Tip toeing with Tootsie Oct 4th

 October 4th and still so much colour!. The perennials are still in their last act or final swan song...but, I will take every day that I can gazing upon them. Im so glad that Tootsie is back and Im able to share all this with you.

 The monkshood is really vibrant..Cutting it back made the new plants really produce bigger clumps. Next year it should really be impressive. 

 There seems to be a lot of blues, purples and yellow holding fast.

 My Japanese anemone that  was around the pond  hidden under some big elephant ear leaves...

 Daylilys have died back letting the sunshine in on the fairies..

There is beauty in the leaves all around the garden...

 Even shots that I normally won't show because there isn't any flowers are worth showing because of the colour this time of year.... Its fair to say that now the trees and shrubs of the outer borders take the center stage and draw attention from the waning of the perennial beds of the inner garden

 I've looked through the posts of last year at this time and the growth of the plants plus the extra colour are very satisfying to me. 

 Even the areas that may look a bit of a mess to you are still soothing to me!

In thinning out the chrysanthemums last spring I didn't realize that the ones I pulled out were all this colour and left me with only this small group to grow up again...  

 Gaura is still blooming strongly. 

 a perfect match for this fall aster

 This bed needs to be cleaned up but I even like how the yellowing of the hosta leaves contrast with the purple aster, blue of the lavender and the texture of the vibernum and grasses.

 The Sassafras trees are all glorious and techno coloured... Joseph would be envious. 

 The flowering Dogwoods are covered in berries and their leaves have taken on a purple look only to be out done by the red of the leaves of the oak that towers above them.

 The green and blue of the trees usually stand out but with the yellow of this trees autumn glory from the deck this view is calming...

 The pond although in full shade for most of the day now is still graced with blooms...

 Sedums have faded fast this year... Nasturtiums that came in from I know not where. A gift from the birds perhaps thanking me for feeding them during the cold months of winter.

 This was one plant of creeping Jenny "Aurea"  It needs to be trimmed back or split and divided. Its taking over half the stream bed here and although its great to look at setting off the plants around it it also tends to catch leaves.

 Do you remember the trellis that Jason built for me... well its under there some where...

 I couldn't resist a shot of the secret garden...

 Brunnera is blooming again... or it was. I dug it up and split this clump into five pieces. I decided to do that at the same time as I moved a couple hosta's to fill in a few holes and divided and moved some Peonys.

 The digitalis that was allowed to seed and grow last fall has bloomed consistently all summer and is still putting out the occasional stock. I've dug some of these plants up and returned them over to the secret garden where the parent plants came from  a year ago.

 While digging I found these!!!!! Anyone know what they are? I vaguely remember planting something there but for the life of me can not remember what it was....

Peonies were dug up and divided and moved around. 

Remember me telling you that the neighbours decided that in the one spot of our acreage that you could see a neighbour that they needed to build their children a swing set and sand box.... well, we put in the six bigger trees and shrubs and I have been adding butterfly bush, lilacs and then we added four hedging plants in behind... I also added some of the Peony, Sedum and ornamental grasses... all the while being attacked by some minuscule little black bugs that have the bite of a giant... I am currently covered in welts and look like I have the measles!!. I itch just as bad too.. 

 View from up on top of the berm

Standing in behind the shrub plants... So along with removing another six wagons of vegetation this was my week in the garden... Hows your fall clean up coming along.. do you have garden chores you normally do this time of year?....
Last year I remember distinctly the feeling of loss when all the gardeners went "quiet" for the winter...I have been looking for projects that I will be blogging about and topics that we could discuss... in hopes of keeping the posts going.  Keep watching this space... If you have any ideas or suggestions feel free to drop me a line. Maybe we should do a round robin and take it in turn linking up and hosting the party!.
I will put the final touches together and get out the invites soon to join in on "Mermaids Monday Musings"..

Have a fantastic weekend..
Get outside to admire the leaves...if they are falling where you are then enjoy the crisp crunch under your feet.... breath in the clean autumn air and be thankful for every day without snow!.

Kate
Its fertilizer friday and Tootsie is back up and running..... So Im linking in while we can before Alberta Canada is shroud in its winter coat.... Burrrr.....