October Gardens (2020)

October transitions in the garden - some plants fade toward dormancy or demise, others defy with a last burst of life and growth.

At the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a new planted slope is apparently only now coming into its own, revealing its unreined autumnal splendor, after taking last Winter and the COVID seasons away from the crowds to establish itself - something new to look forward to when it's safe to visit again.

In the beds of the Esplanade by the East River, while just about every other plant is past prime, the goldenrod stands out, still blazing amber - for whatever butterflies might still pass through en route south to escape our coming cold.

And in the Jardin, the once green foliage of the blueberry bushes have gone fiery red, their last glory before going bald and dormant.

Meanwhile, the tomato plants are nurturing the last of their offspring, draining from the few remaining leaves the last of their energy in support of the ripening fruits.  A handful of late sweet treats awaiting harvesting.

But the sugar snap peas - the ones from the summer that sat in the fridge so long that they started to go bad and began to sprout - they actually grew!  And they are flowering!  And they have begat pods!  New life, even in the season of winding down.  Less vigorous, maybe, than they would be in Spring, but not bad for a Fall crop grasping at the dwindling light, shoved into the last corner of the terrace that still gets what few direct rays manage to make it from the now low-hanging sun over the top of the building.  Dreaming ahead to how well they might do come Spring if they get the benefit of lengthening days rather than shortening ones, warming soils rather than cooling planters.  They should come up before the tomatoes, so maybe they can climb the tomato cages so that the trellis now supporting them can get a trumpet vine.

The Jardin might be drawing to a close during this last week of October, but there is still just enough activity to seed hope for the Spring.