Taking a cue from Mother Nature

October is a month of mixed emotions. There’s a little melancholy, saying goodbye to sunny summer days and bountiful gardens, but there’s also happiness, welcoming crisp fall days and vibrant leaf colours.

For most gardeners, October is a good time to look back over the growing season, assess what was good, note the disappointments, and consider improvements for the following year. It’s a good time to snap a few images around the garden to remind ourselves where there are plants to be divided, gaps to be filled, and maybe ways to stretch the colour into the autumn. It is also the perfect time to tidy up the garden, plant bulbs, root out perennial weeds, maybe even top dress the garden with compost as you tuck everything in for the winter. All worthwhile tasks to be sure.

But for me, October is also the month to let Mother Nature take control of the reins and teach me to slow down and appreciate her colourful handiwork: a world painted in ever changing shades of yellow, orange, violet, pink, red, purple and bronze. She pairs contrasting colours with confidence and great flair — giving us permission to be brave and follow her lead.

October is a month when I tend to forgo the hose, weeder and even plants I have set aside to tuck into the garden, and just head out with my camera. I’ll spend a morning just exploring the home garden, or venture out to a public garden or park. The garden can coast for a few weeks, I’m ready to get outside and soak up the rich colours.

My first stop will be along Niagara River Parkway — with some 55 kilometres of riverside parkway to explore, it should be easy enough to maintain physical distance protocols while enjoying the colours of the season. One of my favourite fall walks is the trail through the Chinquapin Oak Savannah, on Niagara Parkway, northeast of Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens. Cheerful yellow and red foliage, golden grasses, little pops of late asters and goldenrod — it’s an oasis of calm. Last fall, I came across a family of deer, secreted away between the tall grasses, shrubbery and hydro towers that punctuate the end of the meadow.

As you travel south along the path, a view of the river and gorge opens up — at this time of the year the colours in the gorge are spectacular — soft mounds of red, amber, green and bronze lining the blue-green waters of the Niagara River. This incredible sight reminds me how many outstanding trees call Niagara home, and that we should

include more native trees in our home gardens: tulip tree, sassafras, eastern redbud, hickory, oak and maple are just a few of the possibilities; black tupelo or sour gum ( Nyssa sylvatica) offers a stunning display of amber and red foliage on a wellbranched, easy care tree.

Next stop, a walk through the arboretum at Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens — it’s a wonderful spot to see a catalogue of interesting trees. At this time of the year, the oak, maple, ginkgo and sour gum trees (to name but a few) will be dressed in their autumn finery. At the south end of the park, a mature stand of sweet gum trees, resplendent in their glossy yellow, orange and red foliage, congregate along the stream, creating amemorable scene. The botanical gardens is a good place to just take your time and stroll, taking in the hornbeam allee and the entrance garden lined with sweet gum trees. The botanical gardens is good place to see many different trees, you can see how large a specific tree can be, and how it might fit into your home garden.

October is also the perfect time for me to spend a few hours in the Legacy Garden at the botanical gardens featuring meadows of southern Ontario native plants. I like to really slow down and study the garden, fascinating plays of colour and light along with dynamic vignettes can be found. I look for interesting combinations of textures, forms and warm versus cool colours. This display is all the more precious, knowing that most of the plants are shutting down for the season. This is their final hoorah.

I encourage you to get out and enjoy the autumn colours, particularly if you find your own garden lacking in this area. Remember to practise safe physical distancing and just let

Mother Nature teach us how to close the season in style. Theresa Forte is an award winning garden columnist, photographer and speaker. You can reach her by calling 905-351-7540 or by email at fortegardens@gmail.com.

THERESA FORTE, FOR TORSTAR Seasonal colour reaches its peak in October along the shores of the Niagara River. Foliage.

The Chinquapin Oak Savannah, located on the Niagara Parkway, northeast of Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, welcomes visitors to explore the yellow and red foliage, golden grasses, little pops of late asters and goldenrod.

Vibrant amber foliage of sour gum (black tupelo) catches the morning light and creates a memorable vignette in our home garden. I learned about this native tree by studying the fall colours at Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens.

The meadow at the Legacy Garden (Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens) reveals intricate patterns of form, texture and colour; it is a magnet for wildlife.

Colonies of asters edge a pathway in the Legacy Garden. The pairing of amber toned grasses and cool violet flowers makes the most of both colours.