Perception in the Garden

Perception ~ the state of being or process of becoming aware of something through the senses. 

    So today begins the first day of Autumn. For those of us lucky enough to enjoy the seasons changing (although most of us can do without the cold winter), the first noticeable change is the temperature. Why is it that 65 degrees in March feels warm, when 65 degrees in September feels downright chilly? It's our perception...

   So in the garden the same is true. We can change our own perception of the waning fall garden with a few cleanup measures to trick our senses. What we hate to see this time of year is the fading of our perennials. Our annuals, however, seem to rejuvenate without all the heat. So how do we fool our senses into thinking that things are still lush? We need to put in a bit of fall cleanup work now!

    Begin by removing any diseased (powdery mildew in particular) leaves & stems. Just cut down & don't compost but remove to the trash. Then continue cutting back the dried up stems/leaves from your other perennials. Retain the plants that are no longer flowering but have nice fall color in the leaves. Leave some texture in the remaining flower heads like coneflowers and rudbeckia. As you begin to remove, peeling back the layers of summer remnants, something beautiful begins to emerge. The remaining flowers that are trying to be seen become the stars! Let the phlox, obedient, daisies, asters, mums, sedum, rudbeckia, sage and your annuals shine! You may have fewer blooms from summertime, but our perception is simply a beautiful, richly colored fall garden. With just a little work now, you can enjoy a few more months of your labor. Then you can just leave it to the birds to enjoy!