You know this little online diary of ours is all about keeping you posted on the little stuff along with the big (and the bad and the ugly along with the good). So file this under small but good. Remember our little petunia-fied mailbox? Well, it went from this in June…
…to this in August…
…to this in October:
Womp- womppppp.
The petunias were annuals so they weren’t gonna last forever. And between rain washing out a lot of the mulch and the flowers thinning to a scraggly looking vine mess… yeah, it was ugly. But wait, we’ll get to the “good” in a minute.
Fortunately I was able to pull them out with virtually no effort. Note: Some of these pics were taken before we removed/transplanted a bunch of bushes here – you’ll see why we waited to post about this a few photos down)
We had actually just received a Home Depot coupon in the mail for “Buy 2 Mums, Get 1 Free” (we signed up for some free garden club a few years back so we get random coupons every once in a while). Sadly we didn’t get that coupon before purchasing our porch mums a few weeks back, but oh well – we decided to put it to good use in another place. The mailbox o’ tumbleweeds. So $14 later we had three sunny yellow mums out front. And yes, Sir Squirrel is chilling out right in the middle of them (more on him here).
Even though the mums are perennials, we’re so happy with how the petunias filled in the space over the summer that we’ll probably plop some of those back in come springtime (and just transplant these guys so we can enjoy them somewhere else). But we’re loving the autumn look for now.
What weren’t we loving? The washing out problem that we’d been battling after every big rain. See the weed blocking fabric that’s completely exposed next to the drainage grate on the right? In the words of my wife: reeeeal claaaassy.
The drain worked well most of the time, but heavy rains overload it and, well, you get the idea. So I borrowed some stones leftover from the patio project (they used to line those rows of liriope that we removed here) to build a little stacked stone wall beside the mum-bed. Things are looking up, right?
We have since had two big rains (we waited to post about it to be sure it wasn’t an epic fail) and we’re happy to report that it kept the water from whisking away the dirt with it. So… victory!
It doesn’t look half bad if you ask me. Although of course those mums could use some filling in, sort of like our petunias back when we planted those. Heck, now that we have the little stacked stone wall, maybe we’ll add more plants to really fill it up come spring. And hopefully we’ll straighten and paint the wooden mailbox post then too.
Did anyone else do any quick outdoor updates for fall? Were they mum related? Or stone related? Or ceramic squirrel related?
Oh and Sherry promised more pics of the feather wreath that some of you noticed from afar on the door in this post, so here we go. It’s just an old black feather wreath from JoAnn (picked up after last Halloween on super clearance- maybe it was $8?). Sherry lazily placed it over the door knocker (didn’t even bother hanging it) and called it a day. That’s my girl.
Sherry also meant to toss the three remaining black spiders that we had (from this post) into the yellow mums for more black-on-yellow action before snapping these pics but completely forgot. But she was sure to do that before those cute little trick or treaters came a-knocking yesterday evening. The ones who noticed seemed to love spiders as much as Clara (more on that here). So yeah. Good times going on at the mailbox and the front door. Although we could definitely use a new doormat (or at least a new stenciled paint job over our current one). How about you?
Psst- You can check out how we painted our front door yellow here and ORBed the handle & doorknocker here.
did you get a lot of trick-or-treaters?
[and did any of the parents recognize you..]
Yes! We got a bunch! But none of the parents said anything! Haha. Probably were distracted by the barking dog and the cute monkey baby in the background!
xo,
s
I love the mums! I love the little rock wall. And the cherry yellow door and the festive feather wreath.
….but I must say, your welcome mat is looking a little sad. :/
Agreed! That guy has got to go. Might stencil over him though- you know we love to work with what we have!
xo,
s
I love little posts like these. Can’t wait to see what you do to the mailbox post.
Aw thanks Melanie, you’re sweet! We always like sharing the small stuff too. It’s not all major demo going on over here- haha.
xo,
s
Love the flowers!! So inviting. I tend to kill everything, so right now are pots are filled with nothing but dirt. Fail.
