Very fitting but sad on many levels. I detest the coming of winter.

Same for me, peren.all. I say Fall is a "four-letter word".

The hottest part of summer and the coldest part of winter are equally bad in my books! I get stuck indoors too much in both seasons...! Spring and fall are my times of year. We were working in the garden yesterday and the temperatures were just about perfect for me. Mind you, I don’t like the shorter days, especially when they are gray and cloudy too....

The Heptacodium tree is teasing us at the moment as it’s almost - but not quite - in flower. The neighbour across the street has had one in bloom for almost a week now. She and a neighbour beside her grow milkweed for the monarch butterflies that love this type of tree. We are all hoping for a really good monarch year this year - the migration swarming of the Heptacodiums is one of the early fall highlights here. DH and I have been enjoying the pictures on the other thread with the monarch caterpillars etc.

DH is a birder so spring and fall are key times for him too as he watches birds migrate through this area.

Aside from Christmas, winter doesn’t have much to recommend itself! :-) But fall is good.

Ken, a very beautiful song.....makes me feel a bit nostalgic about summer. In Wisconsin we have “Indian Summer“ (not my choice of words) which is extended beautiful weather often into late October. My husband once golfed in early November! We also have the beautiful changing deciduous trees......but alas, I like peren.all and popmama detest winter. It’s not the snow, which is beautiful, it’s the severe cold and the cloudiness. Winter is a very cloudy time here........:-(

Nice song. I am not a fan of fall. Fall, to me, means winter is coming---and that's even worse!

If it were possible, I would make January and February totally disappear and add extra days to May and June! I think winter makes us appreciate the good weather more, but it's just toooooo long!

February might be the shortest month - but it's the hardest to get through! At least once Feb. is behind us there is hope for spring to arrive soon :-) although winter doesn't give up easily...!

It was beautiful here today so we took Cole for a walk on the Hamilton Beach Trail. We were hoping to see a bunch of butterflies but only saw two monarchs :-( It took us longer than expected to get there because the lift bridge over the shipping canal into/out of Hamilton Harbour had just gone up and it took a while for a very big ship to approach and then go through the canal so the lift bridge could go back down. Some pictures from today - and from March 2014 & Oct. 2014 showing the trail is accessible all year, that winter can hang around well into March... and that the lift bridge can be interesting when your timing and positioning is right :-)

Today:

March 2015: (The lift bridge is the green structure in the background, to the left)

October 2014 - ship passing under lift bridge:

Not gardening exactly, but an interesting place to visit at almost and time of year when you need to get outdoors!

Thanks for the song, ken.

A different perspective:

I'll be so happy when fall gets here. It's seems like it's been so hot and it really has been really dry. Everything is brown that doesn't get watered (It's not always this dry, but it's always this hot). Sweater weather will be really welcome this year (usually about October 15).

Spring, fall and winter are the best times around here. In the winter, you can go out in the yard and build a fire and enjoy the outdoors. You can walk the dog any time of day.

I'm really looking forward to some cold weather this year.

bkay

I’m with you, too. My favorite time of year, with crisp, cool nights and beautiful days. Then comes winter with time for planning and re-planning, and getting sucked in by all the great peeps on here, sharing photos of plants I just have to have. Buying too much and then wondering where I’m going to put it all, and swearing I won’t do that again. And then repeat :-)

Anyone who is not a fan of fall should be banned from the trees forum! Lol

I love this time of ayear everywhere from the lower sun level the cast more beautiful shadows throughout the garden through the changing colors to the deciduous trees silhouettes leading on to the evergreens glistening in the snow

Yup. I’m ready! Great song. :)

We are still getting temps in the upper 90s, dry, brutal. I’m tired. My plants are tired. My grass is tired.

Bring on Fall!

Love Willie Nelson and I am ready for the end of this growing season. This has probably been the worst year for my hostas and more. I have totally lost interest in the gardens, making it worse yet. Bring on the snow, I don't want to see the all the damage anymore.

Thank you. My favorite month is November and I hate July and August due to the harsh light. Autumn and winter light is gentle and kind and the colors glow.

