Outdoor Furniture, Patio Furniture and more!

Gardeners nationwide are truly living in their gardens.  Gardening is not just your grandmother’s pastime anymore; it’s one of the most popular hobbies sweeping the interests of men and women of all ages.  Whether people are trying their hand at backyard organic vegetables or creating beautiful bouquet gardens, the art of gardening is definitely on the rise.

But, gardening is no longer just a chore or a place to work.  Gardens have become chic entertaining venues, dining spaces and living areas.

Garden designer Jenny Peterson, of J Peterson Garden Design, has seen this trend grow with every season.  “My clients are now seeing their gardens as gathering areas for their families and friends, so we have whole areas dedicated to seating and outdoor furniture,” she said.  Peterson has worked on designing gardens to hold everything from meditation areas to patio furniture collections in recent years.

“The things you would normally do inside, they are now doing outside, and want a good space to do it,” Peterson said.  And many gardeners are asking themselves if there’s any better space than a garden.

“Gardens are both peaceful and celebratory,” said Cassie Phillips, an avid gardener who enjoys cultivating her garden room along with her plants and flowers.  “Nothing puts me more at ease than being surrounded by nature and nothing livens up a party like the growing joy of a blooming lily.”

The versatility of the garden, paired with the eagerness gardeners take to showing off their handiwork, creates a flawless platform for living spaces.  Whether lazily flipping through a favorite novel on a porch swing, or hosting a garden soiree with champagne and teak patio furniture, a well planted garden can do nothing but enhance your experience.

Recently, more and more people are looking for outdoor furniture for their garden, instead of just their porches and gazebos.  People are moving their living spaces to be an integral part of their garden in increasingly interesting ways each season.  It’s more than just arranging patio furniture, using arbors and pergolas helps define spaces while letting flowering vines grow vertically to create living walls and spacers.

What’s your favorite way to bring living spaces out into the garden?

Tags: Arbors, gazebo, Outdoor Furniture, patio furniture, Pergolas, porch swing

If you put up some nice, just-plain-fall adornments in September, and added a Halloween theme later, at least, you won’t have to spend a lot of time on decorations in the next few weeks.  Because Thanksgiving is, of course, an autumn celebration, all you have to do is to de-spookify your landscape.

So, just take the fake spiders and webs off the trellises, pergolas, and arbors, and leave the sparkling, orange miniature lights.  After that, simply clear porch gliders, patio chairs, and chaise lounges, of all werewolves, mummies, and pumpkin-headed creatures, and put on the outdoor furniture covers.  Then, it’s only a matter of chasing a few ghosts and rubber snakes out of the yard, and you’re back to your beautiful fall outdoor décor, which is appropriate to the holiday at hand.

Leave the Christmas stuff for after Thanksgiving; and don’t let anyone pressure you into putting it up too soon.  Heck, you’ll need all of the extra time that you can get, in order to finish preparing your house and garden for the winter.  After all, some of those outdoor chores can be demanding, and, in many cases, very unpleasant.

Dealing with all of the fallen leaves, for example, can be a disagreeable job.  While, not long ago, they were still on the trees, in all of their brilliant, breath-taking splendor, they are now piling up on lawns, walkways, and roofs, causing all kinds of mischief.

One of their favorite pranks is to clog up gutters, and, thus, prevent the adequate drainage of water from the roofs of houses and other outdoor structures.  Although cleaning them out is a detestable duty, it’s something that must be done before winter arrives.  Otherwise, ice jams can form, and cause water to back up and, perhaps, seep into the house.

So, get the ladder out of the garden shed, and rise to the task; and don’t forget your heavy-duty work gloves and your scraper.  You can also make another helpful tool out of a plastic, gallon jug; just cut off the top half, hold it by the handle, and use it to scoop the leaves from the gutter.  Take out as much debris as possible by hand, before using the scraper to remove any built-up dirt and gunk; then rinse the gutter thoroughly with a hose.

