Unlike my husband and most of my friends, I like Halloween. I usually decorate in advance of the holiday but I couldn't work up the enthusiasm to do that this year. Part of that may be a reaction to our looming midterm elections - the political climate provides more than enough in the way of horror. Our neighborhood has also been light on kids prowling in search of treats for all the years we've lived here. The largest number of trick-or-treaters we've had in any year since we moved in almost twelve years ago was four, three of whom came as a group. One year we had just two teenage girls without costumes, which was simply annoying.
My garden is in transition. I've torn out almost everything in my cutting garden and have begun prepping the raised planters for cool-season flowers. I cut what was left for a single floral arrangement.
![]() |
| The Dahlia 'Lavender Ruffles' tuber I planted in late May finally produced its first 2 blooms(!). The other 'Lavender Ruffles' planted in a barrel added 3 more. I included the final bloom of Dahlia 'Mikayla Miranda'. Although it's very pretty, it's delivered only 3 blooms in total over the course of the season so I probably won't keep it. |
![]() |
| Back view |
![]() |
| Top view |
![]() |
| Clcokwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Lavender Ruffles', D. 'Mikayla Miranda', Pelargonium peltatum 'White Blizzard', Polygala fruticosa, and Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata' |
![]() |
| The arrangement earned pride of place on the dining room table |
Even pumpkins seem to be in short supply this year and surprisingly pricey as well, although waiting until late last week to look for one may have contributed to that impression. I picked up one relatively small pumpkin on a trip to the garden center on Friday.
![]() |
| This "fairy tale" pumpkin is a little less than 7 inches in diameter but cost $6.99. As a nod to the start of the fall season, I decided to dress it up with berries and succulent cuttings from my garden. |
![]() |
| Reverse side |
![]() |
| Top view |
![]() |
| Clockwise from the upper left: Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi', noID Cotoneaster berries, Crassula 'Money Maker', and a mix of Graptosedum (possibly 'Darley Sunshine') , Crassula pubescens 'Small Red', and berries of Auranticarpa rhombifolium, all glued onto a mat of sphagnum moss |
For the record, few of my neighbors appear to decorate for Halloween. Of the homes I can see from the street that runs through our neighborhood, only four have outdoor displays.
![]() |
This is the most prominent one
|
However, more families with children have moved into the neighborhood during the last two years and, with the pandemic at least partially under control due to vaccines, perhaps we'll have more children knock on the door this year. I'm going to pick up a bag of candy today just in case. I'll leave whatever is left on the curb for neighborhood walkers on Tuesday if trick-or-treating traffic remains low.
![]() |
| In a final effort to get a little of the Halloween spirit, I added 3 skeleton rats to the pumpkin display in our entry way (My husband has pointed out that rats don't have ear-shaped skeletons...) |
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2022by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