Much love,
Future Mama
http://expectingablessing.blogspot.com/
I love those flowers too! I’ve been dragging my feet on buying them this year! I think this weekend if any are left I’ll scoop em up but I’m with Future Mama! I feel your pain – all pots no plants just pots of dirt.
Hey on the bright side maybe we can start a new “Minimalist” Plant Movement! haha
I love little updates. A lot of people feel like they have to focus so much on the bigger ones, but the little ones are just as rewarding sometimes :-)
Yeah, we just figure since we started this whole blog 4+ years ago we’ve talked about everything – from the big juicy stuff to the small everyday stuff. Our only rule is that if we feel like sharing something – no matter how big or small or how much of a failure it was – we do. And you know we’re chronic over-sharers! Haha. So we pretty much share everything.
xo,
s
Haven’t had a chance to really look at it yet (I should probably do some work at work today, right?), but I saw that you guys are in Emily Henderson’s Holiday Guide – Yay! Can’t wait to read it! Will we get any extra details on that over here?
Aw thanks Rosie! It was just a tiny stint (they asked us our five favorite kid toys so we sent over a list with links). Wish there were more behind the scenes stuff but it was really simple so that’s the whole story. Haha.
xo,
s
I kept holding my breath waiting for another Spidermum episode!
Haha- we haven’t seen Charlotte for a while! She was in the planter on the right but may have scooted off because of the cold?
xo,
s
Did you know that you can have your mums and your petunia’s too? :) I have had our mum’s in the exact same spot for the last 3 years. I let them ‘die off’ over the winter – in the fall, I don’t do a thing to them – like literally just leave them alone. In the spring, I come back and pull all of the dead/dry parts of the bush off so it looks like I pretty much have nothing.
At that time, I fill in the flower bed with petunia’s and what ever other annual I am feeling the love for at the time. As the summer progresses, my mum’s start coming back and look like bushes. The kind of grow up in the middle of everything else that has filled in. It adds a little more greenery to the flower bed. Then, at the end of the summer, I just pull out the annuals and wait for my bushes of mums to bloom.
I don’t know if that is how everyone else does it – but 3 years ago, we bought these small plants (I think they were like $.47 each on sale) and planted them. They were pretty small that first year – like the size of your petunia’s to begin with. Last year, they came back so huge, it looked like my entire flower bed was giant hedges. This year, they came back pretty big (minus the ones that my husband accidentally tossed away) but they got strangled a bit by the extra annuals he planted to make up for his boo-boo so they weren’t as lush as last year but they were still pretty. They have been the best $.47 each investment ever!
Love that tip!!!! Might just have to give it a try and report back about how it goes!
xo,
s
I am about to plant some mums too and my nana said to cut them back until July and then to just let them go and they will be pretty green bushes until they bloom. Love nana’s and their gardening knowledge! I have a green thumb (I have no idea how either!) but have always just done annuals because I have commitment problems and wanted to wait until the fence was built before I did any real landscaping. Just planted my spring bulbs too!
I do the same thing! I actually planted spring and summer bulbs (perennials) around my mums, so I get three seasons of awesome for the cost of no yearly effort. Daffodils in the spring, Gladiolus in the summer, and Mums in the fall. Four seasons if you count the dried forms of the mums that stay through the winter. It’s best to not pull off the dead parts until you notice greenery growing in from the bottom in the spring.
Hope you guys have good luck with them! They look so cute under the mailbox, and the yellow ties right into your front door color. Mine are four years strong. They don’t call them “Hardy Mums” for nothing!
Love the mums! They’re so fall like and happy. Glad you got lucky trick or treat’ers. It’s my first year in a real house in a real neighborhood so I did the grown up thing and got candy and luckily we got some kids! Oh and a few grown ups too. Anyone else? Yes middle aged women with no children not dressed up came by – I reluctantly gave them candy. Wasn’t sure if they were homeless or just sugar hungry (or greedy).
