Decorating for Fall — FOR THE LOVE OF MARY

At the beginning of Fall, I invest some time laying the groundwork for decorating. I want to be able to leave the decorations out through Thanksgiving with a couple of tweaks here and there. I begin layering pumpkins, gourds, and leaves in the colors of autumn along my front stoop. I particularly like the unusual pumpkins like the Rouge Vif D'Etampes or vivid red, White Lumina, the bumpy Knuckleheads, and the lighter orange fairytale pumpkins that look like ones from Cinderella.

My motto for choosing which pumpkins to use is: the more unusual the better!

I utilize the pots that are already on my porch and build around them. Here, I’ve taken an old rusty urn, lined it with grape leaves, and rested a small pumpkin in it.

The leaf garland is from Michael’s and withstands the elements quite well.

Pumpkins and gourds are hearty. I use whatever I think will last. I even have a couple of acorn squash in the mix that I will cut up and use for a soup or side dish after Thanksgiving.

The fun is in the collecting. I make several trips to various stores to get the right combination.