How a Gardening Editor Decorates Her Porch for the Season
Charlyne Mattox
·5-min read
How a Garden Editor Decorates Her Porch for FallIan Palmer
Now that fall is officially in full swing, you're likely looking to pretty up your front porch with heirloom pumpkins, baskets of mums, and maybe even a Halloween decoration or two. After 10 years of producing seasonal photo shoots for Country Living—including the decorated pumpkins you've seen grace our cover year after year—I've learned a few things along the way about making spaces feel photo-ready—as well as making sure seasonal decor doesn't rot or wilt before Halloween rolls around. (For example, don't water the mums from the top—get that can right into the soil!—and use petroleum jelly to prevent browning on carved jack-o'-lantern faces.)
Here's some of my hard-earned autumnal know-how to make the most of your materials. Pumpkins, after all, don't come cheap!
Ian Palmer
Start with Your Local Nursery or Garden Shop
This may sound obvious, but I've found that they often have a more varied selection than big box stores, frequently have store displays that spark inspiration, and the shop employees know their stuff and can thus point you in the right direction if, say, your porch gets full sun or lots of shade. That's certainly the case at Shoppe, my go-to garden store in my Forest Park neighborhood in Birmingham, AL.
Ian Palmer
Pick a Cohesive Palette
As tempting as it is to embrace every color of the seasonal spectrum, I've found it's best to start with a tighter color curation which will feel more cohesive. Think about the look you're going for. If it's more Halloween-leaning (think spooky), green pumpkins (try Blue Doll) and purple mums make for a strong combo. If you want more of a fall harvest feeling, stick to pumpkins with varying intensities of orange and yellow mums. For our porch, we opted for a more neutral palette of white, green, and tan pumpkins, white mums, and a few smaller pops of orange in the planters.
Another consideration: The color of your steps. If you have dark wood or brick steps, a white pumpkin like a ghost pumpkin will really pop, whereas it is likely to get lost if your steps are painted white.
The Country Living Kia Carnival, all packed up with pumpkins!Ian Palmer
Select the Right Shapes
With so many beautiful heirloom varieties to choose from, it can be overwhelming. For stacking, blue-green Jarrahdales are quite good, as are Cinderella pumpkins. Because the price of pumpkins can add up fast, I like to mix in more affordable "grocery store" pumpkins along with the heirloom varieties.
Protect Your Purchases (and Your Car!)
Pumpkins love to roll around in the back of a car, which can cause their stems to pop off and indentations in the flesh—both of which can expedite rotting. The best way to combat this is to pack them snugly in plastic bins or cardboard boxes, taking special care of the stems. I also like to keep a roll of Kraft paper in my vehicle for garden store excursions. While some places may offer to put it down for you, that's not always the case, and you don't want to place a freshly watered (read: dripping wet) plant on your car's leather or upholstery.
Ian Palmer
Play with Materials and Scale
Once you've gathered all of your materials, it's time to start building your display. I like to break up the natural elements with at least one other texture or material—often in the form of antique vessels. Woven baskets or woven demijohns bring pretty texture, but you could also use wooden crates, metal buckets and bins, or ceramic pots.
Start by getting a few of the larger items in place. For example, you may want to stagger your larger "hero" pumpkins on every other step before incorporating smaller pieces. (A stack of a few medium pumpkins can also carry the same visual weight as a single large pumpkin.) The same goes for the larger planters, such as mums. Next, nestle in smaller items (medium and small pumpkins or gourds) around the larger ones, considering color mix and plant spacing. I also like to stuff smaller baskets with an assortment of mini pumpkins. Oh, and remember that all of your pumpkins don't have to be positioned upright. For a more organic, natural-feeling look, you can turn a few on their sides, with their stems facing out.
Ian Palmer
Don't Forget the Maintenance
Now that you have spent all this time and money putting together a winning porch display it's important to do everything you can to ensure it lasts all season long. Keep an eye on your pumpkins and take the necessary steps to prevent them from rotting. Regularly remove your mums from their display vessels and give the root ball a good soaking before deadheading any spent blooms from the mums. You'll also want to rotate them occasionally so they grow evenly.
Finally, after all of your hard work, it's time to invite friends and family for a porch party toasting your hard work with a cozy fall cocktail.
Special thanks to the roomy Kia Carnival, The Official Vehicle of Country Living, for helping our editors haul home their fall display staples. (Stay tuned for the Kia Carnival hybrid coming in 2025!)
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