Sometimes my pots are pretty sad-looking by the time October rolls around. For that matter, between the bunnies and the squirrels, the pots sometimes are destroyed by August! I often pull out the summer annuals and re place them with fall mums. But this year, my coleus plants out front have done amazingly well and still look great–too pretty to pull out. I’m thinking of taking a cutting and trying to propagate and plant again next year. Anyone have any luck with that? I’d love to know your tips, dos and don’ts!

In late August, our field boasted a beautiful abundance of sunflowers. Walking along the path through the field felt like walking in a sunflower forest.

Every year, I have visions of creating Fall floral masterpieces in my porch and patio pots. And every year, I “fall” short. The time, money and frustration are too much. Just yesterday, I set out some pumpkins and bought a couple of cheery, yellow mums for the front porch. One of the pumpkins (turned for a nicer photo) has already been nibbled by the squirrels. It’s a hopeless cause! But if you’re looking for fall decor inspiration, take a look at my Pinterest page. It’s full of fabulous ideas! Happy Fall to all! https://www.pinterest.com/darlenedelucaau/fall/

I found the coolest mums at the store yesterday. I love having cut flowers in the house, and these are so fun. I think they make a nice transition from summer flowers to fall. I usually go with alstroemeria, which tend to last a long time. Hoping these will, too! I go kicking and screaming into fall, so I’m not ready for traditional fall flowers just yet. Do you keep fresh flowers in the house? What are your faves?

Have you noticed that most bottles and jars come half-empty? I was glad to see the Folger’s coffee can (no longer a can, now plastic) is filled almost to the top.

I got a laugh from this pic my daughter sent of the “grandkitty.” The cat is not allowed on the table. But . . . she found a loophole! I mean, really, what are boxes for?!

I admit, my husband and I have garden envy. In our walks around the neighborhood the last couple of years, we’ve seen some great summer flower beds profusely full of zinnias, cosmos and coneflowers–all plants we struggle to grow. Our yard tends to be best for spring azaleas. The large, mature trees all around our yard make it too shady for a lot of the summer flowers. So over the weekend we did some research and decided to create a summer bed in a sunny space beside our driveway. First step is to kill the “grass.” Hopefully in the spring

Continue reading Envy spurs new project

My daughter-in-law (who is Finnish) gave me a vase designed by Alvar Aalto, a Finnish architect and designer. I love the waving lines, and we display it in our great room—one of the few non-utilitarian pieces in our home. Our house faces a golf course, and occasionally we get an errant golf ball on our lawn. When we do, I wash it off and put it in the Aalto vase. I sent the first few balls to my brother who is a golfer, but the vase currently holds all the balls I’ve found in the last two and a half

Continue reading Aalto Vase

We did some landscaping last summer. I am not a gardener, so that means I hired someone to do it for us. In a corner of our backyard, we had five black-eyed Susans and five coneflowers planted. This year, the black-eyed Susans are going gangbusters. Unfortunately, only one of the coneflower plants grew again this year. The coneflowers we have out front are doing well, but the backyard ones didn’t get enough water. But I’m grateful for the cheery black-eyed Susans. Which landscaping projects have gone well for you and which have failed?

It’s lily season! And the ones at my house seem to be happier than usual! I’ve got colors blooming that I didn’t even realize I had. The peach ones are particularly showy! There’s also a deep, reddish pink that’s quite dramatic. They really brighten the yard and have the added bonus of being perennials! What’s showing off in your yard this month?