train it into a tree form. I'm liking Jack more & more. It has way outperformed Brunnera 'Hadspen Cream' this year.
I have used that sort of colour for one of my fences and it is very good for showing off plants against. Can you believe that here in the Uk there was a trend for blue fences back in the 90s which I thought was horrid.
Oh, to have such beautiful autumn foliage glowing against the serenity of a sage green fence! Lovely, MMD, absolutely lovely!
You have beautiful fall color and a beautiful fence.
The color of the fence is wonderful, MMD - you're right about the way it shows off the leaves and once they're gone, that color should also look good with shadows of bare branches thrown against it.
Was it hard to keep the paint from dripping through to the other side in the neighbor's yard? Or maybe this not a shared fence? All of my board fences are on property lines so I've hesitated about painting any of them.
That phlox 'Nicky' impresses me each time it appears.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Such a brief time between the changing colors and bare branches.
I was interested in your Cornus kousa Beni Fuji. I have tried to grow different cultivars here and sooner or later they all fail to survive the winter. I'll look into this one if it is especially hardy.
Marnie
Patientgardener - blue fences? And I always thought British gardeners had such good test.
Cindy - it's a bittersweet pleasure because it doesn't last very long.
Thanks, Phillip.
Annie - we stained both sides of the fence. Fortunately, my neighbor did mind us crawling around behind his Yews.
Marnie - poor little Beni Fuji was almost completely buried in snow last year. It's a trooper. I also have Cornus rugersensis 'Aurora' which is doing very well, though it has yet bloom.
Your fence is beautiful! Perfect color for showing off the gorgeous fall color you have there.
Thanks, Kylee!
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