New Englanders Love Fall

All New Englanders love Fall. Fall is apple picking, pumpkins, crisp days, and gorgeous foliage, so why am I writing about THIS fall as though it is something special. Cuz it is! We are viewing the most glorious foliage in years, granted heightened by a drought through the summer, moons that songs could be written about, bountiful apple crops and huge pumpkins all bathed in the golden light of fall. We are happily being repaid for one of the most horrific winters on record! The never ending winter of 2014 snowed and drizzled through March, April and the beginning of May wreaking havoc on landscapes, driveways, and our general state of well being. As charming as wood smoke and crackling fires are in December, by April we have run out of wood and patience with heavy coats, boots, sliding to the car, and making soup on week-ends! So much for memories of winter.
So back to loving fall….fall is the perfect season for all seasons! Planting grasses, native hollies, fruiting flowering crabs, and native perennials like echinacae and eupatorium not only enhances the fall landscape, it provides winter interest and a wonderful source of food for birds. The list of spectacular fall shrubs and trees is as bountiful as the season-my favorites include sumac, fothergilla, and native ferns. Fall is also the time to tuck in bulbs…so often unfortunately forgotten, but if planted are cheery harbingers of spring for years to come. My backyard is now carpeted with Chinodoxa each year from a couple dozen bulbs I planted about 15 years ago. Narcissus also love Massachusetts, and the rodents don’t much on them like tulips, and repeat beautifully year after year. PLUS fall planting of trees, shrubs, and perennials allows roots to establish in cool , moist soil without worrying who is going to water when you go on vacation.
Enjoy the beautiful season….. look up at the moon, admire the sun peeking through the gorgeous foliage as you drive to work, and get outside this week-end. While you’re out there plant something…some bulbs, a holly, an aster, a shad……gives you one or two more reasons to love New England besides pumpkins!

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