There are days in October when the weather is just perfect for doing garden chores. While there is nostalgia that the growing season is ending, there's also the promise of new blossoms next spring, and we think of those as we plant our bulbs.
I am planting no tulip bulbs, of course, as the deer devour them! But I am planting lots of Alliums. They're a member of the onion family so deer disdain them. The flowers appear after the daffodils end so extend the spring blooming period.
Alliums produce round globes on slender stalks, and there are large ones and small ones, but most are purplish-pink or blue in color and last a long time in the garden.
As well as planting bulbs, there are chores like cutting down spent plants and raking leaves. Elizabeth Lawrence, 1644-1720, wrote,
"Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn."
So pause a while and enjoy the views this October. As John Burrows, 1837-1921, observed, "How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days." And Emily Bronte, 1818-1848, said, "Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree."
