I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Thursday, October 14, 2021

Fall Harvest Our Annual Pumpkin Patch Day Out


Good afternoon, friends! Oh it is hot! 


Must be 90* out on my deck, so Mo and I finally came in to cool off and write this post. I was going to say, "what a gorgeous Indian summer day!"...but then I wondered Is that okay to say? Google weighs in  : "The AMS [American Studies?] says using the phrase is discouraged and claims that it is disrespectful of Native American people. In its place, the AMS chose Second summer – another phrase used to express an unseasonably warm and dry period in autumn in mainly temperate climates of North America.Nov 13, 2020   " Huh. Sigh....

The other day my friend and I went to my favorite garden center, as we always do as each season rolls around.

This is the old farmhouse core of the nursery/ shop.



This year the front porch is rather dark, both in theme and color.


But everywhere else was beautifully flamboyantly colorful, just like I love! The entry is filled with fall bedding flowers and preplanted pots.






New neon yellow mums.


Celosia or coxcomb.











A different version of celosia, like an ornametal grass:


Coxcombe has really become beautiful in recent years.

The inspiration for my Thanksgiving  Welcome small quilt.





This nursery prides itself on its pansies. Winter pansies do very welt in this seaside climate and are much loved, a popular late autumn choice.








Next we walk into the big airy display area. Fall bulbs and fresh cider, locally made.








Pumpkins galore to make my heart sing.






Ornamental corn, have not seen this in years. I always like it.














The Big Max giant pumpkin contest is always fun.




I wanted stripey pumpkins this year but they were far out of my budget,











The mums were beautiful and I did treat myself to two pots this year. Size of small shrubs. One for my deck and the other, along with a classic orange pumpkin for my entrance door, plus a few baby jacks..


On through to the pumpkin patch! Smaller and subdued this year. My friend wasn't allowing me a lot of time, so I didn't get to visit and pet the goats and feed the ornamental chickens. 








Many pumpkins though, in their perfection of orange, like my quilts I so love.


.....

Afterward we stopped in the health food store for an array of supplements to bolster our immune systems. Their flowers never disappoint, if only to admire from afar.

fall hyacinths.



fancy color fall tulips


Roses and hydrangeas with fall grasses.


Sea holly?

Pincushion lily! Blog friend Penny says they are grown near her home in South Africa. She posted very similar beauties on IG.


Back home, here are my little baby jacks, in my old big bowl.

 
I added the herbal sachet pillows for color and fun. They are filled with lavender, sage, mint, dried rosemary, cedar and cinnamon apple oil. 


I hope you will take the time to buy some mums and choose a pumpkin! Even if jackolantern carving is not your thing, the fruits and flowers add a luscious touch to Autumn, and stay fresh through Thanksgiving.



love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....
























7 comments:

  1. It's so hard to keep up with who's offended about which names.... I thought Indian summer was the warm spell that came after the first frost. (And I notice Google still has responses to the query "Indian summer" so it must not be completely taboo.
    Your garden center is charming and inviting. I love to see all the pumpkins and Indian corn. Your little jacks look great with your sachet pillows.

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  2. What a wonderful garden center. And your coxcombe in wool - so pretty. Love the display you have in your big old bowl, and the bowl itself!!

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  3. You have a super Garden Center to wander through--thanks for the trip alongside you;))
    On my ride out with Tom, a couple days ago, I we saw the marshes beginning to change colors: many golds, a few russets and tinges of reds--so beautiful against the blue waters...
    I have a little ceramic pumpkin that "comes out to play" this time of year...and a couple little table toppers...
    Happy to hear you enjoyed this beautiful weather...hugs Julierose

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  4. Your photos are inspiring as always. So much beautiful color in those coxcombs. I love your little Thanksgiving coxcombs too, and those herbal fall pillows are adorable with the tiny pumpkins. We always knew Indian Summer as the sunny clear warmish days of late October or early November that follow the first hard freeze. Indian corn is plentiful around here, at the farm stand we visit they're 3 ears for $2. The large orange pie pumpkins we bought were 2 for $1.00, all the winter squash varieties priced the same. We tried growing our own Indian corn from last year's kernels but it appears they will not be as colorful as the original ears. Though the huge 12 foot high stalks are still green so possibly they aren't mature yet. Time or a freeze will tell.

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  5. I used to not like cockscomb much, but now the velvety flowers appeal to me. Your day at the pumpkin patch/nursery looks like so much fun! I'm not big into decorating but I like seeing what other people do, lol. And you always find such cool stuff! Our little grocery store had 'Indian Corn' ornamental corn, but they had miniature kind, the cobs were only about 4" long! I thought they were really cute but have no idea what I'd do with it... Thanks for sharing your day out with us!

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  6. It looks like a wonderful trip to my favorite nursery! I feel like I was right along for the fun. Living in Montana, we don't call it Indian summer is because that term is offensive to our Native American people. I know a lot of us are old school but in this regard, this change is for the good. 😊 Kit

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  7. I like the term Second Summer. That'll be easy to adjust to. Thanks for that info.

    Soooo many pretty pumpkins! The smalls are so little, they don't appear real! The pinkish pansies are wonderful.

    Your little sachets turned out cute. I bet the aroma is wonferful.

    I need new glasses, haha. What am I looking at on the wooden spool?

    Thanks for sharing!

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