Signs of Autumn in the Garden

I love autumn, but fall in the South is weird. Down here in zone 8, fall temperatures are short-lived and easily punctuated by hot spells or cold snaps. We don't really get the glorious displays of fall color that you find farther north. This September has been a perfect example--while you expect summer to be coming to an end, we've had some of the hottest weather all year. (At the local farmer's market, one grower was lamenting that they finally got their first good tomato crop for the year just this month.)

Most of the leaves have fallen from our
cherry tree.

In spite of the crazy temperatures, there are still signs of fall beyond Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks. Due to the shot-hole fungus, my cherry tree defoliated early, and I found myself this past weekend doing a typical fall chore: raking leaves. As I mentioned in my post on fungus, raking up all those disease-ridden leaves can help keep the disease from returning next year. Otherwise, the fungus just continues to live and breed in the dead leaves.

Lycoris radiata (Red spider lily) blooms in the field out
back.

The first of the red spider lilies (Lycoris radiata) just started blooming out back, which is a sure sign that summer is coming to an end. These lilies are native to China, but they naturalize quite readily in the South. They were originally introduced in the U.S. in 1854. Who knows how long ago they were planted under the dogwood tree in our backyard--they continue to spread every year. The flowers appear like magic out of the ground, without any leaves, in a great big mass in late summer or fall. They almost grow in reverse from most bulbs: after the flowers fade, then the leaves follow, growing through fall and winter until they disappear in early spring. The bulbs are actually dormant in summertime.

My white chrysanthemum looks small now, but it will fill
its pot soon.

The ubiquitous, fall-flowering Chrysanthemum ("mum" for short) is available in all the garden centers this month. I'm not a huge fan of mums--perhaps because they're everywhere, or because I don't like most of the color choices. I have to admit, though, that there are so many different varieties out there, that I actually liked a couple of the ones I saw in a recent trip to Lowe's. Also, mums are such a symbol of fall, that I decided I needed one in my garden. I settled on this creamy-white variety. I'm all about saving money in the garden, so instead of buying one of those large mums they'll be selling soon in decorative containers for $10, I bought this little guy (who's not quite in bloom yet) for $2. In the end, he'll probably be happier and healthier. Tip: When buying flowering plants, look for plants with healthy leaves and lots of buds that aren't in flower yet. Younger plants will adjust more readily to your garden than fully mature plants.

Sometimes you just have to take time to notice the little details of the season. What signs of fall do you see this week?