TO DECORATE OR NOT TO DECORATE…
So, you ask the question, “Should we decorate for harvest season?” And if you ask me, the answer is a resounding YES! Of course, you should. Decorating your property for harvest or even Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas extends the beauty of your yards for several months. As the summer flowers fade, you fill those areas with festive regalia, appropriate for the fall and winter.
WHAT SHOULD WE DECORATE WITH?
When decorating for harvest, you certainly want to employ the use of seasonal products including pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks and mums, but there’s so much more that is being offered now that was never offered years ago including ornamental pepper plants which are very colorful, celosia and cockscomb and mini cabbages and kale.
CAN I USE MY SUMMER FLOWERS TO ACCENTUATE THE HARVEST DISPLAY?
Of course, you can! Although in the past, people most likely wouldn’t do it, pulling them out of the ground or pots and throwing them away, I say you definitely can use them. I have pots of beautiful coleus and begonias that mix in really well with the fall displays, so you can do the same thing. I purposely buy extra pumpkins and gourds to use for Thanksgiving and even Christmas.
WHEN SHOULD I BUY THESE ITEMS AND WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR?
Although most garden centers and nurseries start putting mums and pumpkins out in August in the NJ and Pennsylvania areas, don’t “fall” for it. Fight your temptation to buy these things until maybe the 2nd week of September. That may seem trivial to you, but mums only flower about 6 weeks, so keep on relying on your summer annuals solely until then. Also, pumpkins if picked in late July or early August because they ripened too quickly, may very well rot before Halloween even comes. It happens, trust me, so fight your autumnal cravings and wait until September. Have a pumpkin flavored latte to fill your needs in the meantime. As far as mums are concerned, buy ones that have pretty tight buds with just enough color that you can tell what they are. They will give you an even longer flowering season. Don’t buy ones that are completely open as you will have them for about 2 weeks (if you’re lucky.)
Get those decorations out, spooky or not, and enjoy those fall family activities.
-Joe
joe@planthealthorganics.com
908-335-0553