Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the Earth seeking the successive autumns. ~George Eliot
I have always loved autumn, with its cooler temperatures and crisp golden days. There were many mornings this past week where walking in the garden felt magical, the low light sifting amber through the leaves. 
The flowers of PG Hydrangea ‘Limelight’ have turned a soft pink 
yet still play host to sleeping bumblebees. 
The oak trees have been putting on a brilliant display this year, hung like jewels against vivid blue skies. 
It was a beautiful bright autumn day, with air like cider and a sky so blue you could drown in it.” ~Diana Gabaldon
But there was also a few foggy days that brought out the more subtle colors of autumn.(click on any photo to see the full size version)
Is not this a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love – that makes life and nature harmonise. ~George Eliot
The leaves have been falling for days. I set my coffee cup down for a moment in order to take a photo and it was covered in leaves within moments. 
The birds are consulting about their migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the ground . . . ~George Eliot
The coleus and other annuals have became gigantic displays of warm color surrounding the house and deck
while a few roses bloom their last flowers of the season.
Pixie has been the real star of the garden this year, racing through the woods and tracking my every step through the garden, gracefully posing for the camera. 
She is featured in a little film I made of the autumn garden, working her way into the path of the camera with ease.
The leaves continue to drift down, in a few days the trees will be bare and the ground covered. Until then, I celebrate the garden as it completes its final dramatic act of the season.
The leaves as they spark into wild color just before they die are the world’s oldest performance art . . . ~Shauna Niequist
(All text, photos, and video @2022 Lynn Emberg Purse, All Rights Reserved, except where noted.)
As a child, my favorite 
On the last Sunday in June, I opened my garden for the annual 
My generous husband serenaded everyone by playing guitar on the deck for many hours of the tour. I loved greeting visitors, answering their questions, and discussing approaches to gardening. One of the comments that I heard over and over again was “this is a sanctuary!” and I would agree with a smile. Here is what those on tour saw as they explored the garden, with the text taken from the garden tour description. You can listen to Bill’s guitar wizardry on Woman In the Meadow (composed by Mark Lucas, recorded on the Tribute CD by 
composerinthegarden 