October Pleasures in the Garden

October is a month filled with fall garden chores - from cutting back dying perennials, to planting bulbs and the last new acquisitions still in pots, to preparing the houseplants for their return back into the house. It's easy to get caught up in the activity and not notice all the fleeting beauty that this month offers. Beautiful blooms, rich foliage and dramatic seed heads abound. In a few weeks it will all be gone, so take some time to enjoy the warm October afternoons outdoors in your glorious fall garden!

Above: Miscanthus and bloodgood Japanese maple.

Anemone 'Honorine Jobert'

Hydrangeas 'Limelight' and ' Annabelle' with miscanthus zebrinus and dogwood

'Oregold' rose

Rhododendrons 'Patriot' and 'Album' with Siberian cypress

Variegated tricyrtis

Hydrangea 'Endless Summer', faded from blue to rose and burgundy, with Juniper 'Blue Star'

'Karl Forrester' grass with gold arborvitae, viburnum 'Winterthur' and variegated sedum

Montauk daisy with sedum 'Autumn Joy'

Winterberry holly 'Shaver'

Clematis 'Comtesse de Bouchaud' scrambles through 'Aloha' rose