Fearless Faith

Garden-wise, early fall sometimes takes short shrift when it comes to impressing people. It is a time when things begin to look fairly tough in the stalk and dry on the edges. The flowers that gave their all through the summer months are yet game although it takes a little more intensive care to keep them at their best. The coleus is a slightly darker shade, the petunias less determined to offer up more blooms, and the garden produce a little less plump than a just a few days ago.

There are exceptions as always, but even those are not consistent year-to-year. The iron tough helianthus, a sure...