Denouement is a French word that literally means the action of untying, from a verb meaning to untie. Noun: the outcome of a complex sequence of events
The leaves have untied themselves from the trees, or perhaps they were gently let go. Generously covering the garden beds and the forest floor, they color the world in tones of gold, orange, rust, and brown while returning the nutrients to the earth in an ancient process of release, decay and regeneration.
Autumn was a long languorous process, with its first hesitant steps in September 
proceeding through stages of leaf color change and ultimate descent to the earth.
Every day, the stroll through the garden was different. The early morning sun could cast fiery color and deep shadows 
or it could be filtered through a gentle mist that saturated the leaves and enhanced the rich range of autumnal color.
At last the storms and winds prevailed and the fall of leaves over a few days and weeks was spectacular. I was able to capture some of the magical moments of this process in video.
You may be in the southern continents where spring is now emerging, or in a tropical zone where there is no autumn. The earth is a wide and wonderful place and I have been privileged to see much of it in person. Yet, there is something about autumn in the northern continents that tugs at my heart, the dramatic shift in color and the subtle earthy scents of a world renewed by the long arc of seasonal change. 
Wherever you are on this planet, I hope that you can savor the beauty and sweetness of denouement, the end of one season and the beginning of another.
All photos and text ©2025 Lynn Emberg Purse except where noted.
Cool foggy mornings are a special joy, wrapping the garden in quiet. They create rich moments of saturated color that enspell me and often make me late for appointments, as I cannot bear to leave such a gift of beauty.
Here’s a cinematic look at the garden in July, beginning with flowers and ending with fireflies. 
I’ve been wanting to paint a flower pot in those colors to place in the bed in order to amp up the color and finally had the time to do it. I’ve always been inspired by artist and gardener Keeyla Meadows for the way that she paints large garden pots and then plants them in the same color palette. You can see some of her work 
The seeds I ordered by Christmas were planted indoors under lights and outdoors in wintersown jugs by early February. 
Lists of plants were made and remade, then ordered – they are now arriving almost daily. 
and profusely.
As always, it was alive with hungry pollinators looking for a early meal. 
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