Falling leaves, barren trees, and cool breezes are all signs that autumn is upon us. Autumn usually evokes memories of past traditions but there’s also some inspiration to be found for new ideas for fall decorating and entertaining. Take advantage of the colorful leaves and natural scenery right outside your door by festively decorating your front porch to inspire you to say welcome to autumn and your guests.
For as long as I can remember, I have used the orange Cinderella pumpkins and yellow mums as my go-to fall outside decorating scheme. As lovely as it always is, this year, I was ready for a change! I went for a more straightforward and cleaner look using white mums, Nagoya white flowering kale, and white and green heirloom pumpkins. To finish it off, I opted for a white metal leaf and grapevine wreath for my front door. Is it different? Yes, and it was also a bit more difficult. Believe it or not, I had a hard time finding white pumpkins! Would I do it again? Most certainly! I love the contrast with the dark brick and overall, it feels fresh and clean. However, I would start a little earlier and would do more; it was perhaps a little too simple as I look at it now with a critical eye.
We close our pool in mid-October and start blanketing our trees and containers and cleaning up our potager (kitchen garden) during the first week of November. I look upon these activities as putting our yard, garden and patio to sleep until spring. It does make our pool and patio area look a little strange with the large swirls of “ice-cream” on top of our planters, however it is well worth it to preserve our years-old manicured boxwoods and other beloved plants.
In and around the pool, I still manage to keep some colorful plants out there during the cold months by planting purple flowing kale, purple and yellow pansy and purple and yellow violas with their sweet faces.
I hope my decorating experience inspires you to try something new this year as we celebrate this glorious autumn!
