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The cooler temperatures of fall signal a change of season and an opportunity to add some fall décor to the landscape.
Garden centers are filled with fall favorites like pansies and mums, but you don’t need to stop there. Use straw bales to cover leggy perennials or mask unsightly foliage of powdery mildew infested beebalm or phlox. They also make nice stands for your potted mums and asters.
Use corn stalks and broom corn to frame an entryway or add vertical interest in the garden. Secure to a nearby post, tree trunk or sink a stake in the garden for support.
Set pumpkins and large ornamental squash in the garden amongst perennials or to cover fading summer annuals. One gardener allowed them to decompose in the garden and the next summer she had a great crop of bold leaves wandering through her perennials and squash of all sizes and colors brightening the fall garden.
A bit more information: Once fall has passed put your straw bales to work in the winter landscape. Set the bales around planters filled with tender plants as they can provide root insulation.
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