If you havent taken the time to just stop and admire the fall beauty that is surrounding us, you are really missing out! The trees have been most striking to me this year, but I have also noticed some shrubs and even native grass species really showing off their fall colors. The city of Fort Scott has some of the prettiest maple trees that I have seen in the area.
Even though I can appreciate the change of season and its beauty, at the same time Ill admit that fall can be a bit depressing for me as well. All but a few annual and perennial flowers are on their last leg so to speak. Im sure Im not alone in my feelings because for any plant lover its kind of a sad time of year to see the once-beautiful flower pots filled with flowers now bare and lonely looking.
But we really shouldnt be sad because Mother Nature has just given us a different role and other things to admire. Fall produces some warm, spicy colors and plants produce some interesting seed heads, pots, nuts and berries. Some of these items found in the fall can be put to use and add to your homes outdoor décor.
For example, consider using a combination of living and harvested plant materials to extend the growing season well beyond natures deadline. Flower pots can be left out and filled with natures own plant material to make for a dramatic focal point throughout the winter months.
Plant containers can serve as an arrangement medium for holding sticks, stalks, stones and/or late-season fruits. All kinds of fall findings can bring additional textures to an arrangement. Examples include fall foliages, starkly bare branches, cattails, ornamental grass plumes, smooth-shelled nuts, evergreen cuttings, and flower-like seed heads. Mini pumpkins wont last too long after freezing, but colorful gourds can sometimes last for months in an outdoor display.
Gardeners often forget that the frost-proof plants used to brighten early spring can also help create a fall display in some years living on well into December. Pansies and ornamental kale, can be a striking contrast for autumns changing leaf colors and can remain attractive after the trees are bare.
As Christmas approaches, you can change out the pots and use some red-twigged dogwood branches, pine tips for the berries and evergreen cuttings. And if your imagination runs even more, you can light things up with a small spotlight or string of mini lights.
Containers need to be sealed or otherwise waterproof so they can survive the worst of winters freeze-thaw cycles. Sometimes the winters can crack or chip an urn made of concrete if its unsealed and gets wet. Check your pots to make certain they are sealed or waterproofed.
So before you store your pots away for the winter, be creative and scavenge around for some of Mother Natures finest pieces of work and let your imagination go to work!
Krista Harding is a K-State Research and Extension agent assigned to Southwind District. Contact her at kharding@ksu.edu or 620-244-3826.
