First Sweet Autumn Clematis Bloom Jacki Kellum Garden – August 11, 2024

A few days ago, I noticed that my 1-year-old Sweet Autumn Clematis was covered in buds, and today, August 11, 2024, I saw its first bloom:

To be very honest, I thought that my Sweet Autumn’s seemingly early show was a fluke. It was only August. When I saw the blooms, my mind darted back to my teaching days in Mississippi, when carpool duty meant frying on a sizzling pavement, while helping kids find their ride home. Yes, in Mississippi, childen return to school in August. The same was true of the farming community where I grew up in the Bootheel of Southeast Missouri.

Cotton at Harvest – Jacki Kellum Drawing in Colored Pencil

The tradition harkens back to earlier days when school was dismissed for six weeks in September.

Cotton Pickin Blues – Jacki Kellum Drawing in Colored Pencil

That’s when the school kids were needed to harvest the crops. I picked cotton. I personally experienced that breach of the child labor laws. But I survived, and now that I’m back in Mississippi, I’ll soon rush toward the farms to see if the cotton is ripe for this year’s picking.  In the meantime, I am marking the days until summer has shifted totally to fall.

Early this evening, I was startled to hear a flock of geese flying farther south. Perhaps it is because I myself am getting older–edging toward old age–that my seasonal countdown may be a bit off, but again, it seems to be too early for the geese to be flying through Mississippi–heading for their winter homes. I decided that I’d keep a journal to record the falling of fall.

Free Printable 8.5″ x 11″ Garden Journal Pages & 2024 Calendar

Beginning September 1, I will officially launch my Countown to Aututum–complete with an autumnal quote each day. The signs are very subtle now. Again, today, I heard a flock of geese traveling south, and I have seen my first Sweet Autumn Clematis blossom. But the trees and the grass are still emerald green.

I am still waiting for my final crop of sunflowers to mature and bloom, and I have another batch of Kentucky Wonder greenbeans creeping up some trellises. And I am still waiting for my goldenrod to bloom,

How to Make Goldenrod Salve

But last week, I planted 3 Kanjiro Camellias. I planted them because they are evergreen and because they bloom in early winter. I planted them because I like to garden all year long.

Welcoming Kanjiro Camellia to My Garden Home – A Gorgeous Evergreen Shrub for My 4-Season Garden

This week, I am beginning to set up my seed starting stations for very early seed starting in late winter, and also this week, I am sowing Crimson Clover Seeds to grow in my winter garden, improve the soil, and burst into bloom in early, early spring.

Crimson Clover

Jacki Kellum Self-Portrain Scarecrow from 2020

And I need to create mt Scarecrow for this year. I have established a place on my front porch for her to sit and watch the leaves fall

In many ways, the march toward winter has begun, but I’m not packing up my garden tools yet. It is still about 6 weeks until the Autumn Solstice, And: