Zenspired Gardens

I love fall. Like many people, I love the dramatic display of the change of foliage color which takes place during the autumnal equinox which began last week on September 22nd.  The cooler fall temperatures, shorter daylight days and return of monsoonal  rains are a welcome relief from summer drought and oftentimes high temperature conditions. Now skies are filled daily with heavy, dark gray clouds ready to release the rains so welcomed by our high desert ecosystems. Shorter sunlight days also signal the breakdown of the chlorophyll pigment (essential for the photosynthesis chemical reaction) in plants which we see as various shades of green. In deciduous plants (plants which seasonally shed leaves) other pigment colors such as yellow, orange, red, tan, brown, purple/plum, even pink now become more visible as other chemical changes take place. Plants in the field visible from my home have already turned tan colored. Although some green plants still remain. As you’ve probably observed plants have unique color change timetables.

Sometime later in the season the leaves fall blanketing the ground with natural mulch to help protect plant roots from the effects of upcoming colder winter temperatures. But before then I still have time to enjoy my garden with much of the foliage intact. Some of my fall activities include transplanting (perennials, bulbs, corms, etc.), dividing and transplanting ornamental grasses, trimming shrubs, tidying up garden beds, harvesting remaining veggies  and of course raking leaves. But that comes later. Yay! 
So get out there and enjoy the fall gardens around your house, outside of your apartment and/or at a nearby park! Venture a little further and take a day trip to a more distant park this season and revel in the display while it lasts. Before you know it the autumn splendor will begin to recede as the winds blow the leaves away…