Late October

 Winding down from a long, extended summer, we are finally beginning to feel like autumn. The rains arrived and I am relieved. That means I can breathe deeply, relax for a moment and record some images of nature. Here is a visual diary of the end of October in the garden. Enjoy!

Sunflowers have a special status here. They are never planted by me, but they are one volunteer that is allowed to stay for the birds are responsible for their placement. Looking closely at this image, there are no longer seeds attached to this particularly large flower. The chickadees have already feasted.

Shall we call the color of the grass "autumn buff" and pretend it's supposed to look like this? In any event, I really don't mind for it comes back every year. Plus, we're slowly eliminating chunks of it, so if it dies, that's okay.

Agastache rupestris and Yucca rostrata. I took the agastache for dead; however, it finally emerged in June.

Silphium perfoliatum stems

The last of the summer-dry days for now.

My Florence fennel in the veggie garden flowered; the pollinators are pleased.

Wiry stems that move in the breeze.

Spiky textures juxtaposed with softer leaves behind.

Wider shot of Silphium perfoliatum surrounded by drought-adapted shrubs and perennials. The area in the foreground, the "buff colored grass," will soon enjoy a bit of a make-over.

The pumpkin and squash harvest was quite good this year. Pictured is my favorite pie pumpkin, Winter Luxury. Yummy.

Sun lovers at the base of the deck.

Can you see the chickadee in her tiny birdbath? They love this little thing and prefer it to the larger baths the big birds tend to dominate.

More moody sunflowers

Lobelia tupa gets better every year, even well after it stops blooming. Parthenocissus henryana, silver vein creeper is climbing up the pole.

Appropriately named Arctostaphylos silvicola 'Ghostly' is looking rather good, appreciating the heat of an extra long summer.

Dahlias I grew from seed. I had no idea they are so easy! I'm sold.

Autumnal colors and textures in a rather hot part of the garden.

Foliage textures in layers.

Rather crunchy Santolina 'Lemon Queen' has a Halloween-ish look to it.

A good portion of this grassy area will be planted in the coming weeks with heat-loving, drought-adapted perennials. I'm excited to begin.

Leptospermum namadgiensis looking pretty even after an extended dry period and very little to no water. Tetrapanax papyrifer in the background.

Golden autumn light shining through Stipa gigantea flowers.

Grape leaves

Southern edge of the garden as seen on the last of the hot October days. The rain came the very next day.

Charming Helianthus angustifolius blooms so late in the season that I don't mind yet another yellow composite flower.

Brachyglottis greyi with Hylotelephium 'Matrona' dried flower heads in the background.

Chip Drop has been good to us this year. Much of the western woodland is now adequately covered, a state that will help to retain moisture in the soil.

A sweet Franklinia alatamaha tree in memory of our sweet Lucy girl. There are a few hardy fuchsias in there too for a little punch of color.

There you have it, a brief snapshot of the end of the super long dry summer as we transition into a (hopefully) wetter November.

That's a wrap for this week at Chickadee Gardens. As always thank you so much for reading and commenting, we love hearing from you. Happy Halloween!