Fall-Ready Front Porch
Pretty pumpkins plus practical plants equal a gorgeous autumn display!
We love, love, love fall here on the farm! The temps in Middle Georgia are finally starting to drop, and I am ready to get my porch in seasonal shape. I really enjoy decorating my front door and porch for fall, and then making small holiday tweaks when Halloween and Thanksgiving roll around. Today, I want to give you some inspiration for your fall porch decor. Don’t take this as an exact recipe, but more of an idea of what ingredients go best together. Use what you have and what is local to your area and climate. I found most of my plants at my local Home Depot! Support your small-town hardware store or nursery if you can, and purchase plants that thrive in your zone.
This is my favorite time of year: Fall is in full swing, and I am ready to decorate—especially with nighttime temperatures finally dipping into the 60s here at the farm! A fabulous fall porch display is a great way to greet the season—and your guests!—and I have some easy ideas for you to transform your entryway with a look that will last through Thanksgiving!
First, invest in large-scale copper pots! I truly believe this is where you need to invest in your container gardens. People often choose to skimp on containers, but it’s an investment that really matters. These containers are eye-catching pieces and can be used over and over again for years to come! I found mine at Scott’s Antiques in Atlanta, and I use them year-round. If you can’t find true copper pots, using Rust-Oleum copper spray paint on other metal pots works great, too. You can also use large baskets or other planters—whatever matches your space best.
Of course, a key element of fall decor is pumpkins, and I have some simple tips to keep your pumpkins and decorative gourds free from mildew and rot all season long. Let’s get started!
Let the list above serve as a guide for a few fall options that thrive in cooler weather and even survive mild frosts! All of them can be planted in your yard later on to enjoy all winter long. Any young trees with colorful branches work well, like maple or crepe myrtle, or you can even cut large branches off an existing tree. Water everything very well before putting it all together so the soil is moist, and continue to water throughout the season. (Also make sure there is a hole in your container for drainage!) This project is a classic stuff-and-shove—you won’t even remove any plants from their plastic containers. How easy is that?!
I started with the tree, then added lambs ear, cabbages, and kale in a triangle arrangement. Then, layer the other plants and grasses on top, like carex and antherium. Tip: I try to always use gallon-size plants. You know my motto is “go big or go home!” I added one of my favorite wicker baskets in front of the pot, placing it on its side as a spilled-over cornucopia of pumpkins, bittersweet vine, additional plants, and dried oranges and limes. I used both real and faux pumpkins to combine lots of colors and textures. (Sprinkling in a few faux pumpkins among the real ones is also a great way to save money—you can use them year after year.)
For your real pumpkins, I have a few easy ways to keep them fresh from now till it’s time to trade them out for garland and Christmas wreaths!
First, pick out pumpkins that are firm and free of bruises and blemishes. Then, soak all pumpkins in a bleach-and-water solution, using 1-2 teaspoons of bleach per gallon of water. Leave them overnight, then rinse. Allow them to dry, then wipe a thin layer of petroleum jelly all over pumpkins. As an alternative to petroleum jelly, you can spray pumpkins with a coat of matte sealer! To maintain pumpkins, prepare a spray bottle with 10 parts water and 1 part bleach, and spritz pumpkins all over every two to three days.