While you’re up there, inspect for leaks, dents, and crooked pipes, and see that the gutters and downspouts are fastened securely to the house.  Furthermore, make certain that the downspouts are directing the water at least five feet away from the foundation of the house, and that they are not blocked.  To ensure that a downspout is operating properly, put a hose into the top, run the water, and check to see if it is running out at the bottom.

If there is a blockage, you may be able to break it loose, by packing rags around the hose at the top of the spout, to seal it off, and then running the water at full power; and if that fails, try using a snake.

Uh, a plumber’s snake, that is.  Not one of the rubber specimens that you drove out of your yard.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: Arbors, chaise lounges, garden shed, outdoor decor, Outdoor Furniture Covers, outdoor structures, patio chairs, Pergolas, porch gliders, trellises

Now that November is here, things are really getting serious.  The Christmas commercials have already started to air (unfortunately), and, from here on out, everything is going to be about the holidays.  In just a few weeks, it will be Thanksgiving, and, in all probability, you’ll be getting ready for that; but, before you can relax and enjoy your turkey dinner, you’ll have to make sure that your home is prepared to deal with the cold weather ahead.

Of course, this includes its interior, exterior, and landscape.  Indeed, even though there’s not much heavy gardening to do, there are a few outdoor chores, including some yard work, left to be accomplished.  So, dig your thick, warm sweater out of the closet or cedar chest, get back into the crisp, invigorating air, and finish those tasks before it’s too late.

Actually, even if you live in an area that’s facing a harsh winter, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re completely finished with planting.  As long as the ground is not frozen, you can still plant the spring-flowering bulbs of crocuses, tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths.  You can also put in some trees and shrubs now, so that their roots will have a chance to establish themselves before spring.  Just remember to cover the trunks of saplings, and other tender trees, with paper tree wrap, before the end of the month.

If you’re going to transplant any shrubs, plants, or trees, such as azaleas or rhododendrons, excavate their new holes before you take them out of the ground.  Make them roomy enough to give the plants plenty of space to grow; and when you dig them up, extract large root balls that include as much of their root systems as possible.  Replant them right away, using a blend of the existing soil, along with healthy doses of compost, peat moss, and transplanting fertilizer.  Stake taller plants and trees, until their roots become steadfast; otherwise, they may be toppled by strong winds.

You can prune the vines on your grape arbors, after they’ve gone dormant; and any climbing vines, roses, or berries, should be secured firmly to their trellises, so that they won’t be whipped around by gusty winds.  If you’re planning to move things around next year, this is also a good time to sketch out a fresh garden design, and to put in new garden structures, such as trellises, arbors, and pergolas.

Another way to ensure that you’ll be prepared for next year is to clean, sharpen, and oil your garden tools.  Besides having your lawnmower’s blades sharpened, have its oil changed, bolts tightened, and other parts inspected and/or cleaned.  Use a file on trowels, hoes, clippers, and shovels, and a whetstone on pruning shears, then coat the metal parts with penetrating oil; and apply heavier oil to any moving components.  Sand rough spots on wood handles, and then rub them lightly with some linseed oil.

It’s also time to put your patio furniture into the garage or storage shed for the winter.  However, if you don’t have a large enough storage area, protect your porch swings, patio chairs, and picnic tables, with outdoor furniture covers.  Just make sure that they have heavy-duty ties that can endure even the fiercest winds.  Remember, you’re tucking them in for a long, winter’s nap.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: Arbors, cedar chest, grape arbors, Outdoor Furniture Covers, patio chairs, patio furniture, Pergolas, picnic tables, porch swings, storage shed, trellises

These days, when you’re shopping, you’ll notice that there are tons more choices, for pretty much everything, than there used to be.  Sometimes, this is good; but other times, it’s just overkill.

For instance, the spectacular improvements in outdoor furniture that have occurred over the past several years, are wonderful, and long overdue.  No matter what you’re looking for – porch swings, patio chairs, or picnic tables – in addition to the classic wood types, you’ll also find polywood, vinyl, and aluminum pieces that are nearly indestructible, and available in dozens of colors.  So, it’s great to have a huge selection of patio furniture.

