Foraging for Fall on the Potting Bench

Hello friends, hope you're having a lovely Fall weekend! Earlier in the week I shared my meager Fall Cottage Front Porch with a few fall accents, mums and pumpkins. So today I want to show how I foraged around my yard to put together a couple of floral arrangements gleaned from bushes and the last of the summer flower containers. I'm out on the covered patio out back with the Potting Bench.

The tree leaves really haven't started showing much color yet, except in the tops of the maples and of course the walnut trees start turning gold and losing their leaves in late August. But within the next few weeks, there will be an amazing change as the days get shorter. But here in the yard, the Hydrangea bushes have been a constant kaleidoscope of colors. The Oak Leaf Hydrangea is huge and is now showing gorgeous leaf color of orange, gold, and red, and the drying blooms are a lush shade of brown.

I chose two antique English ironstone pitchers and started with a base of Sedum Autumn Joy harvested from one of our landscape beds. I was afraid I'd let them go too long as they are now a muted brownish mauve, but they are still beautiful in a quiet sort of way. Then I added the Oak Leaf blooms and a few Hydrangea blooms in shades of mauve and purple from the Endless Summer bushes out front.

When we redid the landscaping out front we were able to salvage a few shrubs and bushes, and the two Hydrangea bushes along with a couple of conical evergreens made the cut. The Hydrangeas have rewarded me with large lush blooms and lots of color for lovely impromptu bouquets during the spring and summer.

When we had the cabinets replaced in the laundry room I snagged a few old drawers to use here on the potting bench lower shelf. They're pretty messy, but that's where I keep old clay pots and garden tools within easy reach.

I love to add seasonal accents to the potting bench shelves throughout the year.

I have a few mini pumpkins and leaves here for now. As more leaves start

making the change I'm sure some of them will end up here.

My Momma and Baby concrete rabbits live here on the table.

Momma's toes broke off years ago, but we attached them

with some kind of heavy duty adhesive and they've stayed put.

I keep her out of the elements though, and pamper her up here.

Speaking of critters on the potting bench,

I keep a bowl of seeds out for for the chippers.

They aren't as messy as the squirrels, as they just pack

them in and transport them back to their storage rooms.

Only they have to find them first, otherwise the squirrels get piggy.

My chippers have an early morning routine 

and the potting bench is one of their first stops.

The large galvanized bucket/container was my mother-in-laws,

and her mom's before. My mother-in-law used it for soaking laundry

and harvesting garden goods through the years.

When they transitioned to assisted living I grabbed what I could,

along with a few shovels and a pitchfork from the garden shed.

A few marigolds, lantana, and hydrangeas are mixed in the smaller ironstone pitcher. My flower containers are looking pretty brown and straggly, but I don't like to clean them out till all the butterflies are gone, or a frost. I thought the Monarchs were gone last week but we saw several this week while drinking morning coffee on the back porch covered patio. 

We had a wonderful last few days as our older daughter and her fiancé were able to come down for a quick visit this last Thursday and Friday. Our younger daughter and her husband, who live here in town, came by and joined us for take out Indian food dinner. It was the first time in almost two years that we'd seen our older daughter from St. Louis. It was very teary at first, but we laughed and caught up for hours. We had face-timed frequently, which made the time and distance easier. But it doesn't make up for missed hugs and kisses. Everyone had their vaccines, so I felt good about being protected.

Here's a post from last year's Potting Bench

Nature's Treasures from an RV Trip

Decorating with Fall Naturals

Au Naturel