OCTOBER: Fall Foliage, Phobias and Fun!

As days and nights turn cooler and foliage reveals it true colors of gold, orange and scarlet, October becomes our month to celebrate the beauty and rituals of autumn. Crisp, sun-filled days with blue skies become the background for rustling, tawny grasses, pincushion mums and the star-like, flowers of blue-purple asters.

As October fills our senses with the bittersweet beauty of fall, we welcome this harvest season with dried cornstalks and orange, red and white ghost pumpkins. And, the best is yet to come—Halloween—when the chilly, night breezes take on a ghostly presence and bare branches that scratch against a window pane can raise the hair on your neck. Fear and phobias always fuel the fun! Our word, ‘phobia’ comes from the Greek one meaning ‘fear.’ From chiroptophobia, (fear of bats) to arachnophobia (fear of spiders) to pantophobia (fear of everything), get prepared to enjoy a spirited, fall season.

Here are a few ideas to include in your Halloween hauntings:
1. Welcome to the Dark Side: Imagine sinister, black pumpkins nestled in between the orange ones? First, pick out an orange pumpkin. Prepare it for painting by washing and drying it well. Lay out plastic or newspaper to protect your workspace from overspray. Spray the pumpkin with a few, light coats of black, spray paint. Allow to dry completely and carve as usual. When the pumpkin is lit with wax candles or a battery-operated candle, the carvings will radiate with a warm, orange light.

2. In the Pink! For fall 2013, pink becomes the trendy color for mums. Pink tones combine well with tawny grasses, the chocolate-brown leaves of deer resistant, Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium rugosum) and purple or lavender-blue Asters. Light pink will glow among golden foliage in the twilight of autumn landscapes.

3. Blood-spattered ‘Zombie’ container: Kids need to turn on their imagination with this project! First of all, start off with a creepy, color palette: Trailing, black petunias or Sweet Potato vines ‘Blackie’; ghostly-white ornamental, peppers; white, mini pumpkins, black pansies and blood-red super bells (Calibrochoa). Add bare branches in the center of the arrangement. Cut up strips of fabric from old white, t-shirts or use strips of gauze. Spatter red food coloring onto fabric (fake blood). Allow to dry and wrap fabric strips around the pot—attach them with hot glue, if necessary. Make a container that is scary enough to ward off the walking dead on Halloween.

4. Dancing Skeleton Wreath: Find a grapevine or straw wreath to use as a base. Spray paint wreath with a coat or two of black spray paint so the white elements will stand out. Hot glue a scary, selection of small, plastic skeletons or other creepy items like spiders, bats or even fake eyeballs! (Available at most craft stores.) Weave in orange, bittersweet vines and complete your wreath with an orange or black, satin bow. Use your wicked sense of humor to create a wreath that could hang on the front door of the Addams Family estate!

5. Witches Brew: This idea is perfect for small or large autumn containers. Choose the appropriately-sized pot for three pumpkins that will be stacked on top of each other. First, place a large, red-orange Cinderella pumpkin on the bottom. Its shape is more squat and it’s easier to place another pumpkin on top. Next, place a smaller and squat blue-gray pumpkin on top of that. Lastly, carve a smaller, white ghost pumpkin. Place it as the topper. For the finale, wrap black lace or tulle netting around the pot and secure it with a black, satin ribbon. (Both are available at most fabric stores.) Light the top pumpkin at twilight to welcome trick or treaters!

For more gardening information, visit www.pasquesi.com