The Garden's Last Hoorah

The autumn weather has been just incredible the past few days. We're spending as much time outdoors as we possibly can by walking through the woods, gathering leaves and pinecones for future projects and just enjoying the fantastic fall colors. A hot mug of apple cider rewards us after the nippy walks.
Walking through the last vestige of the summer gardens one can't help but notice how even the weedy herbs are changing to their autumn colors of gold and brown. Elderberry and witch hazel leaves are changing to their golden colors while the Joe Pye Weed is a deep burgundy. Goldenrod's bouquet of golden flowers are still hanging on but the north winds are making short work of denuding the stems. Coneflowers are brown and spiky early this year. The goldfinches, titmice and other small birds are gathering a harvest of seed. And the Sweet Annie in its greenish gold splendor is slowly being feasted on. We couldn't help but notice the crabapple trees were completely bare of their leaves but the crabapples are hanging on for dear life awaiting a bird's hungry beak.
I can't complain about this weather because I know the cold and wet winter is coming just around the corner. Time to bring in tiny pots of chive, parsley, lemon verbena, rosemary and sage for winter time cooking. I will keep the pots going on a windowsill facing the western afternoon sun. Turning each pot weekly and going lightly on the watering, I should have fresh herbs all winter. A little snip of chive for the baked potatoes, a little leaf of lemon verbena for my afternoon tea, a little nibble of parsley for that extra boost of Vitamin C...good for what ails the winter body.
This picture is of the crabapple tree that is growing next to the newest greenhouse. I couldn't believe how all the leaves had already fallen but I see now why they did....