Autumn Has Been Kind

Against all odds, my garden is still growing. I've neglected it, done everything wrong, and *gasp* I haven't even fertilized. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, where I grew up, most plants are dead by now. We've had our first hard freeze, the leaves have fallen like rain from the trees, and things are starting to look a lot like Christmas. Without the snow. And some rain. Here in Austin, things look strangely similar to the way they looked all summer. It's still pretty green, the sun is still warm, and apparently...my tomato, basil and pepper plants are very happy. If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have tried nursing them through the scorching summer heat. I would have planted in August. I suppose it would have helped if I'd bought that Texas Garden guide book back in March.

This week's post will be a collection of photos from my garden, as well as some photos from around the neighborhood. Autumn looks pretty nice from my kitchen.

When Home Depot has mums on sale for $1.25 a plant, you don't pass them up. You buy one of each color.

Sources say this is a Crepe Myrtle tree, growing right outside my kitchen window. In the spring, it puts out large quantities of purple/pink flowers that smell delicious.

My Thai hot pepper plant spent the summer, ironically, wilting and moping around. The moment it turned cooler, it perked up, made flowers, and started giving me these tiny little peppers. Don't let their small size fool you, because they pack quite a punch.