Oh for fall!! We used to have beautiful autumns, crisp, clear days and cool nights--even as recently as 10 years ago. Now September is the hottest month of the year. And it stays very warm well into October and even into November. No more fall color--the leaves just hang on until they turn brown and drop. First frost was often mid September--certainly no later than early Oct.--now who knows? Late Oct, early Nov.

We don't have much in the way of winter anymore either. Rarely snow. And sometimes temps in Feb in the 80s, then cold again. Pretty hard on the woody plants.

I love fall regardless of the coming winter and always have. Living in rural NH now, even a trip to the grocery store or the commute to work becomes a cause for joy as I watch the colors glowing and changing over something like 5 weeks. The temperatures are pleasant, there aren’t the biting flies that can make spring and parts of summer a misery, and I usually enjoy gardening. My garden is totally out of control right now and I have had other things Using my time for the last couple of gardening seasons, so I am not sure how much I will get done this fall, but there is always next year. I am currently in Colorado, and while it is beautiful here, the autumn colors won’t hold a candle to NH. I will enjoy being back home in a couple of weeks to witness the annual explosion of color which was just starting with the red maples in wetland areas when I left 10 days ago.

While winter in NH is longer than I like and the darkness gets to me for the month before and after the winter solstice, I am another person who can’t imagine gardening year round, and I like having the break to enjoy getting outdoors in the snow when that is available and doing various indoor chores and hobbies that might never get done if the garden required year round attention.

Thanks, Ken. I enjoy Willie as well.

there is always next year.

===>>> the gardeners/farmers lament ...lol ...

Hate Willie Nelson. Was that a song to commit suicide to? My glass is half full. Still summer here! I've heard people lamenting the end of summer since late July. Always looked forward to the next season (will admit the winters seem to be getting longer - wish global warming would hurry it up!).

I love fall (and Willie Nelson :-)) !! It is my favorite season. It has an aura about it that is very appealing.........softer light levels, lots of color, cool, crisp days. And is ideal gardening weather in my climate.

And while you can garden year round here, I seldom do much of that other than supervise the installation of design projects. The older I get, the less enthused I am about working in bad weather - no wet, cold, gray gardening days for me!

With my season of fall starting several weeks before many of you, I'm amused when I hear all the moaning about winter coming. lol

And I'll admit, winter can get long up here, especially after the holidays are over with. But I love the change of seasons and the cooler nights, even in summer. No poisonous snakes, no scorpions, no brown spiders, no cicadas. The biting bugs might be bad for short periods in summer but not usually here in town.

I'm the kind of guy that has no trouble finding things to do, even in winter and agree, I wouldn't like it, if it was hot all year round. I'm at that age too where I can pretty much pick and choose what I do and young enough to try new things. :-)

I won't get into all that 'I like how the snow crunches under my feet' bs but I have a comfortable home with an indoor workshop, love reading (researching), winter stratifying seeds and lately, rooting cuttings.

Last February, my son took me ice fishing. And believe me, we weren't the only ones on the lake.

Bill, what are you working on with rooting and how? I would be interested to know.......ps, nice fish—-bet it tasted great!

I am with the winter-lovers above. PTSD from growing up in Alabama prevents me from ever complaining about the cold. My garden needs a rest, too, and at least this winter I know I can start next year preparing for hungry deer, which kind of ruined many things this summer!

I welcome it, and the winter scenes here still amaze me. My backyard view is often its most beautiful in winter.

I love snowmobiling so winter's OK. Summer is still way better

'Bill, what are you working on with rooting and how?'

djacobz568sewi,

Sorry, I should have specified 'Conifers'.

Link to the thread below.
Rooting of side branches on Hemlock

Bill, that was quite a project! Now you’re going to Restart with new cuttings? I know it was a fun project for you——me? I would have purchased the tree lololol! You may not be a scientist, but maybe a mad scientist hahaha!!

Deanna, if my backyard view looked like that, maybe I would be enjoy it more! It’s beautiful!

Oh Bill, I forgot to say——now I know what tsugajunkie‘s profile refers to!

