October is beautiful Autumn color, raking leaves, chilly evenings, cozy fires, soup in the crockpot, pumpkins and mums by your front door, Halloween treats, and time to slow down and settle in for the season ahead. I love October!! It just feels good to enjoy the change.
Before we get too laid back we do have a few October chores to do. Cleaning up your gardens is on the list. I start with anything that had problems such as powdery mildew and cut those perennials back to the ground and get rid of the old foliage. I had a lot of powdery mildew on my peonies this year and I don’t want to re-infect my plants next year so a good clean up is in store for me. I also cut back any perennials that had any type of insect or disease issue at all. Annuals are at their end, except for a few cold tolerant ones, and those can go too. Good bye to all that Spring container planting but Hello to a new plan next year. Change is good and I will evaluate what plants worked well for me this year and learn from my mistakes in planting things that weren’t just right.
One other very important chore is to water those trees and shrubs well until the ground freezes. We help those plants get through the winter by giving them all the water they can drink until the big thaw comes next Spring. Evergreens use water all winter because their needles still photosynthesize. One other shrub that will truly need extra water is your rhododendron. Those shrubs keep their leaves all through winter and use the moisture in them too. You can actually see the leaves curl when they are running low on moisture and flatten back out if they get some water in their system. Rhododendrons are also full of buds for next Springs blooms and those buds need to hold moisture also. So water until the ground freezes. It’s a good thing!
Now let’s talk fun! Have you ever made a pumpkin tower? You can make a pumpkin tower sitting on top of a nice container by your home or right on the ground. Pumpkins come in white, orange, green, warty, stripes, and vary in size and shape. You just start with a larger pumpkin on the bottom and work your way up getting smaller as you go. Add a few colorful leaves between the pumpkins and maybe a grapevine garland and what a cheerful welcome you will have out front for all of your visitors this Fall. At the base of the tower you could add a colorful mum or two , possibly a scarecrow, or even a little Halloween ghost. Another great decorating idea is to use some honeysuckle garland by your entry. Whether clustered and draped around your door or resting in loops on a fence it is total charm. You can add a fall plaid bow and some Indian corn and you are all set. From corn Shocks, Indian corn, mums, grapevine items and all kinds of special decorative items made exclusively at Pahl’s, we can help make your home a beautiful welcoming Autumn scene. The colors of Autumn make us feel welcome and the chill in the air bids folks to come in and relax with a good cup of coffee or maybe a relaxing glass of wine. Whichever you prefer, greet all of your guests with great Autumn decor from Pahl’s!
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