Last week Ann and I finished preparing Prospect Gardens for the winter. The Gardens are now resting and waiting for a blanket of snow. Here is Sara Teasdate's poem about rest and the coming winter, followed by nine pictures.
THERE WILL BE REST
There will be rest, and sure stars shining
Over the roof-tops crowned with snow,
A reign of rest, serene forgetting,
The music of stillness holy and low.
I will make this world of my devising
Out of a dream in my lonely mind.
I shall find the crystal of peace, – above me
Stars I shall find.
Several years ago, I received this ornament from a nephew's wife . In the background are hostas, covered by a carpet of fallen leaves. Recent frosts have changed the golden -green colors to light brown.
The sun was bright and the sky was blue while Ann and I worked with temperatures in the low 40s. A near perfect day for tending the gardens.
Here's a sunny corner with blue stem grasses. We left them intact, anticipating that seeds will disperse to other areas of the Gardens and we will have more of this purple-tinted grass.
The butterfly house, a gift from our daughter, Emily, now is in the open. Rudbeckia that once hid the house are gone. The house's vibrant yellows have faded after years of being exposed to the elements. Another marker of time passing.
I considered putting the house, for the winter, in the old storage shed near the Gardens where the tools are stored. I gave up after the pole didn't yield after several tugs.
One of two cherry trees now bare and patiently waiting for the snows of winter. We lost one cherry tree earlier this season. I am learning that cherry trees require more attention and care than I realized when we planted them. So far I have not heeded those lessons. Maybe next spring I will. Yet, I am reluctant to use chemicals.
The rocks are now exposed in this section of the Garden. We left some of the Purple Cone flowers, hoping they would spread. Birds like the seeds.
Here's a good shot of the dried Purple Cones. Notice the dark section of the newly resurfaced commuter path, laid a few weeks ago. Oh... another indicator of time passing and to be exact, sixteen years since the path opened in 2001.
Another picture of the hosta garden. If you look closely on the left side of the picture you will find a mobile. I intend to create another mobile for the left side of the double hook. The parts for the mobile lay on my desk. Perhaps sometime this winter I will assemble a new mobile, if the spirits so move me. Although the priority is culling years of slides tugged away in the closet. I am not looking forward to that project.
I like to think that this old blue bowling ball represents Earth as seen from space. In June, NASA reported that "we are not alone" as it revealed 10 new Earth-like planets which could sustain life. Now we face challenges of sustaining life here on Earth as we experience climate change.
Once again the orange plastic snow fences are in place. These should prevent the city snow plowing crews from pushing snow into the Gardens. So far it has worked.
Another gardening season ends. A special thank you to those who volunteered. May they and you find rest and peace.