Wow, I think I’d hang a sign next year that says “Silly parents, treats are for KIDS!”
I just bought the same exact mums at the same exact place. I love how that yellow pops against our house! So festive this time of year.
Love the yellow mum. We have one hanging by our door, it has done ok but the one that we gave our neighbor to thank them for always being our mail checkers. WOW that thing is HUGE :)
On the bug front, we are home to a Praying Mantis! (sp) But the snow we just got up here in Boston may have caused him to say his or her last prayer. hehee
Aw man- poor little guy! We saw one of those on a walk about a week ago and Clara was enamored! Kept trying to pet him but we held her back! Haha.
xo,
s
Mums are so cheerful! Here’s my fun fall outdoor project for our porch: http://flic.kr/p/askFmH
Cute!
xo,
s
I love the small posts, too. :)
Nice anti-erosion solution with the stacked stones. They look great, along with the gorgeous new mums. Just so you know, mums divide really well, so you can “spread the wealth” with other areas of your yard without having to actually remove these, if you don’t want to.
Never knew that! Thanks for the tip Cindy!
xo,
s
So, this will sound a bit creepy, I’m sure. But, I had a dream about you guys last night. You were at the improv theater where I perform, and I saw you and told you that I read your blog and asked if you were going to stay for the show. You said that you were, and then I found out that I wasn’t even in the show that night. Weird, I know. That being said, if you are ever in downtown Orlando, be sure to come out and catch a show at SAK Comedy Lab. I may or may not be performing ;-).
Haha- sounds like fun!
xo,
s
loving all the yellow going on around YHL lately :)
Love the Mail Box spruce up! You should totally paint mailbox a snazzy colour rather than the norm. Would look lovely red! :)
I love the feather wreath! it looks eery!
We didn’t get any trick or treaters as they cant get into our block of apartments! haha
We watched the Shrek and Monsters VS Aliens Halloween dvd’s because its ok for a 30 year old and a 24year old to do this whilst eating sooooo many sweets you feel sick right?! haha
Haha, sounds like a good way to spend Halloween to me!
xo,
s
I have never had mums survive. I always assumed they were annuals. Maybe here in NY they just can’t survive the winter.
I took in my begonias and little tiny potted pine tree and potted junipers before the snow storm came. I think I may try to keep the begonias alive over the winter. They are so pretty, why let them die?
LOVE my black feather wreathe that we have, but sadly I don’t put it outside because we have no overhang. I don’t want to ruin it. I put it on the wall next to our door on the inside. Still looks great. :) The front door has a glowing skeleton on it. I hate to take him down now that Halloween is done!
Maybe mums only live if they’re planted in the ground and not in pots (since they are exposed a bit more in pots)? Either that or it’s one of those location differences since NY has more deep freezes!
xo,
s
I am looking through comments to see if I can figure out why my Mum isn’t looking good either. I live in SC so I would think it’s not weather related. I haven’t taken it out of the pot so that has to be it. I wanted to make sure it was worth the effort and would revive itself before I went to all that trouble!
I love the mums on your porch, but they make me think of your huge spider.
I guess being creeped out is pretty appropriate for the season.
Haha- tis the season!
xo,
s
I never thought I was a big yellow person, but your door is really making me re-think that statement. I just love how cheerful it is. The outside of your home is really coming together!!! :)
I agree Ashley! I’m NOT a yellow girl AT ALL! For some strange reason the last few months yellows all shades have been my thing! Maybe it’s like foods – yellow is an aquired taste!
I think it looks great! Love the sunny, yellow mums! I made a feather wreath similar to yours, just took 2 black feather boas and wrapped it around a metal wreath form (or any type of metal form). The boas were actually leftover Halloween costumes so it was free!
