Container Garden and the Change of Season has arrived.

The inflection point between autumn and winter is upon us, with tonight’s low at 27 and tomorrow’s 25 locally here in the hills of Amesbury near the coast, the point of no return for bringing one’s container garden inside.  The moving to and fro of the container garden began a couple Monday’s ago, primarily, by relocating the pie drying rack, of dark Green Mountain hue, from the deck to inside the living room.  Flooded with eastern and southern facing light, plants do well here in the winter.

The top of this three level Green Mountain Pie Drying Rack includes three plants from the First Born, shepherded here until she is in a position to re-adopt them, including a succulent Money Plant, a variety of jade, that is really overdue for a larger pot!

In the center of the top level is one of two pots of a Jamaican plant that was picked up at the Herb Pharmacy in Salisbury one of the last seasons that Rita and Brooke managed their 2-decade farm.    Tell-tale holes in the flesh of one or two of the leaves confirm non-lethality to the felines.

To its right is a small pot with the season’s prize, a nasturtium, planted back in August, that yielded its first orange blossom a couple days ago.

The 2^nd level of the Green Mountain Pie Drying Rack includes the original of the Jamaican plant, a pot of a half dozen calendula seedlings, planted also in August from seeds saved from prior seasons, a pink geranium, the center piece, that blossoms all year long and a couple Cuban oregano plants, the mother of thousands originally purchased at the Herb Pharmacy decades ago.  Possessing the smell of camphor when rubbed, it is a powerhouse growth succulent.

A second installation is a 3-level corner light green stand, that may have been obtained at Todd’s Farm some years back.   The bottom level is anchored by a jade plant.   A robust aluminum plant of the First Born occupies the 2^nd level.

The top level features an anthurium offered by a neighbor with a promise of blossoms and an installation of curated and prized rocks.

The plants of the container garden add life, shape and color for the cold, dark months ahead.