8 - Home & Garden
The Newtown Bee - September 15, 2017
Hollandia Gift & Garden, 95 Stony Hill Road in Bethel, encourages container gardens for fall plants like cabbages, mums, vinca vine, ornamental grasses, and pepper plants. —Bee Photos, Silber
Agway, 74 South Street in Bethel, has a variety of patriotic items perfect for Veterans Day on November 11. —Bee Photo, Silber
Shakespeare’s Garden, 25 Obtuse Road South in Brookfield, shows how to add fall themed items like pumpkins to a fireplace mantel. —Bee Photo, Silber
Prepare Your Home With These Autumn Decorating Ideas By Alissa Silber Falling in love with autumn is easy to do. Everything from the deep earthy hues to the pumpkin-everything incites the childlike anticipation of the season’s holiday cheer. Do not miss out on the chance to make your home stand out with these fun, creative autumnal items and ideas. Mums The Word What is one of the most popular flowers to choose for fall? Chrysanthemums — known more commonly as “mums.” Mums come in a wide range of colors perfect for autumn like oranges, yellows, reds, and purples. Agway of Bethel store manager Keitha Salemme says mums are great for the season because they are hearty enough to withstand a frost. For extended periods of frost, though, the best way to defend a mum from dying is to bring it inside or to cover it up. Another important aspect to know about mums, Ms Salemme said, is that “if Mother Nature waters them from overhead that’s perfect, but we should not. We have to water from the pot... if we water over the top of the plant it actually causes it to bloom out prematurely, and it can cause a premature wilt.” Since mums are a very full, blooming plant, she recommends carefully pushing back the plant from its sides to expose the soil underneath when watering. Similar, and complimentary, to mums are asters. Ms Salemme says asters are smaller than mums and resemble a daisy, but also come in a variety of fall colors perfect for fall. Either of these potted plants would show well on bails of straw on a front porch or garden. The straw can add elevation and depth to a flower arrangement or be strewn around the ground for a rustic texture. Veterans Day Salute Fall has the good fortune of hosting many nationally celebrated holidays, including
Veterans Day, which honors those who have served in the United States’ wars. When decorating the home for Veterans Day it is important to focus on paying homage to the servicemen and women who have fought for freedom. Many items are geared toward showcasing the country’s flag or using a lot of red, white, and blue colors. Ms Salamme said, “We have a few armed forces concrete pieces scattered throughout our nursery and showroom.” These specific statues depict a service members from each branch of the military holding an American flag and saluting. Other items that give a patriotic ambiance that can be used to decorate the outside of the home are solar lights and large gazing globes. Make The Most Of The Mantel For those that have a fireplace, fall is one of the best times to spruce up the mantel place. Owner Mark Fancher of Shakespeare’s Garden in Brookfield has a love of autumn that inspires him to make new arrangements frequently at the store. With so much variety of artificial and natural items to choose from, a mantel can be ever-evolving to showcase something new all the time. The nice part about choosing artificial objects, Mr Fancher said, “is you don’t have to worry about rotting and can stick it in a box and use it next year.” A unique design element Mr Fancher recently found are dried pods and mushrooms. With an earthy look, they can be sporadically placed among small- and medium-sized pumpkins and gourds on the mantel along with candlesticks. Those extra embellishments can make all the difference making a mantel as warm and inviting as the fire crackling below it. A Table Set For All Thanksgiving is not only a holiday to express what one is grateful for, but it is also about feeling the joy and the ease of the season.
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Mr Fancher said, “It’s more about the family getting together. It feels like you’re playing hooky from school.” With that mindset, there is no right or wrong way to add items to a table display. Playing around and trying new designs to be creative is part of the magic. The centerpiece is the quickest way to draw in people’s attention to a table design. Some like to keep a year-round neutral piece, like a swan, then add in more festive accent items. “I always tell people: you can build around it,” Mr Fancher said. He recommends incorporating some bittersweet and even scattering some miniature, quarter-sized artificial pumpkins or acorns around the centerpiece. To complete the table setting, simply place the centerpiece and accent items on top of a fall-themed ribbon and runner for more texture and length. If designing a freestanding arrangement is not something someone has time to do, there are also options of premade arrangements attached to boards that can be easily moved while intact to different areas and stored after the season is over.
A Welcoming Entrance The first thing guest will notice when coming to an entryway is its decorations. During the fall, there are a number of great ways to invite guests in with seasonal pieces. Eugene Reelick of Hollandia in Bethel said the design “can either be whimsical or sophisticated, and it can start with your container gardens on your front porch.” Instead of the average pot, place items in a half barrel to give room for a lush fall assortment. It can include everything from cabbages, colorful mums and vinca vine to ornamental grasses, viburnum, leucothea, and pepper plants. The vegetation does not have to end there and can be extended to the festive wreath on the front door. “Doing wreaths around doors are always big... It’s always beautiful,” Mr Reelick emphasized. Adding some ivy, maple leaves, and/or bittersweet can make for an eye-catching design. Each wreath can be customized by harvesting items from the garden and yard or they can conveniently be bought premade. Treats Without The Tricks Halloween decorating does not have to be all ghouls and spiders. “There’s a lot of fun, creative things that you can do. It just takes that imagination,” Mr Reelick said. Cornstalks can be tied to lampposts and everyday light bulbs can be changed to an orange-hued bulb so add some whimsical elements. Scarecrows are also a great autumn piece to incorporate in Halloween decorating. They can even be done with hay and some everyday items around the house. “It’s fun and enjoyable to do that with your family,” Mr Reelick said. Of course, above all else, you can never go wrong with pumpkins and gourds of any shape and size, as they are the epitome of autumn holiday decorating.