Pods, Berries, Paths and Autumn Leaves

As the garden prepares itself for winter, setting berries and seedpods it will show a magical side.

Wood bine vines, virginia creeper, have beautiful magenta stems holding nearlyh black blue berries in the fall, the leaves of this vine turn bright red as fall nears. These vines grow beautifully in our zone 4/5 garden over anything. I mostly have it growing over trellises and fences.

100 year old plus grapevines have completely covered a Victorian gazebo, making a lovely hideaway.

Note the nearly perfectly black seed pods on the Baptisia shrub..

Although the seeds in the pods don't seem to be very good at germination.

Another interesting shape in plants in the garden are the ball shaped buds of the just opening flowers of the false astilbe bush, which spreads by underground runners.

I find that discovering unique shapes and colors during different seasons in the garden to be very rewarding. It helps you to enjoy the time you spend wandering through your garden and I hope you enjoy sharing it with me. Wander down some of my paths along with me and note the beautiful shapes of the boughs and branches, the grasses and seedheads as the plants prepare for winter.

Enjoy the pine needles, mosses, and ground covers in your garden. The needle covered branches, the cones, the bare dying branches, the shadows of the lattice fencing.

Dark murky shadows down the pathways, perfect hiding places for fairies....gnomes...or little children.

the texture of a weeping spruce branch.

Trails wander back around the pond and through the woods

Steps lead up to the upper garden and a trail leads around to the lower garden. On the far side by the martin house is a pond (which we are redigging to make deeper).

the movement of grasses continues it's beauty right through winter, so I do not cut them back.

Hostas and ferns along a shaded boardwalk.

white cream and sugar grasses add brightness to the shady gardens, as do the white and gold trimmed hostas.

Sweet Autumn clematis grows wild around here, but this one is a  hybrid. Love that they bloom this time of year when just about everything else is going to seed.













I enjoy spending time walking around the garden seeking out unusual things in bloom, berry or seed this time of year, just as the leaves are beginning to change, but not quite Autumn.

                                        AUTUMN LEAVES

Well now the leaves are changing...

Aspen wood to the North of the pond and garden area:

Trail from food forest garden back into woods:

Hundreds and Hundreds of Fall Mushrooms, lots of different varieties:

Another PERK of walking through the woods in Fall, stepping in bear scat..yukko:

No prettier carpet to walk on, than a path covered with autumn leaves...