Sunday, September 15, 2013

When the Hummingbirds Leave Home

Most of the black-eyed susan's around the yard are now covered with black seed heads to remind us of their once golden flowers.  The sunflowers have faded and their seed heads are left maturing on their stems.  The goldenrod is standing tall with its striking yellow plumes rising up to as tall as six feet or better. The jewelweed is in full bloom in the back of our yard.  When the jewelweed starts to bloom it means the hummingbirds will soon be gone.  Our adult hummingbirds left about three weeks ago and their babies will leave any day now. To me, when the hummingbirds leave that is when summer is over.

Sunday brunches sitting under the patio table umbrella will soon end. The cookouts will continue only for a few more weeks. The endless watering of the hanging baskets,  the deadheading of the flowers, and all of the weeding are winding to a close for this year.

coleous, impatiens, callies, zinnia, late summer flowers, patio garden
Baskets of impatiens and callies along with zinnias and coleus decorated the summer patio.

           Many of the flowers for the yard are chosen as a source of nectar for the hummingbirds.

sweet potato vine, patio container plant
Sweet potato vines were in pots and in the beds all around the patio.
 
sweet potato vine, hanging basket, mixed foliage
The sweet potato vines cascaded from hanging baskets too.


madevilla, trellis, patio
The mandevillas were  started last year from cuttings from my neighbor.

candy stripe zinnia
Grown from seed, the candy cane stripe zinnias are one of my favorites.

lanatana
The  lantana was also grown from seeds gathered from last years plants. 
black eyed susan, patio flower garden


Now that the garden does not need constant attention, I can take the time for my fall decorating.  There will be a trip to Holmes County to Amish Country here in Ohio.  By far this is my favorite fall outing.  The black buggies, the rolling hills, the fall foliage, the wagons full of pumpkins, and all of the good food and friendly people.  What's not to like?

amish buggy
                One of our favorite places to visit in Holmes County is the Guggisberg Farm. Cornstalks, pumpkins and homemade bakery.  Yum, cinnamon rolls!

pumpkins, pumpkin wagon
Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere!!!

fall porch, cornstalks, pumpkins
You know what you do with cornstalks and pumpkins. Decorate of course!
Once the porch all falled up, then I can fall up the patio.  Lots of Mums and asters,  some fall foliage, a few cornstalks standing against the posts, and a couple of scarecrows to stand guard over everything.


After the porch and patio are decorated,  the indoor fall decorating can start.  Simple things like gluing fall leaves on an old candle and arranging fall flowers and leaves inside a metal pumpkin make a pretty centerpiece. Easy, peasy!   

fall decor
Easy Fall Decor

Add some fall fillers to a cylinder shaped glass container and a large candle.  The candle can be placed into another tall and narrow cylinder container for safety.

fall, fall centerpiece, fall candle holder
Grapevines, acorns, and faux autumn leaves make great fillers for the fall.

     Adding corn stalks and pumpkin accents around the house is a fun and an inexpensive way to decorate.
Pumpkins, cornstalks, and hay bales decorate my little wooden "faux" house.

 Every fall I look long and hard for the tallest skinniest pumpkins I can find.  I love to decorate them with my ceramic and metal turkey set.  I named the smaller "turkey" Hank Jr. and the larger turkey is named Henry. 


pumpkin turkey
Hank Jr. next to his father Henry.

ceramic turkey set
And this is Henry!


 I will decorate our fall tree soon ( later in the season it evolves into a Halloween tree, then a Thanksgiving tree, then a Christmas tree, and then a Valentine tree, and lastly a St Patties Day tree). I found an  alpine tree at goodwill  several years ago.  I brought it home and spray painted it black. It is what it is.  Not fancy, not expensive, but I love it. See the Halloween tree preview below.


Halloween tree, fall tree
I love the beaded spider above the green jack-o-lantern.
Soon I will start on the fall mantle.  Every year I do something different.  I am thinking owls for this year.  I have been collecting owls for a long time.  I hope I have enough owls for a nice display. After Halloween Henry and Hank junior will hang out above the fireplace.

Halloween mantle
The fall mantle changes every year. 


Lovely fall tablescapes will soon grace the dining room table. Pumpkins and leaves will abound everywhere.  Little visitors like the acorn elves, owls,  squirrels,  and pheasants will come to share the table top with lovely fall dinnerware. All of this will happen soon enough.


