Fall Festive Mums

Some of my favorite Fall festive decorations are the mums, pumpkins, and scarecrows. I love to decorate the front porch for a little curb appeal. Funny how I do not really decorate the inside of the house, except maybe the dining room table. This year, I may be slacking a bit in my indoor Fall decorating, but do veggies from the garden in a basket on the kitchen counter count as a decoration?

There are so many great places to shop for decorations, but I love to visit farms, nurseries, and little roadside shops. If you have ever visited a nursery during this time of year, there are a multitude of mums in varying colors, types, and sizes. For me, I have no preference in colors, because I love them all! And I love to find fun containers to put them in, such as this wooden scarecrow, metal dog planter, or just in a harvest basket.

I will have to say, if you are selecting mums, try to pick mums that do not bloom all at the same time. Pick late September, early October, and late October mums. This way you have colorful blooms throughout the Fall. And when the blooms start to die off, just deadhead them.

At some point the mum will look pretty sad with wilted leaves and no more blooms, but do not through it away. Find a spot along the fence or the house, and plant it into the ground. As long as it has good strong roots and good soil, it will continue to grow year after year. This particular mum was in that situation. Given to me by my friend, Hilary, this little guy took a couple years to become the big healthy blooming plant that it is today.