When you read this, the first day of fall will have arrived!!!!!! YeeHaw!!!!! Today I decided it was time to give my flower pots a little seasonal love. They had done their job making me happy all summer long but were starting to look just plain tired. A little subtracting and a little adding is all it took to make them look fantastic for a beautiful Nebraska autumn.

Before…..So Tired

Subtracting

The first step was to pull out all of the exhausted flowers and vines. Sometimes I use my garden tools, but I really love digging in the dirt with gloved hands. There is no tool quite like our amazing hands designed by our God….pure perfection.

I always leave my center spike and my asparagus ferns. They will soon turn an amazing warm golden color that is so gorgeous.

Every single year, I find at least one potato when I pull out my potato vines. For some reason, it is always a delightful surprise!! This one was pretty big.

Some Adding

Today was a picture-perfect day to head to our local landscaping center. I could seriously stay there for hours looking through all of the beautiful plants and trees, running my fingers over the leaves and petals. It was pretty difficult to narrow down my choices, but I ended up with four lovely plants for each pot…a mum, kale, marigolds and coral bells. The colors are fantastic together, and all of the different textures compliment one another. Be sure to look for a variety of colors and textures.

It is tempting to pick up mums in full bloom for instant gratification, but they will last much longer for you if you grab them before that point. Remember that they will only flesh out fully one time each season. These buds will be a striking mix of yellow and orange blooms.

This is the first year I have tried marigolds in my fall plantings, but they will keep blooming over and over this fall. I love that! They do have a strong fragrance. The sweet gal helping me said that it always made her think of being a young girl. When she made mud pies, she would top them off with a marigold. How cute!

After…..Perfectly Refreshed

Don’t forget to add some small pumpkins and gourds for lovely contrast and one more layer of texture.

Oh, how I love these. I can’t wait to pick up all of my pumpkins and finish off my porch for the season. I would LOVE to see what you do for fall. Share pics!!!

I want to leave you with a couple of quick tips that I was given today at the landscaping center.  These fall plants do not like to be overly watered, so water sparingly. When you do water, be sure to water underneath the blooms. They do not like to be watered from the top. This was news to me!!

Last week I shared a fall home tour of my parents’ house. Check it out here. I have some more fall home tours coming your way soon. Be sure to subscribe to my email list so that you don’t miss them.

HAPPY FALL Y’ALL!!!!! God bless!