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Monday 3 November 2008

The Life of Autumn Leaves

I love Autumn leaves .. there is no doubt about that. I am fascinated with them. Either on trees, or on the ground, or frozen in water (which is really amazing to look at ) .. colours, shapes, sizes .. it is all interesting to me. The gardener side has to deal with more practical views about leaves .. the icky stuff like Black Tar Spot and the big horrible bully called BLIGHT .. yes my Engelmann suffers from the beast . Black spot has been trying to cuddle up to my climbing roses and I am having NONE of it !!! So the war is on .. we are going to have a window of time in which I have to become GardenJoy Super Gardener .. that sounds SO LAME ... eeeuuuwwww ! .. Ok .. just 'me" and the leaves' are having it out .. the rake is my weapon of choice supplemented with broom for ulterior motives (I can't give away all my battle tactics .. the leaves might have an 'ear to the ground" and try to outsmart me .. which isn't hard at this point of life .. zzzzz !) .. the garden sulpher is ready to SHAKE .. and with more information from Garden Author, 'rock phosphate" is added for a bit of ooomph ! to the woody bloomers (I'm not talkin' underwear here people !) ..
The window of time is approaching so I better get a nap in and rubber gloves ready !

Leaf on vacation .. laying back and chilling out ... on OTHER leaves ?


Some leaves prefer a harder mattress in life .. go figure ?


These leaves think they will live forever if frozen .. never mind what other activities have happened in this birdbath .. but it aint' pretty .. perhaps that touch of fertilizer is the elixir ?

15 comments:

Nola said...

Love your fall photos, they really put me in the mood for cooler weather.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Nola .. Thank you ! .. funny enough we are having a week of exceptional weather here .. in the 19 degree (celcius) range .. almost a summer time, before we get blasted with winter .. so I want to be out there working and enjoying the last bit of it : )

Brenda Pruitt said...

We seem to think along the same lines at the same time somehow. Fall here this year is actually quite beautiful, more spectacular than usual. I am enjoying the season.
Brenda

Anonymous said...

Hi Joy, you never fail to make me laugh. Those haughty leaves, but they are beauties. Let them shine until they become colorless and shrively. This could also be applied to women? Nah.
Frances
http://fairegarden.wordpress.com/

Anonymous said...

I guess you've declared war on them leaves, lol. They do manage to make a mess and land in the oddest places. :)

Anonymous said...

Love the foliage portfolio! Nice job of capturing the essence and beauty.

Last time I nag, but go easy on that sulfur dust... lime-sulphur, as a dormant-season application (with or without horticultural oil - Bonide makes a great combo product, to rid the garden of insects and disease in November & March), is actually more effective than sulfur dust when sprayed on canes and soil. Anyway, good luck fighting the good battle and I'll shut up, now. (Thanks for the clickable link!)

Happy gardening day! ~ Deb

Anonymous said...

I envy you your fall leaves. Our home is only a few years old, and all our trees are babies. The few autumn leaves we get simply blow away! But someday, just you wait!

Pat said...

Love all the color and levity!!
Is your blue background new?
Looks different.
It will be warmish here all week
around 18.33 Celsius so I should do some more work outside. Or maybe not.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Patsi ! Thanks girl ! .. Yes .. the background is a navy blueish ? colour .. not as heavy as black but great background for the pictures still. We are supposed to have awesome weather here too .. and I have to kick myself to finish these last chores tomorrow for sure !

Robin .. waiting is the hardest thing at times .. but your imagination will picture how gorgeous things will look as they mature .. we had two dead trees with a dead lawn when we moved in here .. that was it ! .. the owners would not recognize this place now ... and your garden will be more beautiful with time too !

Deb .. I swear I will go easy .. I feel you will be looking over my shoulder while I'm doing it telling me "EASY with THAT!!" haha
I'll look into the Bonide product too .. hubby wanted to spray the apple tree , whether we get to it or not is another question .. but the leaves must be bagged and gotten rid of in any case .. I am on a MISSION ! haha

PG .. if they weren't a blight problem .. I don't mind them covering the garden at all .. they are a great mulch and protection from severe weather swings .. but this blight thing .. damn ! it makes me crazy .. crazier ?? LOL

Frances .. Now that did strike a cord .. "The Life of Leaves and Women" .. I can see a book out of that declaration ! : ) .. Gardening and humour is a must for me girl .. no one can take themselves too seriously and face it .. we grown women ? playing ? in the garden .. well it is fun and funny ! : )

Brenda, I have to say .. the summer rain nourished the trees and leaves so well that it does make for a spectacular Autumn .. I love it .. and hope so much next year will be as pretty too !

Rose said...

I love these autumn leaves, too, Joy; beautiful photos! Good luck on getting them all cleaned up--I prefer to let Mother Nature blow them away as much as possible before I reluctantly dig out the rake:)

I like your new look!

kate smudges said...

Love your leaf photographs - you are lucky to have beautiful colours of maple leaves there. Here we have mostly yellow fall leaves. I miss the maple leaves in autumn in the east.

Hope you have a good week!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Rose .. I hear you girl ! If it wasn't for nasty bacteria working its way into my babies .. well I would leave the leafs ? alone.
What makes me really laugh are those people with leaf blowers or sucker uppers ? .. and they are closed in with neighbors that leave them on their lawns .. duh ?? wind blowing leaves might happen ? .. too funny !!

Viooltje said...

Joy, I think we share an equal amount of bedazzlement by the autumn leaves. I could never possibly get enough. No matter how much I hate raking, no matter how many weeks I spend cursing at the leafy inferno on my lawn, one look at those colors takes all of my evil spirit away LOL

The 'frozen' shot there ... my compliments! And then some!

Anonymous said...

so well written -- loved it! and some very pretty photos too :)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Kate .. you got caught in-between posts here girl ! .. yes : ) there is nothing like these scarlet and orange leaves to contrast with the yellow .. if they were all yellow it would look sort of sad and dull. Hope you can enjoy the colours a little from these blogs ?I'd mail you a red leaf if you want ? LOL

Hi Violet .. Autumn is my time of year and it is because of the leaves .. and pumpkins ? LOL .. leaves just bedazle me in this state .. something from a previous life perhaps, who knows .. I just love them though !

Thank you Diane ! .. it is easy to take pretty pictures with these leaves .. I can never do them full justice though .. they are remarkable : )