On the other hand, the constant expansions of some product lines can reach ridiculous proportions.  One example, which is truly monstrous, is in the world of Halloween decorations.  It wasn’t that long ago that most people would simply have a few cardboard witches, skeletons, cats, and jack-o-lanterns in their front windows.  Moreover, among the store-bought items were many things that were made by the kids who lived in the homes, including those tissue-and-pipe cleaner ghosts (of course, that was when it was strictly a kids’ day); and nothing went up until deep into October.

Well, things are different now – and how!  First of all, many people treat Halloween like a major holiday, and begin decorating for it two months early, as elaborately as they do for Christmas.  There are also enormous Halloween “superstores,” filled with costumes, outdoor lights, full-sized mummies, zombies, skeletons, and vampires that actually rise from their coffins.  Then, there are those ghastly, gigantic inflatable decorations, which feature ghosts popping out of pumpkins, skeletons riding motorcycles, and witches on broomsticks.  Sheesh!

Okay, sure, it’s fine to have more Halloween decorations to pick from; but the true, uh, spirit, of the day calls for more of the homemade touch.  After all, kids still love to make Halloween decorations; and, in fact, because they have help from their computers, they can produce things that look as good as any that you can buy.  Of course, it’s even more fun when you go to a craft store and get them some supplies, or even dig up things around the house, that they can use to create their decorations by hand.

Don’t worry, though; there are many larger things that adults can tackle, like, say, making corpses, monsters, scarecrows, and giant spiders.  Heck, with all of the phony blood, stick-on scars, and severed body parts that are available at those Halloween stores, it’ll be a cinch.  You can sit them in your porch glider, pose them in a lounge chair, stretch them out in a hammock, or even hang them from the roof of a gazebo or garden shed.  You can also make fake spider webs for your handmade arachnids, and wrap them around arbors, pergolas, and trellises.

Naturally, the kids can help with these projects, too.  It’ll be a great way to spend more quality time together as a family, teach them the lost art of Old World craftspersonship, and let them feel the pride of creating things, such as authentic-looking monsters and spiders.  At the same time, they’ll be learning how to use porch furniture to its fullest potential, as well as the proper techniques for applying fake blood.  You know – all of those good, old-fashioned family values.

That is, if you’re the Addams family.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: Arbors, garden shed, gazebo, hammock, Outdoor Furniture, patio chairs, patio furniture, pergolas trellises, picnic tables, porch furniture, porch glider, porch swings

As I mentioned, this is the perfect time of the year to start feeding the birds; and it’s important to place birdfeeders in spots where they will have shelter from the wind, and refuge from predators.  Although shrubs and trees are ideal, garden structures, such as arbors, trellises, pergolas, and gazebos can do the job as well.  Multi-paneled garden screens will provide good coverage, too, as will gated arbors, and arbors with extensions.

Another alternative is to create a makeshift row of hedges, by getting some planters, and filling them with small evergreens; even artificial ones will work.  You can also use planter trellises, or planter benches with lattice backs.  Anything is better than nothing; in fact, if you’re not going to store your patio furniture in the garden shed during the winter, protect it with some mildew-resistant, easy-to-clean outdoor furniture covers, and let the birds use it to shield themselves from the elements.

As for the birdfeeders, there are many types to choose from, including tube, platform, hopper, fly-through, post-mounted, and hanging.  Whichever you select, make sure that it will keep the food dry, so that it will not become moldy.

When you’re shopping for food, keep in mind that sunflower seeds appeal to the widest variety of birds.  Black-oil sunflower seeds are the favorites, and are enjoyed by every kind of backyard, seed-eating bird.  Their rich oil content makes them a high-energy food, and their thin shells make them easy to crack.  Although striped sunflower seeds are also great, they have heavier shells, which are tough for smaller birds to open.

