Last Gasps

Now that it's officially fall, it's time to face the fact that the garden is winding down for the season. Part of me would like to go through and clear out some of the saddest foliage, but I know that the plant is better off if it keeps storing up strength for the winter months.

Besides, time is better spent enjoying the last blooms we'll have before frost arrives, and since our average frost date has come and gone already, we're due for one any time.

In August my blue salvia looked terrible. Some bug or disease had infested the whole bunch, so I trimmed them way back and now I'm getting a terrific second show of blooms.

The zinnias too had spots of mildew, but the pruning out paid off there as well.

I'm most excited---sad, but this is what excites a gardener---about my snakeroot plants. They are blooming!

It took years for them to get established and every year I would watch for a bud without success. Finally, this year I've got some blooms. They are beautiful plants.

And the hyssop. It's right next to my cherry tomatoes. So, if you want to steal a couple to pop in your mouth, you have to ask yourself if you're willing to take on the dozens of bees that hang out here all day. I suppose the bees are working hard to fill up for the winter, too.

Last, but not least, is this sedum that decided it wanted to grow in the rocks by our service door. Sure it's a pain to walk around it every time you want to go out to the grill. I simply don't have the heart to pull it out.