Late summer and early fall produce provides a variety of colors great for fall entertaining and decorating.
You can always count on nature to give you hints about what colors work well together and to give you a little color inspiration. The purple of these eggplants is so rich. If you have never been to the farmers market at this time of year, you should go. I know I got a real education several years ago on my first trip in the fall. I was amazed by the varieties of various vegetables and the amazing array of colors they came in. I've lost some of my photos or I would show you more of the unusual things I found and used in arrangements. I'm planning a trip next weekend and I will be sure to share what I find.
When entertaining nothing looks better then natural so in the fall I switch modes from fresh flowers to arrangements that include produce and sturdy flowering plants that hold up for the long haul. The flower above is cockscomb and it actually came from my yard. I fell in love with cockscomb years ago when helping with floral arrangements for some showrooms at the furniture market. I liked it so much I planted it in my yard. The beautiful eggplants came from the Greensboro farmers market.
One of my very,very,very favorite things is green pumpkins. The white are really cool too. One of the things I think I like the most is that the color does not scream halloween when you use it on into November. It just says fall. You will pay a little more for the green ones but I think they are well worth it. The person I bought this one from had put some kind of coating on it which gave it the shinny finish and made it last a very long time. I nestled these with some objects I had on my foyer table. I think in January I finally took this pumpkin outside and let it hang out there for a while.
Your local farm and garden stores can provide inspiration and are a great place to stock up on some essentials. My two go-to places locally are Whitaker's and Weston's. You can depend on them having hardy plants, beautiful containers to choose from, and some seasonal produce.
Yes, this pumpkin with color variation appeals to me too. I guess I like things that are unique because of the visual interest it creates. But don't worry. I carve my jack-o-lanterns from a regular ole orange pumpkin. Stem attached is a must.
I just love this picture. It makes me smile. A dog statue in a sea of flowers.
Mums always make for easy fall decorating and then you can plant them in your yard.
I like the sign below: Fall is for Planting. Luckily when I buy plant my gardner, my husband, does the planting for me. So good to be loved.
Mini snapdragons.