You can also get sunflower seeds that have been mechanically hulled; and, while they cost a little more, there will be no waste, and no mess.  On the other hand, with in-shell sunflower seeds, the hulls account for up to 45% of the product weight, and will be left lying around on the ground.

Nyjer seeds, which are tiny and black, draw all sorts of finches; and, because of their high oil content, they make wonderful winter food.  Imported from Africa and Southeast Asia, they are slightly expensive; but a bag of them will last awhile.  Moreover, nyjer seeds leave absolutely no waste; and, because they’re steril­ized at all U.S. ports of entry, they will not germinate.  Cracked corn and millet are quite affordable, and will attract many ground-feeding and game birds.

Always read the labels on bags of bird food, and avoid brands that have large amounts of milo (sorghum), wheat, or oats.  Although they may be cheaper, these ingredients are merely fillers, which most birds won’t eat; so, buying products that contain them will be a waste, in more ways than one.

Suet, which is loved by all kinds of birds, comes in an assortment of flavors.  Naturally, birds are wild about nuts, too, particularly peanuts, walnuts, and almonds; and, luckily, these are available in many high-quality bird foods these days.

Of course, you may pay a bit more for these mixes, but, believe me, if you’re nuts about birds, it’s worth it.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: Arbors, birdfeeders, garden shed, garden structures, gated arbors, Gazebos, Outdoor Furniture, patio furniture, Pergolas, Planter Benches, Planters, trellises

When you’re setting your picnic table, bedecking it with autumn’s awesome bounty will be a boon, because it will bestow a bedazzling, bewitching beauty that’s beyond belief; and, to be sure, it all begins with the basics.

For starters, you can dress up the chairs for your outdoor dining set, with outdoor furniture cushions that feature fantastic fall colors, such as gold, bronze, russet, red, orange, burgundy, and yellow.  When it comes to the tablecloth, as we’ve established, you have a million choices in colors, patterns, and materials.

Whatever selections you make for your table décor, you’ll surely want to conjure some magic.  Luckily, this is easy to accomplish, because, as is the case with many of the astonishing illusions performed by professionals, it’s done largely with lighting.

There’s no doubt that the proper radiance can make the mood merrier, the meal more memorable, and the milieu monumentally mesmerizing.  Just as the twinkling strands on porches, gazebos, arbors, trellises, and pergolas, invoke an air of enchantment throughout your landscape, the lighting on your table can work wonders as well.  In fact, the same kinds of decorative bulbs that you’re using on your garden structures can lend a lavish look to your table setting.  For example, you can tape a string of them underneath a glass-topped outdoor dining table, then use a thin tablecloth, through which the colors can softly glow.

Certainly, candlelight never fails to captivate; and you can use pillar candles, votives, and tea lights everywhere.  Although you’ll have no trouble finding attractive candleholders, if you want a striking, seasonal touch, hollow out some miniature pumpkins, and let them do the job.  Of course, if you carve designs into them, the flickering flames will create a fanciful effect that will further add to the fabulously festive fall feeling.  Just go to a craft or department store and get a kit that contains the tools and patterns for cutting Halloween figures into larger pumpkins, but use the implements to make simple, autumn shapes, such as leaves and acorns.

If you plan to have a centerpiece, it should be spectacular, but not overwhelming; and, once again, the most ordinary ingredients can make something magnificent.  For instance, you can fill a basket with apples, grapes, gourds, nuts, acorns, and berries, then carefully tilt it onto its side, and arrange the contents to appear as if the abundant harvest is spilling out onto the table.  Then, add some mums or sunflowers, and accent the display with a few candles.

If you’re using small pumpkins as candleholders, you may want to craft a complementary, pumpkin-themed centerpiece.  You can even make a vase out of a pumpkin, by hollowing it out, filling it with florists’ foam, which you can get at any craft store, and inserting fall flowers into it.  While you’re at it, pick up some artificial leaves; you can use them in arrangements, or place a few, randomly, around the table, to give the impression that they’ve fallen from the trees.

