Let your photos(s) tell a story.
#The Colors of Fall – Wordless Wednesday
Category: fall decorating
#Maple Leaf Montage – Wordless Wednesday
Let your photo(s) tell your story. Autumn went out in a blaze of glory.
The Last of the Pinks
I don’t bother with fall decorating outdoors as my pink Knockout roses (see link) are still going strong, and pink and orange (as in pumpkins etc) are not the best color combination in my opinion. It may be odd to see roses in October, but Knockouts are repeat bloomers and they’re usually in their 3rd bloom cycle in September with roses appearing right up until mid-November if we have mild weather. Although obviously not as abundant as in June, they do well considering that I have long given up all pretense of fertilizing and watering.
Fall is late here in my part of Ontario with no frosts so far and the trees just catching fire. The temperature today was 50 F (10 C) with another nice week ahead, with a few days in the 60’s, although there is already snow out on the prairies. While I would love to prune them now as I do my other roses, the timing is key, and so I wait and then curse in the spring and sometimes in December too as pink does not go well with Christmas decorations either! By then they are definitely the worse for wear especially when the rest of the yard has been tidied up but it’s much too cold too tackle any outdoor work. One year it snowed while they were still blooming, and that was a very strange sight.
I’m presently busy with the art world, with mom’s exhibit opening next week and writing time scarce, so I thought I’d post a few pictures of them, in their final days of fall glory.
They often look scraggly this time of year, shooting off in all directions, but are almost the same height as the deck.
I took these photos on the sheltered side of the house as the colors are more vibrant in the shade.
The bushes at the front are fuller but more blowzy, the wind having knocked many of the petals off.
I have other pinks in the fall – the odd hydrangea, a leftover dinner-plate hibiscus, but they are usually finished by the end of September.
My phlox was especially lovely this year.
This flower in the side yard belongs to my neighbor, but I’m not sure what it is?
The pale pink climbing roses on the front trellis are repeat bloomers too, so I don’t cut them back until they are finished.
A definite sign of fall, this burning bush looks almost pink in the shade.
And that’s it – the last of the pinks until next year!
A Chestnut Wreath
Autumn is very late this year – the trees are just starting their annual decorating.  I remember gazing out at this tree when I was in grade eight, as my desk was close to the window.  While the teacher would be droning on about some uninteresting subject, I would be rejoicing in the glorious fall colors.  We used to play soccer in the field after school, kicking the ball around under a canopy of orange and gold.  It is still standing, although the other trees are gone, made way for a parking lot.  I still get the pleasure of looking at it when I walk, I think of it as my tree, even though we are both a bit the worse for wear after forty plus years. Â
Chestnut trees are also a fall favorite of mine.  My grandmother’s farm had chestnut trees in one of the fields and every Thanksgiving (Canadian, so mid-October), my little brother and I, brave but ready to run at the first sign of a big dumb cow, would gather them up and then use them to build fields for his barn set – what fun we had lining them up as fences for his toy animals. As a young girl who was horse-crazy, their glossy finish always reminded me of a chestnut mare or the sleek racehorses we would see at the fall fair.  We have two giant chestnut trees in front of our library so when you go inside to pick up your books, you’d better beware lest you be boinked on the head by a falling chestnut.  Last year one of the librarians displayed a chestnut wreath she had made on the checkout desk. She emailed me the instructions, but I was too late, so this year I was prepared and gathered up several baskets after the first windstorm.Â
 First I shellacked them with a coat of acrylic varnish to maintain the shine, as they will dry out quickly.  I raided my mothers art cupboard and used a spray can, which was quick and easy but you might get a more even application by painting it on.  I did this a few days ahead of time to let it dry. Â
Next I took a ten inch straw wreath, (but any size would do, I started small to experiment, but hers was quite large and impressive), and wrapped it tightly with some nice decorating tape.  Make sure any loose ends are secured with straight pins, as you don’t want it unraveling after the glue is on.Â
Then using the trusty old glue gun, attach the chestnuts in any pattern you wish. I must admit my first attempt was not perfect, as I have too much spacing between some of them.  When collecting it is better to find chestnuts of different sizes and some with flat bottoms for odd spaces.  The librarian had filled in the holes in between with Spanish moss, but after googling I found others have used small acorns to fill up the spaces.  I prefer mine having the pretty decorating tape showing through. Â
It could be hung up with wire, but is fairly heavy so a table wreath with a candle in the middle is a nice option.  I decided to place mine on a wicker tray and added some bows in the corner and some fairy lights. Â
You could use this for a centerpiece for American Thanksgiving, and then swap out the bows for something Christmasy.  These are not the kinds of chestnuts you roast on an open fire however, as these are horse chestnuts, which are toxic to humans and animals.  (The difference is in the shells, smoother vs spikier and the point).Â
horse chestnuts
Total cost – around $10 – $4 for the straw wreath, $4 for the ribbon (with Michael’s coupon), glue sticks, chestnuts free for the taking.  All told it took me less than two hours to make, so this would be a nice idea for hosting a tea/craft afternoon. Â
Since the weather is cooler now and more conductive to baking, I made Date Nut Loaf, using the recipe from my farm cooking bible.Â
This is a quick and nutritious tea bread – buy the bite sized dates to save time.
Date nut loaf
If you are interested in more fall decorating on the cheap, check out last years (unpublished) blog, Autumn Decor, for some dollar store finds.Â
Book of the Day:
For more decorating ideas and recipes, see the Susan Branch book – Autumn from the Heart of the Home (published in 2004), for typical New England (Martha’s Vineyard) fare, or check out her website and sign up for her free monthly newsletters….they are always a cheerful read. Â
Autumn from the Heart of the Home by Susan Branch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As a big fan of anything Susan Branch, this book one of my favorites. I re-read it every year to get in the mood for the season, for the inspiration, the decorating tips and the yummy recipes.  Let the leaves fall….it’s time to get cozy.
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