Mellow Yellow Little Fellow

Coneflower... just one left. (Click picture to enlarge)

"Form your own color concept of things in nature. I have no rules for fine color to give you." ~ John Sloan

This weekend, the winds have been cold and the temperatures flirting with freezing; still, here on the coast we have yet another reprieve. I did go ahead and bring in the boston fern sitting on the north porch, though I haven't repotted it nor cut it back for winter and it still languishes in the plastic pot that Stephen accidentally knocked down the steps and broke in pieces. The poor, and I use the word "poor" loosely, fern was unceremoniously stuffed back into the cracked pot and set right back where it started with ne'er so much as an added spoon of soil. Yet, it has flourished under the "benign neglect" plan. It sits in a corner where the rainwater runs off the copper roof and thus it is happy. It gets ample morning sun and is shaded from the heat of the afternoon sun and is happy. It rewarded us with growth, more than doubling the size it was at purchase and almost blocking the doorway out of the sunroom. So, I think it deserves some fresh potting mix, a fresh trim of the fronds and a winter spent in the sunroom spa.

I noticed this morning that with the slowly dropping temperatures, most of the remaining flowers are beginning to fade. I did see this one small coneflower trying its best to put a good face on the coming frost. It is pretty low to the ground, unlike its former brothers and sisters that reached fourteen to 20 inches into the sky; but it keeps spreading the soft yellow light of cheer for as long as possible. This coneflower is in an advantageous sheltered position, shielded from the north wind and still in afternoon sun for a bit of warmth. There is already much mulch around (I put over 3 inches on this summer when I built up the flower beds) and I plan to put a bit more. As soon as this nasty head cold/sinus infection goes away, I will be out there trimming and sorting out the beds, tucking all the little plants in... nice and cozy... for their short winter's nap.

Tell me. In fall and with approaching winter, why do we so want to cling to the warmth of summer when we spend most of it lamenting on the heat?

By the way, I had to just "talk" about the fern as I never took a picture of it this summer. Just another way it was totally neglected. And for my brother... Yes, I was very careful to inspect it for those pesky snakes before I brought it in. I poked and prodded with a broom handle.... yuck!!!!! I still get the creepy shivers thinking about that hiding reptile this summer. I guess they have also made their way to warmer sites... or hibernation or what ever they do. I simply say... "BE GONE! AND DON"T COME BACK!"

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