October is always a fun time of the year. Fall festivals are in full swing, the leaves are changing, the weather is more cooperative for gardening, and of course there’s Halloween. We don’t typically decorate much around here for Halloween. Part of it is the difficulty of managing a whole lot of decorating with four kids running around and all of their activities. The other part of it is that Halloween tends to be a little more frightening for young children like ours. They love to dress up but their taste right now is more into the superhero and fairies than in scary Halloween creatures. This year we added a little something for Halloween in the garden, just a little. Nothing too scary, and it even seems a bit friendly and welcoming when driving home at night! Lowe’s Creative Ideas sponsored our Halloween decor this year.
Meet our friendly neighborhood mailbox garden ghost! This little light-up ghost was made from a set of solar spotlights and a simple painters dropcloth. I used a “U” post to hold him upright, a bunched up ball of plastic bags to round out the head and a bamboo stake to give him a little width. Not too scary at all and cost less than $35 to put together.
In addition to the garden ghost I added in some daytime decorations. What could be more seasonal this time of year than pumpkins? Not much! Why not throw in some mums, coreopsis, and kale with the ghostly white of a few Dusty Miller and plant them in my old wheelbarrow planter? Here’s how it looks!
I love the contrast between the dark colored kale and the Dusty Miller. The pumpkins will eventually be carved and maybe loaded with a few tea lights for Halloween night.
It’s a simple way to dress up the garden for Halloween. A strategically placed pumpkin or gourd changes just about everything!