Fall Containers

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One of my favorite things to do in the fall and spring is to make planter arrangements.  Actually it's fun to do for pretty much any season, but as I've posted before, I love fall colors and fall in general so I love to see all the purples, and burgundys, and oranges, etc., together.  Then after a long winter, when spring finally arrives, I'm just happy to be planting anything!! :0)

So, here are some large fall planters I put together for beside a huge patio...the pots themselves are static...I just change out the plants for each season.  It's best to get a universal color pot that will go with any of the seasons, and of course one that can stay outside during the winter time without cracking. (Well, that is if you're in an area that gets chilly winters).  I'm in Virginia, so I get all the seasons...although lately they haven't seemed to be exactly what they're supposed to be.  But, I digress...I'm here to talk about fall planters. :0)

For each one, I'm going to try to show you all the sides I was able to take a picture of.

 And, here's the first one I did...

 

 

Since all of these pots are on the same side of patio, and kind of near each other..I did them all different, but the same...if that makes sense. I used mainly the same types of plants in each pot, but would switch out varieties and use different color.

 

Here's the another one:

 

 

 

Can I just say how much I love ornamental cabbage...I think I mentioned it in a prior post about fall colors.  It is so cool, and so unexpected.  The shapes and colors demand attraction.  They are just so darn cool...I know, said that already. I added at least 3 to 4 cabbages in each pot (remember, these pots are huge), and I don't think I ever used the same one twice, and there were more to choose from that I didn't even pick!! Make sure you pick these up at your local garden nursery.  They are perfect to add to any fall pot.

 

Here's my third and final pot:

 

Ahhhh....I wish I was more computer literate. ha ha  I cannot for the life of me seem to get these pictures on the same line, like I could with the other ones above. Oh well...I'll be happy to see the day when I have a finely tuned, very legible and manicured blog like so many others I see...until then...thanks for bearing with me! ha ha

So, that's all my pots...I would guess you'd like to know what I put in them.  And, as a rule of thumb when planting pots, you want to have something that gives height, fillers, and trailers (that's the ivys and such).  Of course there's ornamental cabbage, and also mums, pansies, ornamental peppers (how great are those?!), small annual daisies, jeez...I can't even remember everything right now. Hmmm...Please feel free to contact me with any questions, hopefully I'll remember by then! :0)

Hope everyone is enjoying their fall so far...and, let's hope the weather stays that wonderful, fresh, crisp, cool weather that Autumn brings us!!

 

Fall Colors

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Ok, so I loooove colors.  And, I looooove fall.  I think I've mentioned before that I do landscape design...and, although there are a million things that go into designing a landscape...after I know what the sun, soil, size requirements are, I go after color.  I'm not going to make this post about design, however, because that can be a whole blog on it's own...not just a post.  This past weekend I put together a couple of fall displays, mums being the main focus...but, there were other plants I added in to bring out all of the fall colors and feelings that I love! :0)

Burgundys, burnt oranges, bronze reds, and greens.

 

 What I love about the display above is the ability to see fall in all of it...not just the colors.  Mums, pumpkins, ornamental cabbages, browning grasses are all symbols of autumn on their own.  Wouldn't seeing something like that outside of your house make you want to have a big sweater on and know when you enter your house there's a nice hot apple cider waiting for you?!  I know that's what I think about when I see it.

Basically what I did was take a wooden, stand-alone tiers or stairs...and, just filled it up.  I put the mums out first, since they were the biggest.  I picked the colors I wanted to start with, I think I chose about three or four.  You don't want much too more than that, unless the colors are in the same family, otherwise it looks too hodge podgey. Ok, so you have your mums in place, and now a lot of holes.  That's when you take the small grasses, pumpkins, and/or cabbages to fill in.  The great thing about the mums and grasses is that you can always plant them after your display is spent.  The cabbage can be put in a pot (not the cooking kind), and will last basically all winter. 

 

Now, check out the purple and yellow one...after I did that one, I was thinking, 'you know what, if I had done that with the purple and orange mums that would have been a pretty bad a$$ display for Halloween'...paying homage to Halloween, but without all the gore.  With that being said though...I still like the purple and yellow together.  The yellow is such a great pop, on what is normally a very muted color palette.  A muted color palette that includes some of my favorites...chocolate brown, burgundy, burnt orange...I could go on and on.

 

Ok, for those of you that were paying attention..and, didn't know...yes mums are hardy enough to plant (well, at least in zone 7 where I am).  So, please don't think they're a complete waste of money.  I must say though, they can be a big pain in the butt to maintain once planted...making sure you pinch and cut back at just the right time to avoid them blooming at the wrong time.  And, the ornamental cabbage I was talking about can maybe be planted in a pot or in the ground and will work all winter.  One thing with the cabbage you will notice is that the bottom leaves are the ones that die and need to be ripped off, leaving you with a stem and more cabbage grown on top.  To get rid of this, just keep pushing the cabbage down into the ground/dirt. You can keep pushing and pushing until it's just the top of the cabbage again. ahhhh.  Ok...that was a lot of typing and I'm running late for work now.  So, please comment with any questions...that is if you even read this far. ;0) If not, hopefully you'll read all of my next post...or, maybe I won't make it so long. ha ha

 

 

 



Deco-Mesh Wreaths

Deco-Mesh Wreaths

For any holiday or event

 

These are the most fun wreaths to make.  I can make them for any holiday, theme, event, sports team and with any color(s).  This deco-mesh stuff is awesome, it can be used to make so much more than wreaths, and I'm so excited to try out as many different crafts with them as my crazy schedule allows. 

Here are just a few examples of ones I've made most recently.

 

Halloween:

 

 

Christmas: 

 

 

 

 

This one could actually be used for Mardi Gras too.  I was getting
bored messing with the normal Christmas colors, so tried this one.

Again, getting tired of Christmas colors, I made this one;
and this one really could be used throughout the entire
year...it's perfect wine colors, so over top of a wine bar I think
this would look great!

 

 

 

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Spookify your home

Getting your home ready for Halloween:

 

Halloween is my favorite holiday (non-gift-giving, that is ;0) ), especially for decorating.  It's just the start of the holiday season, and the decorating possiblities are endless. It's so easy to make your home spooky and eerie without going full on macabre likeTexas Chainsaw Massacre.  Even if you have young kids in the house, Halloween decorations can be suitable for any age.

There are so many options to "spook" up your home...and, buying a bunch of crap (sorry) from party city is not necessary. Just taking old pieces, something you may even already have on display in another room is the best for a sinister-ish background.

 So, yes, I know it's still only the end of August, and we have plenty of time left...and, I'm all about making sure every holiday gets it full running time before hopping into the next one.  But, since there really aren't any holidays on the front...and, Halloween is my fav...might as well start posting about it now. mmmuuuuaaaahhhh!

China cabinet turned creepy
 

Just hang a pallet from the ceiling with chains, and if they're not creepy enough,
add all kinds of old clocks, cages, things you can easily find for cheap at
yard sales to turn this into an eerie display.

 

More clutter, the better...sorry for you OCDs...but, the antique
cluttery look, is eerie enough all on its own.
 

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