For a bit of sparkle, sprinkle shiny, multi-colored, leaf-shaped confetti over your main tablecloth, then cover it with a clear, plastic one.  Use your imagination, and you’ll come up with many other ways in which you can be-leave your outdoor dining table.

Truly, when you use fall’s harvest to embellish your décor, you can be sure that your table will be set with a bounty that’s befitting of royalty; and you’d better believe that the guests that will be coming will be saying that it’s a beauty to behold.

But right now, I’d better be going.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: Arbors, garden structures, Gazebos, outdoor dining set, outdoor dining table, outdoor furniture cushions, Pergolas, picnic table, trellises

“George to the Rescue,” NBC’s newest half-hour home improvement show debuting on September 25th has tapped GazeboCreations.com to provide a complete pergola system for the second show in the series.  On October 9th, GazeboCreations.com will partner with NBC to create a dream backyard including an 8′ x 12′, 4-beam vinyl pergola to surprise a deserving homeowner and his wife.

Airing on NBC’s owned and operated channels in the top ten markets of the nation, “George to the Rescue” is based on viewers writing in and the show responding by helping deserving individuals improve their households.  This backyard make-over is in response to an email written to the show by the wife, Debbie, asking the show to come to the rescue of her husband, John.  As a past recipient of the presidential service award, John is a stroke victim suffering from right side paralysis and impaired speech.  With his limited mobility and sensitivity to the sun, John now avoids leaving his home.

“We are looking for interesting and emotionally engaging stories involving good people/families that have had bad luck,” said Andrew Scerbo, show producer.  “In Debbie’s email, she mentioned John’s love of the outdoors and his desire to escape his home; however, he burns easily in the sun.”  Shade became a crucial factor in the design plan and the reason the producer approached GazeboCreations.com regarding their pergola kit that can be equipped with Shade FX, a retractable awning system.

“We are honored to participate in creating a functional outdoor space for John,” said Tim McTighe, president of GazeboCreations.com. “Being able to help create a covered porch for John and Debbie to enjoy together is a privilege.”   The episode to feature the pergola is being filmed in Seaside Heights New Jersey.

The vinyl pergola, one of the top selling structures from GazeboCreations.com, is weather resistant and durable in the outdoor elements.  The four beam design creates an open yet shaded exterior space.  By drawing the Shade FX retractable awning, the sun can be completely blocked and provide a safe area for outdoor enjoyment.

Television exposure is not a new concept to GazeboCreations.com as the company partners frequently with other home improvement and national television shows.  Recently Gazebocreations.com supplied a beautiful gazebo for the taping of Live! with Regis and Kelly during the show’s remote broadcast on Prince Edward’s Island.  “Our involvement with shows such as this comes with the same focus as our work with residential consumers,” said Hazel Jennings, marketing representative for GazeboCreations.com.  “We answer a call to provide the solution to an outdoor living space designed to the exact requirements of the homeowner.”   GazeboCreations.com also works with municipalities, educational institutions, resorts and parks by providing structures from arbors to amphitheaters as well as expansive lines of outdoor furniture that can be customized to fit each property’s unique needs.

Don’t miss it! Check your local listings!

Hazel.

Tags: amphitheaters, Arbors, Gazebos, Outdoor Furniture, Pergolas, vinyl pergolas

Now that you’ve gone to the trouble of decorating for autumn, it’s time to show off your handiwork; and there’s no better way to do that than to have an outdoor dinner party.  That way, you can also demonstrate your fabulous hosting skills, as well as your culinary creativity.

One of the best parts about this get-together will be that you’ll be able to concentrate on the menu, instead of feeling pressured to come up with a clever motif.  Because it’s an affair that’s meant to celebrate the season, the theme, as well as the color scheme, will already be established.  Truly, with your home and landscape dressed to the hilt in fall’s finery, it will be evident as far as the eye can see.