Love it! Free = awesome.
xo,
s
I meant any type of wreath form, not metal form!
Gotcha!
xo,
s
Good News! The Home Depot garden club is still in full effect. Just signed up. I want some free plants!
So glad!
xo,
s
This isn’t ceramic squirrel related, just plain old squirrel related. This is a youtube video of our pet squirrel that we raised from being a motherless baby to a fully independent, runs-around-the-backyard squirrel.
Would love to see it! No link!
xo,
s
This might be the cutest video, ever! Thanks for making my day! Our one cat Dixie is very small and looks kind of like a squirrel, so I have a special affinity to all squirrels and squirrel-like kitties! :-)
Oh, it’s so cute!!
That is totally cute!
Love, love , love the yellow flowers!
I just bought the same feather wreath at Michael’s with a trusty 40% off coupon! I love it :) I also painted our pumpkins black and used white puff paint to decorate…the trick or treaters were more interested in our black pumpkins than the candy…thanks for the idea last year!
Aw, so glad they liked it!
xo,
s
It seems to me as though you wouldn’t need any additional spiders given your original mum post. I’m not joking when I tell you I had a nightmare the night after I read that post featuring hundreds of “Charlottes”. {shudder}
Aw man! So sorry to give you nightmares! We haven’t seen Charlotte in a while (it has been pretty cold so maybe she moseyed off to find someplace warmer?
xo,
s
I personally love the lazily hung door wreath!! Here’s dual purposed already attached items!! I am loving the yellow too!
Love all of it! The stone looks fantastic! And the yellow is so great! Lowes had the BIGGEST pots of mums this year got one for my front porch..by my yellow door of course! Happy Fall!!
Also…this may be an over share BUT our home projects have been totally in sync (not to be confused with NSync…you know you went there.. ;) lately….we finish one and I report to the husband “YOU WILL NEVER GUESS WHAT YHL JUST DID TOO!” makes me feel famous! For the record…THAT cork was my vote for our kitchen floor too! It may have been vetoed by my husband (too dark for his approval..Crazy) but I still love it! Cant wait to see it in your kitchen! Love it!
I’ll echo the sentiment already shared above: I love the little posts. We’re not in a place to start major overhauls yet here at the Little House, so we really appreciate the small changes with big impact!
You probably already know this, but you can actually get mums to bloom twice a year. My mom taught me, to cut them back to just a few inches after the fall bloom. If you keep them in a warm place, garage, basement, and water them once a month, they will actually bloom in the Spring. I usually do not plant mine in the ground, so I can get a Spring bloom out of them. I had some that actually lasted for several years. Then forgot to water them, or was out of town and they died. Just a little tip, if you didn’t already know. ;-) Love those yellow mums from Home Depot.
Never knew that!
xo,
s
I see what you did there… it’s a pun
: D
Haha, you know it.
xo,
s
Has your resident REAL black and yellow spider returned?
Not yet, thank goodness!
-John
Ack!The environmentalist in me is FREAKING OUT about the fact that you have a drain IN YOUR YARD! I’m super impressed by your little retaining wall though, it’s pretty AND functional. Have you thought about putting in a rain garden around that drain, to supplement your rain barrels?
That’s a city drain (we don’t have curbs here so all yards in our neighborhood have a drainage ditch with a drain like that out front). We can’t tamper with the water since it’s technically city property and it would mess with the whole runoff flow of our block, but we have a rain barrel on the side yard off of our gutters (which is thankfully allowed).
xo,
s
now is the time to plant bulbs that will come up in the spring! imagine cheery tulips surrounding the mums (which will likely look like green bushes this spring)! would be so cute. i love to plant bulbs in the fall, it’s so much fun to see them break ground as winter finally turns into spring.
Hey, we did that (or similar, anyway) a while back!
No need to transplant your mums! You can just cut them back in the spring when you plant the petunias. They’ll spread, too, so if you WANT to transplant them, two plants will look like four plants in a few seasons.