Fall tablescape
Acorn elves gather on the table for a great autumn meal.

                   And then, dare I say it, Thanksgiving comes.  Turkeys, pilgrims and pie, OH MY!


Thanksgiving tablescape
Thanksgiving brings an end to fall and starts the Christmas season at our house.

I hope you come back and visit again soon.  We could share some recipes, and  we could share pictures of our projects. You can stop in once and a while to see a one of my seasonal tablescapes. While you are here we could step out into the garden and watch it as it changes throughout the year. Maybe we will even see some the visitors at the bird feeders while we are out and about in the yard. I really am looking forward to your next visit. Stay safe and stay happy. Come back soon!








13 comments:

  1. I love your turkey pumpkins!! So cute, and that lantana! Stunning, never seen any like that! Happy fall!
    Jenna

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  2. Your flowers are gorgeous. I know you will miss them when it gets colder but then there will be fall items that will entertain our eyes. Lovely post!...Christine

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  3. Hi Candy, what a great post! I love, love your flowers. You must have quite a green thumb! My flowers have also gone to seed, it's their first year here so it will be neat to see their cycles.
    Your home is lovely with all your decorating! Love the turkeys, too cute! Thanks for dropping by!

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  4. Your flowers are so pretty! I am envious that you live in an area with hummingbirds. I've always wanted a hummingbird garden but they don't like visiting the middle of the city in Denver! I love your fall decor too! Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I am happily following you back!
    -Khammany

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  5. Hi Candy! Thanks so much for your visit and sweet comments!!! I will be showing ALOT more Fall decorating in the days to come so please come back!!! I love this post: your flowers are gorgeous. I LOVE zinnias and that candy cane one is amazing!!! I will look for that one!!! Since we are in a new home our flower beds are just getting started. I did have some zinnias this year and loved every one. We also feed the hummers, and choose flowers for them too! Have you ever had lobelia (cardinal flower)??The hummers LOVE it and it is very pretty too. I'll be back to see your Fall decorating!!

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  6. Wow Candy, you have the best flowers, they all look so pretty. Thanks for stopping by. I am starting my fall decorating today!

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  7. YOur garden is magnificent. I'm so impressed how you plant flowers that have nectar for the hummingbirds and how you reuse your seeds. It looks like you have some serious Fall decorating ahead of you to compete with last year's. I'd love to have you join Seasonal Sundays.

    - The Tablescaper

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  8. I love that your blog is a family affair...so cool. I also really like that your garden acts as a personal almanac for your yard....that made me very happy! Henry and Hank...I've never seen anything like them. They are outstanding. I look forward to more of your beautiful fall tablescapes. Thanks for inviting us for a peak. Cherry Kay

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  9. Henry and Hank, Jr. sure made me smile. I love your scarecrow on the porch, and your flowers are gorgeous. That candy cane stripe zinnia took my breath away! Your T'giving table is so pretty. I love those little wood figures in the center. laurie

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  10. There is so much inspiration here and so much beauty. Thank you for sharing with us! I'm intrigued by the fall candle holder and may have to try to duplicate it for my table later this fall. I will definitely give you credit for the inspiration. Good luck and keep blogging!

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  11. Hi Candy, and welcome to the Blogosphere! You're doing a great job, you're gonna have a lot of fun. Your flowers are gorgeous, and you definitely have a knack for decorating. I was born in Ohio (Columbus), small world, huh? (In SC now.) Thanks for visiting me, take care - Dawn @ We Call It Junkin

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  12. Oh what a pretty tribute to Fall! You have done a beautiful job of welcoming fall into your home! I love your pretty tablescapes...love the layering of the plates:)The glass candle holder filled with autumn goodies is looking so pretty and is a beautiful addition to a vignette! The Holmes County farm sounds like a wonderful fall outing:) Thanks for sharing with us! Welcome to the land of blog, you are doing a wonderful job:) Thanks for visiting me and leaving me the sweetest notes. Happy weekend! Hugs, Poppy

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  13. Hi Candy,

    So nice to meet you! Your pretty flower garden in your banner is a delight! You certainly have a healthy green thumb from the looks of all your little lovelies, staring up at skies and sunning themselves in the sunlight! For me, your lantana are extra special as I have had little luck with m tri-coloured ones; the orange and white are healthy. Any pointers?

    Thanks for stopping by Poppy View and happy to be following you back!

    Poppy

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