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As the days cool off and the evenings start to get even cooler the relief from this summer’s heat is welcomed. Here and there we start to see some trees in our zone 6 get a leaf or two or more turn.
Our tomatoes are finished and we have cleaned out some of the big planters. Our window boxes are shot from the intense heat, but even if yours are still full of flowers then you might consider getting them ready for autumn with some of your organic garden produce.
One can make a stunning fall statement by cleaning out the dead plants in the window box and filling them with twigs with colorful leaves, some small pumpkins, colorful small gourds or squash.
Right about now the garden centers at the discount stores are offering mums in all different colors as low as 98 cents a container in our area. I bought 18 of them the other day and filled up some large urns that had their summer flowers die out from our last drought. Though small, they were full of buds and are all ready starting to open up and show their lovely yellow blooms. If I am diligent they will continue doing their stuff in those large urns for 3 or 4 years.
For those of you who have a larger landscaping or gardening budget than I do, consider the larger mums which seem to be in the $4.00 range and put them in old metal wash tubs or whatever old containers you have and set them on a small bench. Leave them in their gallon plastic containers and let them decorate your home through Halloween and Thanksgiving and then put the in the ground digging them in deep and mulching them for the winter.
Those of you who planted Indian corn or who have access to Indian corn and corn stalks can make lovely door wreaths and arrangement around your front door creating a welcoming entrance this fall. A few bales of straw from your local feed store will do quite a bit towards making an autumn statement when you add a couple of pumpkins and a few pots of colorful mums. You might even want to take some old clothes and stuff yourself a scarecrow to sit on one of your bales. The kids love helping with this type of project.
Just some pumpkins, in various sizes, arranged around your entrance or special place in your garden will give the whole area an autumn boost. Why not take out your old wheel barrow and fill it up with some extra squash, gourds, pumpkins, straw or hay. Stick some branches of turning leaves capriciously throughout the wheelbarrow and “Bob’s your uncle!” You now have another wonderful autumn display.
Should a freeze come along eventually and your displays start to look pretty mushy don’t worry; put them along an area in your organic garden where the birds can get at them. Crack them open and let them eat the seeds and anything else they want. You might want to put them near your compost heap and then when they are done taking what they want, just shovel the remains into your compost heap.
Put your thinking cap on as to how you want to create one or more stunning Autumn displays with what is left in your organic garden or whatever you can scrounge from a nearby neighboring farmer.
Email me some jpeg photos of your displays as I would love to see them.
“Tread the Earth Lightly” and in the meantime… May your day be filled with…
Peace, Light and Love,
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Author Bio Box: Arlene Wright Correll
 For more gardening or cooking information click http://www.learn-america.com/
To see Arlene’s Gardens and to read her gardening diaries and to take a walk through her pictorial garden or click on Arlene’s Books where you can download or buy her gardening & cook books, including her new book, “The ABC’s of Wine and Beer Making”. Many of her articles written for Greenthumbarticles have paintings she has created of the subject and they can be seen at her “How to Do It” site. Remember to check out her artwork, especially of her fruits and vegetables. Many of her paintings are sold internationally and many of her works of art have been reproduced on note cards, post cards and other functional items and you can get Giclee prints of her artwork starting as low as $11.89 Arlene says, “All my royalties from the sale of my books, art, etc. go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and I thank you for visiting my sites.”
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