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On these crisp, chilly mornings with a cup of steaming coffee in hand and daylight just beginning to break, I love taking a slow walk in my garden to observe the colors, shapes and movements of the fall season.
What do I notice first? The leaves on some of my favorite bushes such as Virginia sweetspire and Disanthus cercidifolius are beginning their transition from a deep lustrous green to glorious hues of orange, yellow and red. When I stop and gaze at my tropical garden filled with banana plants, Ricinus and deep red dahlias, I sadly realize that soon a major frost will force them into a deep slumber.
It is when I enter the rear of my garden where perennial grasses grow (they have practically taken over all of my other specimens) that I fully realize the effects of cooler weather. But I see it mostly with my Miscanthus sinensis. Turning deep brown in the fall, this perennial grass with its huge stalks and cottonlike flower heads sways in even the mildest breeze.