The Garden in October

One of the major disadvantages of gardening 

in Southern Indiana is that in late summer the rains

invariably stop and the hard clay soil turns to concrete,

making it impossible to weed.

One learns to sit back and watch the weeds grow

while ignoring the twitch in the left eyebrow.

Rainbows End, a miniature rose.

This rose is named for the kaleidoscope of colors

that the rose can display all at once.

The early blooms are yellow, then they progress

to pink, then rose then red before fading.

The dogwoods in their fall colors.

The last hurrah of the Rose of Sharon.

The burning bush in all its glory.

I spent an hour out in the garden today pulling weeds

and hacking down overgrown plants, 

most of which were well over my head.

One of my English roses in bloom.

The topsy tower alight with flowers.

The garden from above.

Many of these plants now reach eight to ten feet tall.

I also painted the plinth today.

It will need a second coat 

(or sixth, seventh and eighth if you want to get technical)

of matt silver paint.

What do you think,

perhaps a distressed finish

to finish this off?

The magellanica is next to the water garden on the deck.