By early October, a milkweed pod can look as if it is holding its breath. The green has faded toward gray. The skin has toughened. A seam that was almost invisible in August begins to lift, and inside the pod is a compressed little weather system: brown seeds packed like shingles, each one tied to a white silk sail. The…
A spotless October garden has excellent public relations. The stems are gone. The leaves are bagged. The beds are shaved down to mulch and labels. From the sidewalk, it looks responsible, almost moral, as if the gardener has defeated decay itself and sent it away in kraft paper sacks. Here is the irritating truth: a garden that clean is often…