All you have to do is to enhance your party area with the ideal accents and accessories; and, once again, you won’t have to go to great lengths to find them.  You can use many of the things that went into making your outdoor décor, so everything will tie in splendidly.  You’ll have lots of fun dreaming up novel arrangements to display, not only on your outdoor dining table or picnic table, but on outdoor accent tables and outdoor buffets as well; and you can even adorn your patio furniture.

Certainly, you’ll have no difficulty getting people into the mood of the occasion.  In fact, they’ll be infused with the spirit of merriment the moment that they arrive, especially if your porch, garden structures, trees, and shrubs, are glistening with strings of miniature lights.  Besides sparking a festive atmosphere, they’ll highlight some of the beautiful leaves, which would otherwise be virtually invisible at night; and you don’t want to let that happen, as they are the stars of the season.

Unfortunately, though, there are many factors that can dim your enjoyment of the foliage (aside from living in a climate where it doesn’t change much in the fall).  For one thing, even if you choose a date that comes before the leaves are supposed to peak in your region, an unexpected cold snap can cause their intense colors to fade earlier than anticipated.

Then, again, the vines and flowers on your garden structures may have leaves that simply don’t change to attractive autumn colors.  For example, I have some on my patio that are quite lush during the summer, but just turn a spotty, brownish-yellow, then shrivel up, before they fall.  You may also have new arbors, trellises, or pergolas, that don’t have anything growing on them yet.

So, if you have a dearth of leaves in your yard, or if you want to augment the ones that are already there, it’s not a crime to use fakes.  You can get them at craft stores, in “branches” or garlands, some of which come already entwined with strings of lights.  Put them in centerpieces and wreaths, drape them over door frames and windows, and wind them around garden structures, including gazebos.

Indeed, artificial leaves can make exquisite, even elegant, decorations; and some of them look very authentic, particularly at night, in soft light.  Of course, they can also be on the delicate side.

Therefore, you should handle them with care, as it will be quite expensive to replace them every year.  After all, they don’t grow on trees.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: Arbors, garden structures, Gazebos, outdoor accent tables, outdoor buffets, outdoor decor, outdoor dining table, patio furniture, Pergolas, picnic table, trellises

There’s no doubt that the things that you can find in your own backyard and garden, on a nature walk, or during a visit to a farmers’ market, can be used to make some spectacular outdoor décor.  After all, that’s what they are, anyway; you’re just gathering, arranging, and exhibiting them in strategic places, in and around your home.

At the same time, like most people who are dressing up their homes for fall, you will probably use artificial embellishments as well; and that’s understandable.  In fact, it’s necessary in some situations, such as those in which an item that you wish to use won’t hold up in a long-term display.  Luckily, however, a good number of autumn’s natural elements are quite hardy.

Pumpkins, as we’ve established, can often last through the entire season; that is, as long as they’re left intact.  I mean, once they’re carved, even the most menacing-looking, sharp-toothed, jack-o-lanterns will, after about a week, begin to resemble old men who have misplaced their dentures.  Twigs, berries, corn stalks, hay bales, Indian corn, pinecones, gourds, and acorns, are also extremely durable; but, alas, the multi-colored leaves, which are autumn’s proudest emblems, are also the most fleeting.

Therefore, we must take pleasure in them while they last.  Aside from hiking in the woods, or driving through the country, we can, of course, enjoy them from our porch swings, hammocks, and patio chairs.  Unfortunately, with the sun going down earlier every day, by the time we’re finished with work, and other obligations, it’s nearly dark.

Here, again, store-bought decorations can come to the rescue.  For example, we can string miniature, twinkling bulbs through our vine-covered arbors, pergolas, and trellises.  This will afford a twofold advantage, as it will prolong the time that we have for viewing the foliage, while allowing us to see it, literally, in a completely different light.  Indeed, as lovely as those crimson, bronze, and golden leaves are during the day, they’re absolutely dazzling after dusk, when highlighted by a soft, orange-white glow.

