The Colors Of Halloween

I think fall is late.  We have temps in the 80s and lows in the 60s.  Some signs of fall are showing.  When the days are short, I get very lethargic.  I use full spectrum lighting on my desk & the greenhouse to offset it.  But the flowers are showing no sign of stopping.  This is my second Halloween gardening.  But I have come to mark it as the end of the growing season (unofficially).  I am not going to put a lot of verbage in this post but I wanted to mark it...one day my gardens will be called, The Gardens of October so I want to know what's blooming on Halloween.

 

 I shot a ton of pics trying to catch these guys

 Cosmos

Lantana

Sumac turning

Marigolds fared very well

The next set of pictures are me chasing monarch butterflies.

Zinnia

Loquat

 There is supposed be a bad storm coming in...so whether she likes it or not...Laura Cat has to come inside

 Alabama Beauty Camellias

 My future haunted looking tree...you should it grown....It's call Bill's Blue Deodra Cedar

Encores

Endless Summer Hydras

Memphis Music

Joseph's Coat

Pinata

Bottlebrush

 Cassia finally bloomed

I was not expecting these to bloom until spring....

Wordless Wednesday

I think Bryson City, NC people love trees....

I know the title may seem a bit simple or naive...but no matter how modest the home, everyone just had such a wonderful, diverse shrubs & trees in the landscape....

Back at home from the mountains.  My husband offered to take me to Biltmore on our last day....and I declined!  You probably think I was crazy...you might be right...but I had compelling reasons....

First reason is was it was our anniversary & not just my anniversary.  A close second reasoning was because...just going for a few hours would have been more frustrating then glorious.  I wanted to process what I saw at Callaway.  Thus, the next anniversary trip we take which will probably be in 2 to 3 years we will stay in Ashville.  I'll have a few years under my belt, & I can take the time to look at everything.  

Anyway......we stayed at Baines Mountain Hideaway in Bryson City, NC.  

This is the view from the balcony.  On our honeymoon, we stay at Sky Cove

Similar view from sky cove 2 years earlier...pic is not a good one...

Sorry, I just thought this was a creepy hotel sign.

Back to trees....

The one thing that stuck out in mind, was the diversity of the trees...

One thing that come to mind is that I think we have more evergreens where I live.  I visited the Cherokee Museum...& they wrote that there were 2000 varieties of trees/plants & the Cherokee had names for 600 of these.  I wondered if the Cherokee cultivated them for medicinal purposes.  For instances, I saw tons of willows....it was my understanding (from previous studies) that willow bark is used like aspirin....just was wondering.

I saw Japanese Maples everywhere...

View from our cabin

The array of colors were spectacular

This tree here I wanted & bought!  When grown they make fabulous looking "haunted"
trees.

Our cabin

I really wanted to take more pictures of people's yards but given that it' rural...someone taking pictures will be met with great suspicion at best.

This it the tree I wanted.  I saw them everywhere....

So I went online & found a picture of a mature cedar.  The link that is in the next line is not the same image origin.  The one I bought is called "Bill's Blue deodar cedar"

Just a mystical time

Anyway, it was a magnificent time...& I cam back with an appreciation of something I too often overlook....trees!