Late Summer on the Front Porch

Who out there is ready for Fall? Can't you just hear the cicadas buzzing and feel the crisp, sunny Indian Summer days? Don't get me wrong...I'm definitely a summer girl at heart. But about this time each year, even I am ready to turn the calendar page over into September and enjoy all that the season brings.

Usually, I wait until about Labor Day to transition the seasonal décor around our house. But I was getting a little tired of the summer wreath and pillow on the front porch (see my summer look here) and was ready for something different.

By adding a throw in a soft shade of orange and textural pillows, the promise of cooler days awaits.

Cuttings of orange zinnias, burgundy coleus, Autumn Joy sedum, and penstemon spires from our back yard add a jolt of gorgeous color here. In person, this arrangement is almost neon in appearance :) Along with an iron finial and small zebra box, they form a simple and pretty vignette.

As you can see, the potted annuals filled in nicely over the past few months. Because I have more of a brown thumb than green, I stick with no-fail plants such as coleus, asparagus fern, and dusty miller. This area gets some indirect sun during the day, but not enough for many annuals; so I tend to repeat a lot of the same plants year after year. This summer, I did try my hand at some begonias out here. They did well and added some nice color.

I switched out my favorite Buddha head statue for a basket of hydrangeas, which will dry nicely and turn from white to green and then to autumnal shades of cream and rust. The black weathered shutter and green metal artichoke sculpture will remain in place until the snow starts to fly (ugh!)

I tried a new camera angle here and was kind-of dangling over the porch railing, haha. But I do like the photo from this perspective...hooray for stretching myself in photography skills...figuratively and literally!

This wreath is a simple twig style, with added faux bittersweet, pinecones, and greenery picks. A wispy design is always my favorite - it looks as though I went out foraging through a thicket ;)

The temperatures are beginning to cool here in the Midwest, and the humidity is lower. Shorter days are a reminder that Fall is right around the corner. Enjoy these final weeks of summer, Friends!

Julie



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