Glad you're feeling better, LL, miss it when you're not on the forum. I find it very interesting that you're planting clematis this time of year, I always figure I'm too late by this time of year, and it was in the mid-80's today; I have so much to learn.

Tomorrow I will plant Elephant garlic and some tiger lilies, anything to keep me from housework, which is not half as fun! I work full time so weekends are the only time to really do anything and this time of year I figure the yard comes first, right??

You have such low temps already? Yikes. My aunt said she saw pictures of Vermont on the news and they had snow!

Glad you are feeling better and finishing up the garden chores, I did some cutting back and made things look a little more tidy around the courtyard garden yesterday. There is a patch of tall dried phlox and some still blooming anenome surrounding the new chaste tree. I think I'll leave them to give the tree more protection this winter.

May go browse the bulbs again at Lowes today, hopefully I won't bring anything else home - those clearance racks in the garden center are killers!

Now I have to remind the neighbors to save their leaves for me so I can make some shredded mulch before winter and try to get some of that down.

I, too, am finally getting back to gardening, though my reason was different from yours - this summer we lost our much beloved dog, who had been by my side in the garden since I started to dig my first flower bed four years ago...
I even started avoiding my garden, unil last weekend my husband lured me back by building the long promised new raised beds.

Just like you, I felt good digging in the dirt again, moving plants and planting bulbs, my heart started healing.

So now I am already forward to the next spring - we decided to take a new puppy. :)

Kiskin, yippee. Now we all have something special to look forward to come spring, other than our plants-pictures of a new puppy! I am so glad. I dread the day when I lose my galloping gardeners.

Glad everyone is in full fall mode in your gardens. Me, too. Actually put in a small new garden out front. Looking for camera, so I can post pictures. Too warm yet to plant bulbs, but will get some in in November.

It's just now starting to look like fall here.

It took me two days to dig out an area big enough to amend for the lilac I planted... and then I removed most of my morea per forum members suggestions... cleaned up debris around the yard and up-potted a few roses that were in pots too small.

I still need to prepare areas for bulbs, though... and maybe some perennials since this time of year is our "cool growing season" sortof. haha. I'm just glad it's not 110 degrees F anymore.