25 October 2008

goodbye to the gardens

a grey fall saturday is a good day to cut back the gardens and clean them up before snow arrives. pulling and cutting plants, one last round of weeding,  and some on-the-spot divisions of plants make the task last all day. as always there are surprises - the blooming johnny-jump-ups hidden among the dead rubekia, a paper thin chrysalis hanging from dried milkweed, the strong scent of lemon balm as my rake passes over the dead flowers. in the vegetable garden, hidden under the damp vines, i find a huge cucumber that has somehow escaped picking. and on the bean pole, i cut and pocket shriveled brown seed-laden pods that hold the promise of next year's beans. after many trips to empty the wheelbarrow, i end the day with a cup of tea in the adirondack chair, tired but satisfied, as the maples release their leaves with the wind. 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

we too have pulled it all in. cut the last of the vibrant dahlias, ate the last beet..ask me about a new recipe for the greens...and have only two lonely broccoli valiantly holding on until we pick them for tonight's supper. here comes winter.

nance