“A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all, it teaches entire trust.”
–Gertrude Jekyll, from The Gardening Companion: A Guide to the Art of Garden Design
Song For Autumn
In the deep fall
don’t you imagine the leaves think how
comfortable it will be to touch
the earth instead of the
nothingness of air and the endless
freshets of wind? And don’t you think
the trees themselves, especially those with mossy,
warm caves, begin to think
of the birds that will come – six, a dozen – to sleep
inside their bodies? And don’t you hear
the goldenrod whispering goodbye,
the everlasting being crowned with the first
tuffets of snow? The pond
vanishes, and the white field over which
the fox runs so quickly brings out
its blue shadows. And the wind pumps its
bellows. And at evening especially,
the piled firewood shifts a little,
longing to be on its way.
Meet BGC
We’re all about school programs, public gardens, happy bees, satisfied birds, healthy lands, and garden literacy. Curious?
Planting
Many plant experts opine that autumn is the ideal time to plant shrubs, trees, and perennials in your garden. The plants have time to settle their roots into the soil before the cold weather arrives, without having to worry about flowering and sprouting (you know that plants worry, right?). Come spring, the plants can get on with the job of growing, roots already well established. Another good reason to plant in the fall is the numerous year-end sales at garden shops at nurseries!
Here’s another thought, from the Washington Post: Researchers looked at survey data from 50,683 people and found that contact with nature was associated with improved body image. Who knew?
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