In their frantic quest to gather as much nectar as possible in the shortening days, these bees practically push each other out of the way.
Tick, tick, tick... that's the sound of the clock counting down the minutes to the end of the gardening season. I will not panic. I'll just keep plugging along at the tasks before me. (It's a good thing I don't do fall garden cleanup, except for the foliage of the Peony or anything that's diseased.) Transferring perennials from the containers to the ground for the winter... I could gamble that the container is large enough and the plants, a Fern, a Hosta, a Bergenia and an Epimedium, are hardy enough, but I'm not much of a gambler.
Tick, tick, tick... Getting the last of the nursery-purchased perennials into the ground, they definitely won't survive the winter in those root-bound pots. Tick, tick, tick... Installing another mowing strip and killing the grass within it could wait until spring, but it would give me such a head start to get it done this fall. TICK, TICK, TICK... these fallen leaves won't wait for spring, they must be picked up before the snow flies so I'll have shredded leaves to mulch the garden and protect the Mophead Hydrangeas over the winter.
Oh, no, I've forgotten about the bulbs I have to get planted! I will not panic. I'm not panicking... not panicking... definitely not panicking... yet.
What gardening chores are still on your to-do list?