By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather
And autumn’s best of cheer.
~Helen Hunt Jackson
If April is the cruelest month, as T.S.Eliot suggested, September may be the kindest.
And September in Kentucky means blue, blue skies and goldenrod. Chilly mornings and sunny afternoons. Gardens running amok, as the busy gardener (me) neglects the plot, too busy with young’uns starting school and all the myriad obligations the end of summer brings.
But what a wonderful time to take a moment and breathe in the sweet September air. The tomatoes still taste of summer sun. And the cucumbers, still plentiful on the vines, smell green, green, green.
If there is ever a time to spend a lovely hour or two in the garden, this is it.
And we’re not the only ones taking advantage of good gardening weather. Bees are everywhere, kicking it into high gear as the slanting light of the September sun tells them to make haste. Buzz on, little bee, the frost may be here sooner than you know!
So September brings us much to do in the garden. Lots to harvest as everything gives one last mighty Huzzah! We’ll clean up a few veggie beds. Remove the tomato vines and other plants that have run their course. Pull up the faded, gangly petunias in pots. Plant some mums. Maybe a bed of lettuce or two. And spinach. And, if I hurry, perhaps carrots and Brussels sprouts and Swiss chard.
All months have those things that make them special, but September is pure magic. Take a moment to stand in the sun, spread your arms wide and soak it in.
What does September bring to you and your garden in your part of the world?
NestOfSquirrels 
Thanks for the link to my post on goldenrod! I’ve had to chop down my beanstalks. They’re spent for the season. But my mini tomatoes are still going strong thanks to a weirdly wonderful fall here in Southern Ontario. I totally agree–September is pure magic! Great post and lovely photos.
My pleasure! Glad to hear the tomatoes are going strong…that’s the hardest thing for us to give up as winter approaches 🙂
Everything looks good at your place. If you plant carrots now, when do you harvest them?
Thanks! In the past, we’ve harvested carrots in late December/Early January before but it depends on when we get a hard freeze. It’s a roll of the dice. I should’ve got them in the ground a month ago 😉
September is a bit cooler here in Florida; I am starting to clean up for a new gardening season. Your post brings to my mind the Bob Dylan lyric “I could offer you a warm embrace to make you feel my love” a little love from Mother Earth?
Enjoyed the photos.
Thanks! Love that lyric! We’ve had a string of days that definitely feel like big hugs from Mother Earth. Cheers, Ben
The corn looks so good! We have a second spring here and are eagerly waiting for fall flowers to open.
Thanks! It tasted even better than it looked! 😉 I hope your fall flowers are beautiful and abundant!
Thank you!
So much September cheer. Wonderful happy post with gorgeous photos. I’m waiting for winter to let go of the reins and spring to do its things, 😃
Thanks, Julie! Wishing you warm spring breezes as you head into the green season! 🙂
Wonderful photos Benjamin, thanks for sharing them. Ah September… aside from October, it is THE best month of the year. 🙂
Thanks! And I agree, September is wonderful, but Ocotber is wonderfullest! Cheers, Ben
Oh yes, it really is magical here too! The sun is still warm but not too hot, and the colours are slowly starting to change. Soon we will get autumn mists in the mornings making everything sparkle. 🙂
Love those morning mists! Makes one believe in pixies and fairies and gnomes! 🙂
What a beautiful place where you are, Ben! Sure is the kindest month. Love the bee capture!
Thanks, Amy! A bit tricky to get the li’l buggers to hold still and say cheese! 🙂
I do agree, September is the best month for actually gardening and a slight second spring for some of the blooms.
Our climbing rose even surprised us with another round of blooms this month. September is a gift for the summer-weary! 🙂
I think September’s one of my favourite months too. Though I hesitate to disagree with a poetic genius, I think March is a crueler month than April myself. (But don’t tell T.S. Eliot I said that; I don’t want him haunting me!)
I agree with you about March…it can be a real bear here but with the occasional balmy day thrown in, just to tease 😉
Oh, that March! Such a teaser, eh? 😀
NICELY SAID!
Love those close-ups, especially that busy bee! And love the cooler nights and drier days (finally!) Back to school came later this year, too, so we are a little behind on fall clean-up. That said, the squirrel always happy to come around and dead-head a few sunflowers–or all of them, come to think of it!!! 🙂
Our squirrels are out in full-force, too. They like to bury nuts in my potted plants. I found a naked geranium lying naked and forlorn on the deck this morning, evicted from her pot by some industrious little tree rodent.
What a shot of the bee! Wow! We’re dealing with 30-40’s in the morning and 50-60’s in the day. I’m busy deadheading and closing down the beds. 🙂
Thanks! I think we’re a little behind in our fall chores but an upcoming string of pretty days might help us catch up 😉
Oh my gosh, that corn wouldn’t even make it into the house here. I’d eat it right in the garden! And your bee, so pretty on that flower.
I just pulled up the last of the tomato plants. Always a sad day of the year. Grocery store tomatoes SUCK. 😦
I’ve still got a few tomatoes on the vine but they’ll be gone this week. Tomatoes might be the thing I miss the most about summer. Although sweet corn runs a close second 😉