This Week at a Glance

This week was all garden, all the time, and I loved every single minute.

There’s something about this stretch of September that feels so gratifying. The growing is mostly done. Now it’s all about bringing it all inside, preserving it, and enjoying what the season produced.

I actually love this time of harvest more than planting the flowers and vegetables themselves.

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Dried Hydrangeas and Fall Touches Around the Cottage

The panicle hydrangeas have found their ‘fall home’ tucked in baskets with Mason jars hidden inside, and just enough water to keep them slowly drying in place rather than wilting. It’s one of those little tricks that makes all the difference.

They hold their shape beautifully this way, and by the time the water is gone, they’re perfectly dried.

The flowers I’ve been hanging upside down in the pantry are dry and ready now too.

I’ve been working through them this week, arranging them, and finding spots for them around the cottage.

And the mophead hydrangeas from the garden are showing up throughout the house right now. One of my favorite ways to use them is in a vintage dough bowl.

I nestle several Mason jars inside, fill them with hydrangeas and a splash of water, and the whole thing looks like one big overflowing arrangement. It’s simple, and one of my favorite ways to decorate for fall.

The cottage is starting to feel like autumn. And without a pumpkin in sight. Those come later.

Six Quarts of Homegrown Tomatoes

I did something this weekend that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I canned my first batch of tomatoes.

Started from seed in the greenhouse, raised in the garden, and now in jars on the shelf.

There was a lot to learn, and the process takes a few hours, but it was actually pretty simple. That’s most likely because I had a fabulous teacher (thank you, Lori).

Six quarts, and I still have enough tomatoes in the garden for another round.

The Garden This Week

It was a beautiful evening, feeling more like fall than the end of summer, with gray skies instead of sunshine. I’m so glad I took pictures and video to remember these views. September is moving fast.

It’s a different garden than it was a month ago, and it still has a lot to offer.

The bright yellow black-eyed Susans, bright rose sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, dahlias, and a few lingering coneflowers are the perennials bringing the most interest right now.

The bumblebees are still among the flowers.

The black-eyed Susans are fading gracefully.

The sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ has turned a deep rose now.

The first aster bloom can finally be seen. I’ve been waiting for those purple blooms to open. And when they are in full force, the whole feeling of the garden will shift once again.

The cut flower garden is still producing zinnias and statice, still giving me things to cut and bring inside.

There are still plenty of sunflowers to cut and bring inside this month.

The mini pumpkins on the trellis are growing bigger every day. It looks like Ollie is guarding them for me.

A Dahlia Week Ahead

If you’ve followed along here for a while, you know how many dahlias I grow, and how much of my fall garden counts on them.

I’ve gotten good at the growing part. Dividing tubers in spring, staking them before they flop, and protecting them through the winter so they come back the next year.

The part I’ve never quite cracked is what happens after I cut them. I bring a bucket in from the garden, set them on the kitchen counter, and somehow, after I fill the vase, it never looks like what I pictured while I was out there harvesting them.

So, this week I’m doing something about it.

The Dahlia Design Summit runs today through Friday. It’s all online… and it’s all about the design side of dahlias.

Arrange, style a table, and photograph your blooms with the phone you already have. Fourteen florists and photographers teaching the part nobody really teaches growers.

If you grow dahlias and you’ve ever stood at the counter wondering why the vase of flowers doesn’t look like the one in your mind, this summit is for you.

There’s a live pass for the week and an all-access pass if you’d rather watch on your own time, as much as you want.

On the Blog This Week

My Favorite Inspiration Around the Web This Week

Here’s a Sag Harbor home you’ll love.

I’m trying this slow cooker chicken and creamy orzo recipe this month.

Here’s the perfect Pottery Barn pumpkin dupe for fall.

This pumpkin cheesecake cookie recipe looks delicious!

How about making a corn husk wreath?

How pretty is this Minnesota classic cottage?

You’ll love this easy DIY fall leaf garland from old book pages.

This charming historic home with a lake view.

This DIY fall garland.

Last Chance for the Free Fall Bundle

One last thing before I go.

Monday is the final day to grab the ‘Fall into Fabulous Digital Bundle’, so this is your last reminder from me.

My 40-page fall gardening eBook is inside, free, along with ten other digital products from other creators. It’s the guide I wish I’d had my first fall in this garden.

Every task I work through before winter sets in, from bulb planting to putting the cut flower beds down for the season.

Alongside my guide, you’ll find recipes, planners, cozy crafts, and home decor guides from other bloggers.

Coming Up Next Week

We’re heading out on Wildflower with Jax and Ollie for one last summer adventure. I cannot wait to share it with you next week.

Until next time,