"open the windows at night to listen to the trains ... after putting the heavy blankets on the bed …"

^^That conjures such a wistful image in my head.

Deanna - that photo is beautiful! I'm see beauty in and enjoy every season. I think people who don't enjoy winter just don't really know how to take advantage of its potential. There's all sorts of stuff that can be planted for winter interest -- no, no flamin' flower displays up here in the dead of winter, but what about the quiet beauty of spruce trees dusted with snow, the bright red splashes of winterberry holly berries, the ultra-cool rugosa rose branches, etc etc? Bored in winter? Dress appropriately (this is key...) and get your hind end outside and enjoy the crisp air -- go for a walk, snowshoe, cross-county or downhill ski, just do something - anything - to get out there if you are physically able to!

If pressed, I'd have to say my least favorite time of year is the proverbial dog days of summer -- high temps and seemingly even higher humidity, is just miserable IMO. Don't know how you guys deal with it in the SE US...

I am with you mxk3. I know my SIL, who lived in SW FL for a number of years used to get up to play tennis in summer starting at 5 so they were finished by 6 or 6:30, and then the rest of her day was spent indoors during June-August.

I'm definitely ready for a break from trying to keep up with the garden this year... and feeling guilty when everything doesn't get done. I'll be glad to just remove the old foliage, clean things up a bit, and look forward to next year. I never used to enjoy Fall, but now I do (especially since allergy medicines became more available and more effective), and now that I know I just have to get outside and get plenty of natural daylight. I love being outdoors, and make sure I get out all year-round... but I love the coziness of the fireplace, homemade soup, and the change of activities.

I actually don't even mind January and February... the holidays are over, and it's just a nice down-time.

Is SE Wisconsin the only place that has at least 75% of winter days with no sunshine? I think last November we had two days with sun and then it’s often morning sun before the clouds roll in.....most people I know and talk to often are suffering from SAD—seasonal affect disorder....... the lack of light brings on lethargy and depression. It’s very difficult to get motivated to do anything. Even though I love the beauty of snow, my arthritis and back disability keep me from partaking in any sport.......and I had a brother (46) who died in a snowmobile accident So I won’t consider that which would be more passive if riding with someone.

One activity I do undertake is making snow pathways for my in/outdoor cats. (It’s a very long story so no judgments please). I have a lightweight shovel and drag it behind me as I walk through the yard. Then I turn around and stamp the snow down. I have even been known to actually shovel snow in layers to clear paths for them......they are my kids and have a heated porch and beds to be warm in the winter. Alas, I digress....... I really think more sun would totally change my feeling about the season......

djacobz, no sun makes it MUCH harder.

The photo I posted about is a cloudy day, but they are not the norm (which may be why i thought it was so beautiful). We have many days with wonderful sun in winter, and it hangs so low on the southern horizon way up here that the light quality is very ethereal. The low winter sun creates dancing diamonds on the water that outshine summer. I've heard other people up here talk about about the winter reflections, too. The water also reflects the sun back to the house, which increases brightness in the house. My houseplants get more sun in winter because of the reflection and leafless trees than they do in summer! It would feel very different if it was cloudy all day. I would probably flirt with SAD, too. The sun is always welcome in winter, and needed.

I love Willie Nelson also. Nice song. Living in Chicago my entire life I have learned to deal with winter. I do not mind the long cold days as long as the sun shines but that doesn’t always happen. We have many cloudy days. I love the fall and the beautiful colors it brings. We have the best weather in September. The days are warm and the nights are cool for sleeping with the windows opened. The humidity is always low in September and after the heat of August we always welcome September. I love my garden and yard work all summer but welcome not mowing grass in winter. If I lived on a lake like Deanna in Maine I think winter would not affect me like it does. That is a beautiful winter picture. You learn to appreciate spring after -40 below when your nose hairs freeze when you walk out the door. I agree that the best thing to do is get out in the sun when possible during winter. The sun will do you good.

djacob, the PNW is well known for its gloomy, gray winter days. We see very little sunlight in winter.......heck, we see very little light in winter, period!! We are far enough north (well above anywhere in SE WI) that daylight in winter is maybe only 8 hours long. And much of that will be overcast :-)

