This past week has been mostly cold, and very, very rainy. I’m not going to complain – it was a dry summer, so the rain is not a bad thing. As for the cold given the time of year, it’s to be expected. But when Friday dawned warm, and sunny, I just had to get outside and enjoy it.

Though the gardens are definitely on the decline, there’s still lots to be done. The Sneezeweed and Blanketflower had almost finished blooming, so I decided to take advantage of the nice weather, and get out there and clear them out, so we could move around the catio easier again.

And what a difference it makes. I didn’t pull the plants out though – just cut them back. They can winter in the catio, and I’ll move them to a better spot in the yard come spring.

And of course, that opens up some space for NEW plants! Which is a good thing because…. umm….

I might have hit the nursery on the way home from Sarnia one day last week… and stumbled across a pile of perenials on clearance. Fall is a great time to plant perennials, as they focus on putting in good roots, rather than making flowers. Hopefully as you’re reading this, I’m outside getting them planted. The nice weather is at supposed to hold until mid-week.

But all that cold and rain did put a damper on the blooms left in the garden. But there are still some brave petals.

That gorgeous clematis continues to be gorgeous with two more blooms opening. Two more are buds, and might just make it to full flower if the weather holds.

They only thing that stops the marigolds is a good hard frost. I’ve got several clumps out front and I expect they will keep going for a while more.

The snap dragons are surprisingly tough too. I have several colours, but these pink and yellow ones are probably my favourite.

This Foxglove is called Arctic Fox Rose, and it seems to be living up to it’s name, because the cold snap idn’t slow it at all.

The rest of the mums are pretty much done, but this beautiful pink one in the centre of the catio is still going strong.

Of course, those Toad Lilies just keep hopping along. Like the marigold, it takes Jack Frost a lot of work to take these down.

And the blooms aren’t the only treasures to be found in this autumn garden…

I found ANOTHER praying mantis egg case – this time in the front garden! With any luck it’s going to be mantis city here next year!