Everyone thinks spring is a busy time for Mother Nature and her gardening friends. I find fall is a much more demanding season. There are seeds to harvest, sort, and save, debris and dead vegetation to clear, compost piles to turn, vacationing house plants to move indoors, and cold-tolerant vegetables to pick and store. Trees and shrubs planted now establish strong roots, and there are hundreds of tulip bulbs to bury in their loamy beds. There are hoses to drain, birdbaths to winterize, fallen leaves to rake, and firewood to cut and stack.

As I perform all these tasks, I remember what worked well in the yard this year. I analyze areas that could use improvement and formulate ideas for fresh garden features as the earth’s fertile fields settle in for a bedtime story, ready for a deep winter’s sleep. There will be blowing snow, icy gales, and long winter evenings huddled in front of a roaring fire, to consider what may be.

Potential lies dormant in seeds, bulbs, soil, and our creativity. October is ripe for productivity and is suited to making changes and creating and completing projects. Autumn winds sweep aside distractions, revealing bare bones and underlying structures. The crisp air encourages movement for warmth, and the need to prepare for cold, lean times energizes us. Mother Nature’s gusty breezes impart a sense of urgency as we clean away the old and imagine unlimited possibilities. 

What opportunities do you see?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer