This past weekend we had some company over for dinner, and I wanted to replace the Halloween decorations on the hearth with something Thanksgiving/Fall themed. I have this beautiful white vase from the 1930s that belonged to my grandmother, and wanted to fill it with something that may carry over throughout the Holiday season. Looking around my new yard I found a beautiful candidate- Nandina! The Nandina in my yard is covered with large bunches of bright red berries.
Nandina
The foliage of the plant is also a nice shade of green, but just to beef it up a little I decided to add a few pieces of Holly to the bunch. I have several of these “Holly trees” growing. When I asked the former owners, they had forgotten the name but told me that it has blue berries. It took a bit of searching, but eventually I came up with the Oregon Holly or Oregon Grape. It almost looks tropical to me though, almost like a palm tree but with Holly spikes.
Oregon Grape Holly
But this plant is not actually a Holly. It belongs to the plant genus Mahonia, and is an evergreen with edible fruits in the Spring. Here’s a better picture of the leaves.
Oregon Grape Holly
Just a few clippings from each plant yielded a nice, simple arrangement. I did also add a few big red blobs that I had picked up from Micheal’s a few years ago. They make a nice floral accent.
Nandina Arrangement
On the other side, I made an arrangement with some type of Salvia (I think), that was growing everywhere as a weed in the backyard. I pulled bunches of it up, and clipped some to fill this vase. I did this about a month ago, and I think they still look good (I’m pretty sure they dried out).
Salvia Weed Arrangement
All together now!
Harvest Hearth
I couldn’t resist keeping out a few pumpkins in gold tones. I think they are perfectly appropriate for this time of year. :) Besides, their tones play off of “My Baby Wants to Rock and Roll II” up on the hearth. I’m really enjoying having an actual mantel, and not just a hearth like in the last house. I am looking forward to trying out different decorations!
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