Love the mums. Would love to hear an update post on the ORB painted door hardware. I want to do it, but fear that it won’t hold up, and then have to hear the hubby continually whine that we should have just kept the satin nickel :)
Update: still in mint condition. Not a mark or a scratch on them… but who knows how they’ll do over more time! Will keep you posted if anything cracks or peels!
xo,
s
i would recommend a rubber doormat for the front door. I recently made the change from what you have now to a rubber doormat from $20 from Lowes. It’s durable, doesnt fall apart and bring in your falling apart dooramt into your home and for sure wont blow away because its significantly heavier.
Cant wait to see what you choose. I just know I love mine!
Has the real spider vacated the premises?
Ha! Yes, fortunately he hasn’t been spotted again.
-John
Wonder if that is a good thing or a bad thing “GEEE”
Haha, I worry about little Charlotte! Hope she’s warm enough (maybe she’s in the mums up by the mailbox now- they get more sun).
xo,
s
We made this doormat a few weeks ago:
http://www.marthastewart.com/273011/wooden-doormat?xsc=eml_crd_2009_07_27
Easy peasy and looks great! I painted the slats red, orange, yellow, cream, and dark green…
Love that!!!
xo,
s
ha….I was all prepared for a post about your female mail lady (which ours is, and a great one!) but love these “mailmums” too!
Love the stones, it really finishes the area off. The functionality is nice too!
I love how clean it looks but be careful of the bee’s in springtime. Flowers so close to the door and mailbox could be asking for trouble. At lest in my area it would be.
you’re a real inspiration to me.. even with little things you share. AMAZING!
It must be nice living somewhere where you can plant mums in late October/November and expect them to look pretty for longer than a day! Not the case here in Montana! The snow is already flying here.
I enjoy the little posts so much :) The new mums look great!
Apropos of nothing – you kids got me hooked on Dexter {thankyouverymuch} and I just finished season 4. I died! I cried my eyes out! Did you have a strong reaction as well? {Trying not to spoil anything for other viewers} Season 5 arrives tomorrow on Netflix – booyah!
Yes! Most intense cliff hanger of all time. So sad!
xo,
s
That looks so nice and fall-festive. Just a note about the mums and wanting petunias in the summer. I have mums planted everywhere and fill same area with the petunias. The petunias grow right over them (even in pots) and you don’t have to pull the mums out. As soon as the petunias have lost their lovely, just rip ’em out and that is just about the time the mums start getting tiny buds. As you know, they are perennials and will just come right back every year! Thought I’d throw that out there for ya! p.s. Lovin’ the kitchen!
You’re the second person to teach me that trick! Love it!
xo,
s
Love the mums! I have 9 in my front garden bed planted in spring 2010. They got so big this year and some fell down (wop, wop). I learned a tip at the local garden center – give them two haircuts before 4th of July, then leave them alone. Hopefully next Fall I will have upright mums!
Haha- I love that tip!
xo,
s
wow! the mums look great there, and it’s such a curb appeal factor. one of the first things people will see when they drive past your house! and your front door is looking hot.
the only yardwork i’ve done this fall is shown here:
http://238windsor.blogspot.com/2011/10/yardwork.html
yeah. i ended up with 16 bags of leaves, then cried, then made my husband mulch the rest with the mower. lol.
Woah! That’s a lotta leaves! I’m dreading doing ours!
xo,
s
Cute cute. And nice work with the retaining stones.
Free advice is worth what you pay for it ;), but I say, keep the mums where they are and just plant around them in the sping. Perennials are nice like that. Have you heard of the perennial called “Heather”? It’s semi-evergreen here in UT, so I’m sure it’d do great in VA. And it has cute little flowers in white or light pink in the winter. (At least the varieties here come in those colors.) Just hinking of some sort of small evergreen something for you to put there. :)
Love that idea! And heather sounds so pretty.
xo,
s