‘Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone ~Thomas Moore, Irish poet
November and December have been very mild this year, encouraging me to work in the garden late into the season. But this morning brought both fog and a frost, turning the world into a frozen fairyland. The moisture from the fog that coated leaf, flower, twig, and spiderweb was transformed into a spectacular structure of glistening crystals. Sadly, the last lingering roses of summer have come to a sudden halt, now preserved in ice.
I have a few more shrubs to plant today once the temperatures rise but it is probably the last time I can play in the dirt. Dreams of next year’s garden are starting to stir as I begin a list of seeds and plants to be ordered in the dark days of winter. Enjoy the photos of the last blooms of summer, both in flower and frost, while you listen to Irish tenor John McDermott sing this wistful song (video at the bottom of the page).
Click on any photo to start the slideshow (all photos ©2015 by Lynn Emberg Purse, All Rights Reserved).
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go, sleep thou with them ~Moore
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