photo credit: Ian Muttoo

With Thanksgiving approaching the addition of dried corn stalks, Indian corn, and pumpkins with give your yard, patio or porch area a festive look. The corn stalks can be left outdoors. The Indian corn can also be left outdoors and can later be sprayed with a clear varnish to preserve then for another year. Note: Make sure the Indian corn is stored in an area that mice will not bother it.

Pumpkins need to be covered if there is a frost at night and brought in if there is a freeze. If you clean them well with a bleach and water mix when you first purchase them to kill any germs that may have entered a cut, the pumpkins will last until after the new year.

photo credit: alecim

Gourds, mini pumpkins and fall flowers also make a nice garden art arrangement in a yard. Place them on a hay bale or in a wagon for a farm like feel. And with the fall flowers you can bring them indoors and enjoy the flowers. Mums are particularly easy to move indoors and by pinching them back you will have flowers through the holidays.

I also like to clip the mums and start new plants. Mums will produce roots easily in a rich potting soil. I use a liquid rooting hormone and cover the pot with clear plastic wrap and have a new plant in a month. I them place it in my greenhouse until spring. It has protection form the freezing weather but will go dormant until spring and better weather returns.

Fall is a wonderful time for fall arrangements and bright splashed or yellows, reds, and orange colors. They seem to stand out more vibrantly in the cloudy fall skies we have in NW PA.

photo credit: Chrissy Olson

Check out Backyard Oasis for a few more fall decorating ideas for you backyard and patio areas.

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