Litterfall on Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Litterfall. Plant material that falls to the ground, such as leaves from trees.

... Wiktionary

Fall is upon us covering my garden with a layer of litterfall: beautiful orange, red and brown leaves. I like the term 'litterfall' so much more than 'leaf litter' (which evokes kitty litter in my mind.) The sound of leaf blowers will soon disrupt the peace of the neighborhood, but my early morning garden exudes tranquility. I stroll with my camera, finding places to sit for a moment to enjoy the season. The walnut tree's cast-iron bench provides a beautiful view of the changing leaves around the top field.

H.H. found the circular bench, an item he always wanted, on Craig's list. It came with a matching love seat and chairs. I placed the love seat on the front porch to display a basket of mums. I haven't decided where to put the chairs yet.

The sunrise caused a reflection in the storm door glass, so you can't see my pretty fall wreath very clearly. You can better view the autumn wreath on the potting shed door in the kitchen garden. I purchased the wreath at the Quiet Valley Harvest Festival last weekend -- a story for a future blog posting.

All sorts of birds cover the sunflowers in the kitchen garden searching for seeds. I wont cut down the plants while birds continue to enjoy them.

A titmouse searches for sunflower seeds ...

... success!

So what is blooming in my garden on this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day? ...

Nasturtiums in the kitchen garden.

Fading phlox.

Borrage -- one of my favorite blue flowers, beloved by pollinators.

One word describes the morning glories this year: stunning! They continue to bloom as they climb over several arbors.

Morning glory, zinnias, and cleome.

Small lilac-colored blooms cover the butterfly bush in the cottage garden. I've been careful to remove the flowers as soon as they go to seed because buddleia is now on the Invasive Plants Watch List in the state of Pennsylvania. Apparently, birds and wind spread the seeds and the shrub grows along roadsides threatening milkweed. I haven't noticed any on my travels, but I know the importance of prevention.

Buddleia, butterfly bush with numerous blossoms

All my roses give a beautiful farewell to summer.

Bee covered in pollen from Russian Sage, another of my favorite blue flowers.

Snapdragons, roses, and clematis in the Horseshoe Garden.

Hydrangea blooms achieve their final fall color.

I conclude my walk in the Stone Garden where the litterfall is thick and fuschia blooms in the stone pots. I would like to overwinter some of my container plants, so I must do something soon: the weather forecast calls for below freezing temperatures, frost, and maybe even a little of the white stuff this weekend. Brr...

Litterfall is thickest under the maple trees in the Stone Garden.

Gardeners often remove litterfall for aesthetic purposes, but it is an important and functional aspect of ecosystem dynamics, continuing to provide for the surrounding environment. We should not be in a hurry to remove all dead plant material that falls to the ground. I leave all litterfall in the Woodland Walk, for example, and shred and return leaves to flower beds in other parts of the garden. Read about the benefits of fallen leaves here.

The weather man says today was beautiful from coast-to-coast (at last), so I hope my American garden friends enjoyed it. In whatever part of the world you garden, I wish you a happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day! I urge you to visit Carol's blog at May Dream's Gardens where she hosts this wonderful meme. I love to see what is blooming all around the world on the 15th of each month, thanks to you, Carol!

Love to all,
Pamela x