Autumn - The year's last smile.

Autumn, the year's last loveliest smile.
~ William Cullen Bryant

It is November and here, in the Northeast of the U.S., the breezes are blowing, the rain is finally here and the leaves are falling, falling....

So we must content ourselves with the sweet leftovers - the berries, the cabbages, the mums and some lovely remaining leaves.

The ones on the Japanese Maples are brilliant this year:

photo by Jan Johnsen

The berries on the winterberry - Ilex verticillata - are in their glory. All ready to be made into a Thansgiving wreath.

The planters are filled with mums,pansies and more.

The crabapples are studded with their finest jewelry:

photo by Jan Johnsen

And even the puddles don't look so bad at this time of year.

photo by Jan Johnsen

Serenity in the Garden