If I were looking for cool Halloween decorations or inspiration for breathtaking combinations of plants that shout “Fall is here,” I couldn’t have gone to a better place than Scarborough Gardens, the Scotts Valley nursery extraordinaire. Every vignette of plants along with the Halloween garden decor was more stunning than the last. I was mesmerized and wanted to take it all home. Jet showed me all the new perennials and shrubs arriving for fall planting. Lots of fun stuff including that classic of Halloween flowers, tall-stemmed marigolds.
I was in Central Mexico in the highlands of Chiapas many years ago during this celebration and was able to experience this tradition and enjoy the hundreds of marigolds growing around cottages, small businesses and churches.
The village of San Juan Chamula had dozens of greenhouses all growing marigolds. The Indian people use lots of these flowers as traditional decorations in religious ceremonies. They are also used extensively on the Day of the Dead, which follows Halloween. Every small house grows marigolds as well as maize, squash, fava beans and other edible greens.
It’s beginning to look like Halloween in my neighborhood with chrysanthemums and pumpkins on porches, skeletons and ghouls decorating front doors and posts on Facebook about tarantula sightings as the spiders go about their fall mating ritual. It’s the plants that get my attention though.
If you want to decorate for Halloween there is plenty of plant material you can harvest from your own garden or nearby woods. Manzanita branches can often be found on the ground and make great arrangements combined with nandina or other berries. Some of the trees have started to turn color and their leaves can also be used for wreaths. The leaves of New Zealand flax last a long time and add fall color in bouquets.
If you’re thinking of growing your own pumpkins next year, I see many varieties in the seed catalog of Renee’s Garden including heirlooms, carving and pie pumpkins and mini’s. She even carries the heirloom French “Cinderella’s Carriage.” This French heirloom pumpkin was very popular during the 1880s and is tasty in pies and savory dishes.
Many gardeners feel the Cinderella pumpkin is the very best pumpkin to grow in your garden. It’s the first to set fruit, first to ripen and is mildew resistant. Their bright orange creamy flesh is perfect for baking. Oven roasted they produce a pumpkin puree that is neither watery nor bitter. Delicious in pumpkin spice muffins, pumpkin soup or with vegetables and sausage. I even found a recipe for pumpkin mac n’ cheese baked in a pumpkin.
It’s time to bring in any plants that you plan to overwinter in the house. Whether they’re the houseplants that you put out on the patio for the summer or frost tender plants that you want to save, this is the time to bring them in and here’s why.
Although our nights are still above freezing, plants need to acclimate to the indoor environment before you start turning on the heater regularly. Be sure to wash them thoroughly and inspect them for any insects that may have taken up residence while they were vacationing outside. Usually you can dislodge any hitchhikers with a strong spray of water but if that doesn’t do the trick, spray them with a mild insecticidal soap or one of the other mild organic herbal sprays like oil of thyme.
Another tip: Fall is not a good time to prune. Wounds heal slowly, leaving them more susceptible to disease. As a general rule, don’t prune when leaves are falling or forming. Wait to prune most trees until late in the dormant season or late spring after leaves and needles form. To avoid sap flow on birches and maples, prune after leaves mature.
Jan Nelson, a landscape designer and California-certified nursery professional, will answer questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Email her at ja******@ao*.com, or visit jannelsonlandscapedesign.com.
