First Frosty Morning

Friday morning, 35 F at 7:45 a.m.--just before the sun put in an appearance, moving past the barn.

The meadow had a silvery sheen,, but in spite of several nights of frost warnings, thus far no damage. 

Mid-day warmth lured me outdoors with my little camera. 

There are still a few flowers blooming in the containers near the front steps and in the raised beds near the greenhouse.

Most of the plants are well past prime, but I won't clear them away until hard frost has blackened them.

Walk with me around the dooryard and enjoy these last treasures.

The buddleias in the high bed along the greenhouse wall were tagged as 'dwarf' when I bought them several years ago. They have done well in spite of the summer's long drought.

I dead-headed them several times and there are still fragrant panicles.

These are no longer attracting butterflies, only a few tiny moth-like browsers.

 

A ragged cosmos almost over-powered by the butterfly bush.

Cosmos seed this season didn't flourish. This plant has needed propping up all summer.

Nasturtiums, considered almost tropical in nature, sulked through the summer months, then revived to produce a few colorful blooms.

A landscape rose, 'Pink Cupcake.'

Verbena [?]

Signet marigolds, grown from seed.

Pots of pansies.

Lemon monarda, started from seed in the greenhouse.

It has the attributes of a sturdy spreader.

As the blooms go to seed they resemble a tidy pincushion.

Heat and drought prevented a fall flowering of foxglove, but the mature plants have revived with recent rain and there are numerous new seedlings. 

Heirloom clematis 'Candida' didn't produce a fall flowering.

I've done some careful pruning of all the clematis plants, but left a few fluffy seedheads.

Jim has made some repairs to the greenhouse roof, I've tidied the benches and we've moved in the winter 'coops' for the elderly barn cats. 

Our evening walks around the loop of the meadow are taking place earlier; the path of the sun is becoming shallow and it sinks quickly in the southwest. 

'To everything there is a season...'