fall decorating in the yard

[Chyna]

Do any of you have plans for the yard? I usually do something grusome with the bare torn up flower beds like skeletons coming out or something. I fully intend on buying some mums and violas just for some color out there. Or I'll just bag it and say next year. :D

Last year I put a Christmas light blanket in my rose bushes by the gate for the trick or treaters so I suppose I'll have to remember where I packed it off to. Darn being on the ball. Oh and of course the pumpkins. I need to find some of those mini pumpkins to make my zombie lanterns. martha did them on her show last year and I thought they were adorable. Let me tell you something they are even cuter in person. You take a melon baller and scoop out the eyes then put it back in backwards, make a slit for a mouth along the bottom and you're done. When they start to strivel up they are even better but by the it is too late. maybe we'll do some early so they are the proper wrinkled look. A cute idea for the white minis if you are looking for somehting.

[Lisa S]

Over the summer, my husband built an arbor out of some felled trees from our forest. I found a three dollar chandelier at Goodwill for the center of the arbor. It's about a foot and a half wide so it really takes up some space. I ripped out all of the electrical stuff, painted it and put candles on it.

I picture throwing some hay bales out there with pumpkins everywhere. I think I need to get some black candles and some grape vine for the chandelier. I've already got a huge vintage basket filled with mums on the picnic table...

[Chyna]

I love the chandelier idea for the arbor and the reusing/recycling portion is even better. I'm kind of a chandelier fanatic so wherever one fits is just cool to me. :cool:

I made an arch out of saplings and young trees I was able to cut down with my loppers. Came out pretty good except I see the stronger ones are pulling the others over so it is getting more and more lopsided. Will have to go out and fix that before the snow flies. I have a wattle fence next to it so the whole gate/fence on the side yard is really rustic. The gate leads to the side yard where all my herbs and salad makings reside in the summer. I'm going to have to make a big push for completing it next spring. I have too many projects right now.

[pacificstar]

I'm planning on buying some flowers in fall colors next week and placing them in my flower beds and hanging baskets. I went to Target today and saw this really pretty fall decorative pillow and I bought it and placed it on the chair I have next to the front door. It looks great and its getting me excited about the fall colors. I realized the colors in most of my home are harvest colors.......the reds, sage green and dark gold's.

[Chyna]

I keep meaning to buy some straw bales to decorate with until frost sets in then spread on my garden but like everything else I just never seem to get around to it. I think Paul James the Gardening Guy says that you should let them sit for a year so maybe that will be my excuse this year. I'll buy one and then spread them next year. Yah that sounds like a good plan.:D

Am I the only one out there who didn't realize that Sat was the first day of fall? I swear somedays I'm about as oblivious as the contestants on Oblivious or my husband.;)

[Lofavo]

It is really??

[Chyna]

Unbelieveable isn't it. Especially when we're still running around in shorts and t-shirts. I can't even decide if I should start preparing my flower beds or if we can pick our pumpkins yet. :confused:

[Chyna]

I saw this really cute idea for pumpkins in Better Homes and Gardens (somebody is always bringing in mags to work, cheaper for me:D ) which I think I'm going to do with ours. They did this house motif with the windows, doors and what-not carved into the pumpkin. I thought I'd try a village of pumpkins on the step to the flower garden. :cool: I have fairies and what-not in that area so it should be pretty neat for the kids. Now I'll have to wrestle some pumpkins away from my daughter and husband.

They did bring me home 4 mini pumpkins yesterday for my zombie pumpkins. My little girl insisted that her daddy buy them for me while they were out. I should try to do them this weekend so that they are good and wrinkley by Halloween. There is a pumpkin out in the patch that didn't fare well in the last couple of days that I think I'll try something to. maybe a polka-dot pumpkin or something. I'll have to take a good look at it to see what can be done. I also need to get my scarecrow out and look thru the holiday box to see what I have. I buy stuff then forget what I have. Isn't that a sign of a shopoholic?:p :rolleyes:

[primrosecottage]

I've kept it somewhat simple, corn stalks in one corner of my porch with a bittersweet wreath hanging next to them, small pumpkins and ghords fill an huge old English garden trug, rosehips fill one old urn with larger pumpkins placed on the steps leading up to the porch. I love orange:)

[ponygirl]

I was going to do some fall decorating outside but my summer flowers are still blooming beleive it or not! My impatients finally died last week. I was going to plant mums along my walkway. My marigolds are like bushes this year, and I don't want to pull them out. I will deadhead them and use the seeds for next year.

[Lisa S]

Our weather is very strange at the moment and my garden is "acting up" accordingly. My Mock Orange tree has 5 or 6 new blooms, (usually blooms in June) and my delphinium also has a fresh bloom. Weird when all of the leaves are golden and red!