I agree g.g.! Fall does seem to be in the air. This is the first day IÂve seemingly been stuck in the house all day because of Ernesto.

One thing thatÂs become apparent to me when it comes to the Fall Season is "The Master Has Gone Away"; or should I say flew? HeÂs my Alpha Male Hummer. I havenÂt seen him in 3 days now and IÂve adopted a new female that has a tuft behind her head like a Woodpecker. When she lights on the feeder she flutters her wings while feeding. Amazing how they can have there little characteristics. So I think she is migratory.

I know that Penny hates to see these next few days come but it is a (sometimes sad) sign of the times that are now just around the corner. Summer always seems so short..... :>(

I suspect we'll get some Indian summer soon, and I won't take the A/C out for a while yet. But the Fall is my favorite season, and I'm glad to have more moderate daytime temps and cool nights return.

I saw a hummer at my cannas yesterday morning, the first I've seen in weeks, so I'm sure it was a migrant. The other birds have been mobbing my feeder, too. I'm expecting a pretty cold winter, since we had a mild one last year. I hope we get some decent snow cover, or I'll have to scavenge my neighbors' discarded christmas trees to cover my perennials. . . .

Laurel

This weekend sure has shown signs of fall. A sweatsuit this early is ridiculous but I gave into it yesterday.
I've started bringing in some of the hanging plants. Mostly I did becuase of the high winds Ernesto was supposed to give. The sweetpeas at the wedding arch never recovered after that real hot spell so they came out. I'm hoping it dries enough today to do a little gardening and cleaning up. Have a safe Labor Day.

Ernesto really knocked things over in my garden! Dahlias, castor beans, anything tall. At least everything is now well watered.

It's still cold and feels more like fall than ever. Sigh . . . .

It definitely feels like fall! I was hoping for an extra long summer, but it doesn't seem like that's the case.

We saw a hummingbird moth at my butterfly bush yesterday. He was there for quite a while. Fun to watch.

Tracy

I'm hoping it's not fall yet, got to many things to do outside yet. I had alot of flowers knocked over by the winds too!! My hubbie tied up my castorbeans and some grasses today. What a guy!!!! Still have alot of mulching to do and lots of mums to plant!!
Tracy-- We have had several butterfly moths buzzing around, they are fun to watch!!
I'm sure better weather is on its way!!!!!

Hi Brenda,
My Virginia Sweet Spire is turning red! Fall is here, lol. But the phlox I got from you is bloom nicely, so some of summer is hanging on too.
There is always so much to do. I never get everything done!
I saw on the otherpost about you posting pictures. You really should; you take such great photos.
Remy

happily today is a bit warmer. I've been taking advantage of the rainy weather to transplant stuff. I have a 'blue fortune' hyssop that has taken over the front of the back bed; dwarfing everything behind it. plus I have very healthy but bland herchura that needs to moved from 'center stage' to the periphery.
Mulchy, do you add new mums every year or are renewing the crop? I must have bought some hardy ones last year because 'they're back'. Don't remember what colors.

Ruth, I had several mums from last year. I took cuttings in mid spring. They all took and I endedup with 54 new plants, they are smaller then nursery plants but they all have buds on them. I gave some away and yesterday I finished planting them. I was so glad to get them in.. Now I can just wait to see them open. They add such a splash of color to a dreary fall day!!

Lilylouise,

I had to move my monster 'Blue Fortune' hyssop a couple days ago too - it was WAY taller than I expected, and after all the rain this summer is was practically laying down. I moved it back farther in the border, and I'll stake or cage it next year. It attracted so many butterflies, and bloomed for so long, that I don't want to get rid of it - it just needed a better location.

Fall cleanup has begun! I actually enjoy this chore, because it feels so GOOD to tidy up and set things in order. This summer was really off-kilter for us, and my garden suffered quite a bit. This feels like reclaiming my space and my hobby from the chaos of the summer. I think I'll putter around in the yard later, and start moving some plants around before things get too cold.

Laurel

I don't know if it's fall yet but there are frost warnings for northern NY, and freeze warnings for in the mountians! I'm not considered in a "warning" area but the weather reports say we're going down to 39 tonight:(

Today I've been lugging plants under cover and have to drag out covers for others just in case. There is a lot of red in the trees and the air is pretty chilly.

Right now I'm still in denial that it's so late in the year, fall? Not so soon!!!!

Yep, 32 degrees here in the mountains right now, on its way down to a forecasted 26 degrees, for both tonight and tomorrow night. Covered what I could this evening.

The price of living in Paradise.

Wayne

Don't tell me about frost!!! I am definitely not interested in hearing that! Before it freezes I need to bring in all my houseplants and take cuttings of my coleus, and dig up some tender perennials. And I'd like to put that off for another month at least, because I have lots of other projects to do.

But fall it is . . . .

Well, the growing season's over here in the North Country and extending the harvesting season is the job at hand. Down into the 20s the past two nights, finishing off the tender plants that were left uncovered. Beds of peppers, eggplants and tomatoes were under my bubblewrap mini-greenhouses and should continue to ripen as the weather warms again. (Or, start to ripen in the case of my Brandywine tomatoes. I've only picked two ripe fruits from the beds so far this year with lots of huge greens on the vines.)

Last year, I harvested all my eggplants and half the tomatoes after the first kiling frost on Sept 10th from under the mini-greenhouses. I don't think I could grow half what I have up here without them.

Wayne

Here is a link that might be useful: Season extenders

Wow, Adirondackgardener, I guess I shouldn't be complaining. It's only wet and chilly here, at least it's not freezing yet.

I was freezing last night,got up for an extra blanket. It was 54 outside this morning. I put the heat on in my house,just to get things warm before my 2 kids got up.

WOW! How easy we forget! Didn't we go without frost until late October or early Nov last year '05 in Z5 Central New York?.

The 20's up in the A'dacks and Saranac Lake seem so early.

I thought for sure with this last bout of cold front with chill rain moving in my Hummer's would be gone. But I had a juvenile and 2 adult (females) at the feeder today.

It's kind of a sinking feeling when you think there gone because they bring so much joy to outdoor life. This year was an exceptional year for me because of the antics of the Alpha male.

He perched atop the Shephard's staff that holds 1 of 2 feeder's from daybreak starting around the middle of August and would roost 'til after 08:00 and wouldn't let anyone near.

In the meantime I would go out with the dog tending to my flowers, disbudding etc. and all of the other's were right there with me just inches away. I watched them while the fed bugs and nectar from the Dahlias, 4 o'clocks and zinnia's.

It was just an awesome sight seeing them just 3 or 4 inches away. And I'd look over to the Master just roosting and I would think, he has no idea what he's missing. I hope he survives the winter and gets back here next year.

Another strange thing happened the other day (9/11). I live in a development just outside of Syracuse and when I lifted the garage door that we have to our backard a Crane was roosting on my neighbors floor roof 3 story's up .

He or she startled me as much as I startled it. In fact it scared the living hell out of me at first because when it took flight what caught my attention was it's huge wingspan literally hit tree limbs, and I couldn't figure out what in the heck was this monstrous bird?

I don't know what kind of a Crane it was, sandhill etc., but I got a pretty good look as it cleared the 2 houses and was on its way South :>(

Jim