SAD can be an issue with some here, however I have lived here all my life and it doesn't bother me a bit. What does bother me is snow....it is rare enough to bring everything to a standstill, no one knows how to drive in it, it is heavy and wet and brings down branches and power lines and is just a PITA. Snow belongs in the mountains, not here at sea level :-)

I grew up in Cleveland, and it has a similar amount of winter and spring grayness to the PNW. As part of a solar study in college, we found that the month of April had 4 hours of sunshine in northern OH near the Lake that year. That is fairly typical.

some days i say the heck with the electric bill and just put lights on in every room of the house ... just to stimulate my retinas .... i dont want to walk into any dark room ...

I spent a winter in Russia along the Volga river and let me tell you about lack of light. It seems I didn't see the sun once from October to April. Very dark and overcast, but when the sun did finally pop in the spring it made me feel almost euphoric. It was a remarkable feeling. Abundant sunlight in the winter is an underrated part of living in the Rockies

I can relate to old dirt's comment..this year wasn't much fun for me..my husband's and mother's health problems squelched my spring progress..then came weeks of meeting with contractors for bids and making construction plans..then the actual work started..ugh..so my garden this year was never as pretty as it could've been..but the upside is the construction was late in the season - which we planned..then next year I'll have a construction free season..COME ON spring..

Not much time in the garden this year, so it was a good thing that at least the front garden was made ready last fall for this year's growing season. Right now, I've let some weeds go to seed in my main bed, which I never do, but, oh well. At least the bed managed without any attention to look pretty good all season long. Spent some time in early spring, getting some mulch down and trimming and that was it.

The back garden...ugh....I don't even want to walk out there and I can't wait for snow. [g]

That Willie Nelson song - nope - never have been able to listen to that song. It's just way too sad and depressing. But I really love the seasons and the change from summer to fall and even winter. I still look forward to winter, I just really find it is too long for me now. Even as a kid, I think I loved Fall the most. And spring was a close second.

And as someone said - I used to have no problem working outside in all kinds of weather, but now the cold and damp goes right thru me. Takes me hours to warm up when I come in. But that works out too - I just get more done indoors.

I just cut the last 3 roses in the garden and brought them in today. Pope John Paul is new to me this year and the blooms are SO fragrant and the blooms last in the vase and as they open they get prettier and prettier. That might be the last of them, unless a hard frost is delayed again. I still see a number of buds out there.

prairiemoon..I'm jealous that you have beautiful fragrant roses..fresh flowers are wonderful..

Nicholsworth - Put it on your list for next year! :-) . All you need is one rose bush in some full sun and a little attention. I don't get big bouquets from the few rose bushes I have, but one rose in a small vase, sitting on a table near where you are sitting, or on the kitchen counter, is such a pleasure. I especially like this Pope John Paul because I bring just one blossom in the house about 1/2 way open and it takes another 5 days to open fully and is fragrant all that time in the house.

prairiemoon..I love my lot but it's wooded..no full sun..I have 3 different hostas that are fragrant, lily of the valley and 1 Korean spice viburnum..and maybe a few small things that have a bit of fragrance..and I just planted a peony a month ago..but no roses or lilacs..

I get it. I only have a small patch of full sun in the front of my house. I love the Korean Spice Viburnum. Since it blooms so early, it seems to benefit from the leafless trees in the spring. And wooded lots have their own charm. Maybe you have a relative with a sunny lot that you could ask them to plant one rose bush for you. ;-)

the house behind me just sold..the new neighbors haven't moved in yet but they were in the backyard and I introduced myself..she's a master gardener!..they have some sun..if she plants roses maybe if I look pathetic enough she'll share lol..

Oh....great luck to have a gardener move in and I'm sure anything she plants in her full sun you will enjoy if the two of you manage to end up with a new gardening friendship! lol .

What great fortune for you nicholsworth!! I am sure a Rose is in your future!

There was a link here or somewhere recently that said Pittsburgh, PA was the cloudiest city in the mainland US -- Seattle, WA close behind. The Great Lakes produce incessant clouds downwind in the winter -- even here in west MD.