It's dark when I get up, and the sun goes down shortly after I get home, making it difficult to garden before and after work. It feels like autumn's short days show up overnight. The darkness makes it hard for me to get up in the morning or to stay awake at night. The natural rhythms of light awaken my mind and body. Darkness brings on the feeling to hibernate and rest. The garden, however, is not ready to sleep. It continues to bloom; in fact, some flowers prefer shorter days. My cosmos are still blooming, the dahlia tubers are starting to wake up, and chrysanthemums are budding. The roses are full and finally pest-free. I am falling in love with the wildness of my garden as marigolds, celosia, and gomphrena are spilling out from their borders and blooming in abundance. The cosmos and zinnia now sport a grayish-blue hue as they are covered in powdery mildew, yet their structure and form still hold up. High winds are blowing in regularly, toppling my amaranth plumes to the ground. While dark days make it harder to garden during the week, at least the temperatures are bearable, and I do not have to try to get it all done in the morning. I can work outside comfortably during the day. And that is something I can enjoy this time of year.

Week 41 recap:

• Halloween decorating.

Plans for week 42:

• Start fescue grass seed.
• Tie up climbing rose.
• Harvest anything toppled over (amaranth, red leaf hibiscus, celosia, cosmos)
• Tie up dahlias.
• Start viola and sweat pea seeds.
• Plant lupin seedlings.
• Pot-up foxglove and dianthus seedlings.
• Harden-off scabiosa and snapdragon seedlings.

Week 41 blooms:

• Amaranth
• Celosia
• Cosmos
• Crape Myrtle
• Dahlia
• Globe Amaranth
• Marigold
• Pampas Plumes
• Roses

I was afraid to leave the garden for a week while on vacation, afraid I would return to a disaster of bug-eaten, shriveled-up plants. To my surprise, it not only survived but my dahlia blooms exploded, greeting me with an abundance of beautiful blooms free of pests.