It’s feeling like Autumn… well, just a little. The mornings have a crispness to them. The sun hangs at a lower angle, which diffuses the light differently. And the garden is slowing down. Definitely not as many zucchinis growing in the autumn garden.

So what’s a gardener to do when the season is slowly changing? Embrace it! Every season offers some enjoyment and beauty in the garden. As we move into early autumn, some of our crops and flowers are slowing down, but others are now in full bloom. The dahlias are putting on an amazing display. The sunflowers, blackeyed susans, and cosmos are in full bloom. There are plenty of flowers in the cutting garden to go around.

Make the most of the warm days even though the nights are cooler. Here are a few ways to enjoy the early season changes before we move head first into fall.

Ways to Enjoy the Early Season Autumn Garden…

Process Your Abundant Garden

There’s still a lot of active work going on. Green beans and tomatoes are abundant and need to be frozen or canned. Herbs need to be preserved. Preparing the fruits and vegetables of the harvest is a joy…busy yes, but still a joy.

Tired of the same old vegetables? Try a new recipe. Or maybe it’s time to share your abundance. How many bags of frozen green beans do you need? Now is also a good time to gather in flowers for drying.

Bring Flowers Indoors

Since there are still lots of flowers blooming in the garden, it’s a great time to make bouquets. Fill your rooms with beautiful flowers and be sure to make a bouquet or two to give away.

Clean As You Go

Now is a good time to dead head flowers that you don’t need for seed saving. Remove dead plants from your containers and garden beds. Trim up your shrubs and remove dead branches from trees. Doing a little here and there eases the burden of yardwork when a deep freeze hits later in the season.

Plant Autumn Flowers

Stop by your local nursery and pick up some autumn flowers. Mums, asters, pansies, cabbages and kale can replace the overgrown, leggy plants in your pots. Or you can tuck a plant or two into your flower borders for some new color interest.

Change Your Porch Decor

It’s not quite time for the wool blankets, but adding a new wreath to your door can perk up your porch. A new pillow or two is a simple change. Add in a seasonal sign or message on your chalkboard. Change your porch decor to reflect this early autumn season. Off comes the red, white and blue bunting. Replace the summer decor with more natural items like a leaf or pinecone garland.

Get Outdoors

It won’t be long before the days and nights will be too cold to enjoy being outside. Make the most of the mild temperatures. Sip your morning coffee while watching the bees in the garden. Invite a friend over for drinks in the evening around your firepit. Walk through your garden and enjoy the fragrance and beauty while it’s at its peak. You don’t need an excuse to get out to the garden… just do it.

Take Pictures of Your Garden

When the garden is dormant for the season, it’s difficult to remember what it looked liked when it was growing abundantly. So take some pictures of your plants and flowers. Snap some photos of your outdoor decor. Do you have a flower bed or border that needs to be made over? A picture can remind you when you’re planning for next year. We are visual people and a picture helps us remember so much easier.

Enjoy an Autumn Craft

Early autumn is a good time to make a sunflower wreath for the birds. Or maybe you’ve been wanting to make a hydrangea wreath for your porch. There’s lots of materials still available in your garden to create a lovely craft or two. Here’s a list of a few garden crafts to get you started…

• Make a dried flower wreath
• Press flowers to make gift cards
• Dry flower heads to use for an indoor vignette
• Create a handmade garden journal
• Decorate some of your pumpkins and gourds with paint or decoupaged paper
• Paint a garden sign for your autumn garden

Slow Down

The seasons fly by, especially when we’re busy. Be intentional about slowing down. This is definitely an area I struggle with. If you want to have a more joyful life than you need to focus on the gift of today! Not tomorrow or next year, but at this very moment. As Cesare Pavese said…”We don’t remember days, we remember moments”. Enjoy these snippets of time in your garden and home.

You don’t need a large garden or even a backyard to enjoy the changes in the early autumn garden. You can enjoy these changes on a small front porch, a balcony or even at a neighborhood park. Get outdoors, enjoy the fresh smell in the air, plant flowers in a pot and just give thanks for the blessings of the day.

Would you like a copy of this bird print above for your Autumn Decor? Just sign up below to get a copy to frame and use in your home or garden shed.