Fairy Lanterns

Chinese Lanterns

My Oregon correspondent, Desiree, writes that her garden is showing signs of autumn approaching.  I sure wish this was true for the area I live in.  We have had record high temperatures for so long now, that I feel as if we'll never have cool weather again.  (Sorry about the whining, but it's true!  My sweat glands are tired.)

Anyway, Desiree writes, "The Chinese lanterns are turning orange, a sure sign of winter approaching.  The fairies use them to light their way in the dark winter evenings as they tend to their important duties."

I did not know this!

Apparently, if you actually plant a fairy garden, you do so already knowing these kinds of facts about the fairy universe!  It's nice to imagine tiny attractive Cate Blanchetts and Orlando Blooms winging their way through your fairy gardens at night.

But wait, I'm thinking of elves! Sorry.  Elves are entirely different creatures.

Must get my fantasy creatures straight...

Fairies are described by J.M. Barrie (who wrote Peter Pan) in this way, "When the first baby laughed for the first time, his laugh broke into a million pieces, and they all went skipping about.  That was the beginning of fairies."

So, now you know.

Purple Aster

Desiree writes about her purple asters, "...my purple aster.. has just begun to bloom.  It's the last to bloom in the garden just as the nights are getting cold.  The cold air from the slopes of Mount Hood slip down at night bringing a 50 degree (F) blanket to cool the ground."

That sounds heavenly.

Plumbago

I love the name Plumbago.  Plumbago.  It's funny to say out loud.  Plumbago.  It sounds like a plum malady, like lumbago for plums.   Or tasty treats for plumbers...Like bagels filled with fruit.  But then they would no doubt be called plum-bagels, rather than plumbagos.

Or something.

Desiree had never seen this plant before she moved up to Oregon.  She writes, "It blooms very late in the summer and when its brilliant blue flowers appear I know it's time for autumn in a matter of weeks".

All this talk about autumn makes me long for cooler temperatures here in Southern California, too.  Seriously, when I woke up this morning at six a.m. it was already way too hot for my liking.

Autumn is my favorite time of year!  Bring it on!