I didn’t feel like attempting my usual vase today, so instead, I thought I’d make a harvest wreath from things in my yard and land, along with a few bought items. I’m pleased with how it came out and it looks nice against the rustic barn boards of the woodshed.
I started by going to the river and collecting young, wild grapevines to weave into a base, which you can hardly see, as it is mostly covered.
I used fresh sage from the garden and drops from the wild Baldwin apple tree west of the house. There was a nice crop this year and they are sweet and flavorful. I will collect the good ones and store them in the garage to feed the birds come January. Robins, cedar waxwings and bluebirds love them.
Dried magnolia leaves left over from my birthday bouquet have delightful, cinnamon-colored, felted backs that begged to be repurposed.
Glycerine-treated oak leaves add a touch of gold and I included a few rusty ones I picked up in the yard as well.
A few milkweed pods from a swamp milkweed that self-sowed into a crack next to the garage were salvaged before the winter snows crushed them.
The final touch was a burlap bow.
Happy Autumn to you!
Beyond foliage as the main attraction, seeds bring a lot of interest to the autumn garden. The slender pods of milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) have opened and their silky parachutes are slowly teased out and borne away by the wind. I struggle to express with simple words my love of the delicate beauty of this plant. Perhaps this is where a picture truly is worth a thousand words!
Looking pagoda-like, hosta (H. sieboldiana) seed heads have split open, revealing satiny, blue-black, winged samaras. When examined up close, they are quite beautiful.
Another sweet seed head is the brown fuzzy-bear of common groundsel (Ligularia dentata). A gift from a gardening friend last year, I cut it back early while this year I didn’t, so I was delighted when I saw its fat, 1″ brown tufts. I guess being a lazy gardener has its perks!
