Dressing herself
Marigolds, zinnias and other showy fall colors bloom in Bar Harbor, Maine, September 2007.
“September is dressing herself in showy dahlias and splendid marigolds and starry zinnias. October, the extravagant sister, has ordered an immense amount of the most gorgeous forest tapestry for her grand reception.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes
I agree with Holmes that the beauty of October is usually more extravagant than the showy displays of September. But this month is a fitting prelude to the grand symphony of colors we look forward to seeing in a few weeks. He didn’t even mention the chrysanthemums that are as much a part of fall as pumpkins and football in most of the USA. I’m already beginning to see them adorn the porches and front steps of homes in our neighborhoods.
Everyone is invited and welcome to attend “the grand reception” that will be taking place all over the northern hemisphere in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, enjoy the colors of September, whatever they may be where you are. What vibrant warmup acts are playing before the weather changes in your part of the world?
One year ago today:
This post was first published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
Defeat Despair 
Good morning, Julia! The zinnias are going full blast, and the serrano chilis are plentiful and beautifully red against their green foliage. It’s pretty glorious!
Sounds wonderful! I just love that fire-engine red that peppers can have. Almost worth growing them just for beauty, aside from their considerable nutritional value.