Late last week we had our first “frost warning”, which meant we scrambled to bring in all our houseplants that live on our deck all summer, plus throwing sheets over the tomatoes and peppers still growing in DH's veg garden. We have about 3 dozen houseplants, many quite large, and it's quite a project to move them all in fall and spring. We wait as long as possible to bring them in, so the first frost warning is a call to action. It’s a bittersweet task in the fall, because it means the seasonal end of using our screened in porch and deck. Anyway, it was a false alarm! I figured I should sneak in one last round of garden photos before the real frost arrives.

1 Prickly Pear Cactus (a variety that grows in our cold climate) with “hips” like rose mallow plants produce; supposedly you can make jelly from them.

2 cattails growing at the back of our yard at the edge of the wetlands

3 Last few gallardia blooms

4 Mums and the rare “NordstromusDeliverarius” perennial that pops up in the least expected places and does not need soil, sunlight, or water

5 Not in bloom, but love the red foliage of the penstemon

6 Phlox that fell over onto the brick walk, not good for this location but could not bear to dig it up while it’s still in bloom

7 a variety of coneflower

8 Russian Sage…the flowers are almost still blue but more like grey now

9 Sedum Autumn Joy

10 A tiny flowering weed that appears everywhere this time of year, it’s a very pale lavender