Ordinarily by the 5th of November we would have had some pretty chilly nights in the lower 20's and at least two dustings of snow. We did get a frost last week--although I have noticed begonias and even impatiens around town that made it through relatively unscathed, and the pelargoniums and petunias are still looking pretty full in many gardens.
Despite a few gusty days that blew off the Autumn Purple Ash leaves, the fall color has been the best I remember in years: many oaks around town are at their peak right now (red oaks and pin oaks) and even some burr oaks are surprisingly coloful in old gold tones. Old gold is the theme in my garden, above, seen from my front room window...although my shumard oak (just off to the left of the picture) is showing lots of red highlights and will probably be glorious in a week or so, and the chestnut oak north of my house is a glorious purple red. As are the azaleas nearby it.
The autumn sages (Salvia greggii and kin) are just about in peak bloom everywhere in my garden, as are lots of california poppies, horn poppies and more. But as a bona fide rock gardener, the little things make my day: the last cyclamen of the year is this pale form of Cyclamen cilicium, and the Colchicum praecurrens nearby has been in bloom for a month!
I love my garden, where I can look downward and see all these little treasures, and from other vantage points look off to the West and admire the Rockies dusted with the first snows and even the towers of downtown Denver eight miles away! The weather is supposed to hold like this, toasty days, cool nights for at least four more days. What a glorious year it has been. Colorado, I love you!
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