Actually, once you adorn your garden structures with lights, you may even start looking forward to the early sunsets.  Not only does this enhance the beauty of your landscape, but it automatically creates a festive atmosphere.  This is especially exciting when you’re hosting an outdoor dinner party, where delighted guests can enter through an arbor that’s sparkling with lights.

To make things even more striking, you can illuminate the path with walkway lights, put post cap lights on fences, and wrap strings of lights around trees, shrubs, and planters.  You should also have lots of candles, along with outdoor lamps and lanterns, on picnic tables and outdoor accent tables, in the main party area.

Now, if you have a gazebo, it will be, at least, a stunning focal point; but, if it’s large enough, you may be using it as the center of the gathering.  Whatever the case, if it’s decked out with lights, and other fall decorations, the effect will be downright spell-binding.

So, if people start asking how you managed to conjure such a magical evening, you can just tell them that you have your own, personal Gazebo Wizard.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: Arbors, garden structures, gazebo, Hammocks, outdoor accent tables, outdoor decor, outdoor lamps, patio chairs, Pergolas, Planters, porch swings, post cap lights, trellises

When you’re decorating your home’s exterior for fall, don’t forget to cover outbuildings, such as garages, storage sheds, pool houses, and cabanas.  Naturally, this also goes for gazebos, arbors, trellises, pergolas, and garden bridges.  Just as they bring fresh dimensions of splendor to your yard and garden throughout the year, they can add new elements of excitement and festivity to every season.

Pumpkins, gourds, squash, mums, acorns, pinecones, berries, apples, leaves, twigs, corn stalks, straw, hay bales, and Indian corn, are among the most popular items that are used in fall decorations.  Moreover, in many cases, you can use the real things, instead of buying artificial versions.  In fact, the only unnatural embellishments that you may need to enhance their beauty will be some twinkle lights.  These can be quite striking when you string them around porch and gazebo railings, and entwine them in latticed garden structures.

You can also use lights on an autumn wreath, to make your front door look warm and welcoming; and if you have an enclosed gazebo, place a wreath on the gazebo door as well.  Dried cornstalks also look great around the railings of gazebos and porches, and on mailbox posts.  Just use twine or wire to hold 15-20 stalks together, then tie them with a ribbon in a fall color, such as burgundy, orange, or bronze.  Place some hay bales nearby, stacked on patio chairs, outdoor accent tables, or picnic table benches, and set some pumpkins and Indian corn on top of them.

Another wonderful way to dress up your porch, patio, deck, or gazebo, is by using planters.  Fill them with ornamental grasses in reds, oranges, bronzes, and plums, and place them next to doors, and along railings, steps, and walkways.  You can make them all in one color, or create dramatic combinations, and throw in some fall flowers, such as mums, and a few small pumpkins.

As I’ve mentioned before, it’s a good idea to get a large assortment of pumpkins, in all sizes, and put them everywhere.  One of the best things about them is that you can use them whole, as part of your outdoor décor, for most of the season, and then, if you’re so inclined, transform them into some signature fall edibles, including the number-one favorite, pumpkin pie.  If you’re planning to do this, however, you’ll have to select some pumpkins that are suitable for cooking.

You won’t be able to use the larger, jack-o-lantern types for this purpose, as their pulp is too watery and stringy, although you can still bake and eat their seeds.  Indeed, if you want to turn them into pies, breads, soups, muffins, or cookies, you’ll have to get some of a smaller, sweeter variety, known as the sugar pumpkin.  Because this kind is not always featured in pumpkin patches, you may have to visit a farm, nursery, or roadside stand.  Furthermore, while you’re at it, don’t overlook all of the other gourds that are available now; like pumpkins, they’re as good for decorating as they are for digesting.

By the way, if you’re feeling funny about covering your home with vegetables, don’t worry about it.  Botanically speaking, you’re using a bunch of fruit; and there’s certainly nothing strange about that!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: Arbors, enclosed gazebo, Garden Bridges, garden structures, gazebo, Gazebos, outdoor accent tables, outdoor decor, patio chairs, Pergolas, picnic table benches, Planters, trellises