Southern Exposure: Hops and Bittersweet Swag

It was an unexpected surprise. My friend Jan couldn't attend her scheduled Southern Exposure workshop (Hops and Bittersweet Swag) so I was able to go in her place. With all the rain we'd had, Kate and I were worried we might not get a good garden walk but the weather turned and we saw Southern Exposure in its fall glory.

Well, almost! No turning trees yet, but the flowers were still lovely.

And the bees were making the most of them!

While a huge number of blooms had bid farewell, there was still plenty of color.

Does anyone know what these are? They seem to be like spiky little red balls.

And it looks like it could be a good holly crop for future holiday workshops!

The cows were in the pasture...

...the chickens in the coop.

Frogs and fish were enjoying a warmer day in the pond.

This fellow was handsome!

I'm trying to recall when I saw so many frogs at once and so many different kinds!

And while you may remember my post about the fungi up north? Well, I never saw anything as large as this! At first I thought it was a lawn ornament!

The herb garden was being carefully guarded.

This is truly a garden bed!

 My favorite area here is the greenhouse and it was well decorated.

This globe was rather perfect.

And I really liked this mini barn door, covered with leaves.

The yellow blooms in the pot were so pretty I thought they had to be "permanent botanicals." Nope, the real deal!

Inside was beautifully decorated as well. (Yes, when I came home I put some leaves around my chandelier!)

And of course the fireplace mantle looked perfect.

We started our delicious dinner with a hot drink and since our project had hops, this one included some beer and cider, lots of juices and spices. It was terrific!

Usually we go to the craft tent for our project but for the first time since I've been there, the workshop was far from full so we had the pleasure of starting our swag in the same room where we dined and where all our materials were laid out for us. In addition to wire and scissors, we had broom corn, Indian corn and some "permanent botanicals" of bittersweet and hops, along with a large piece of burlap ribbon.

Here's the finished product!

And here it is on my door!

When we return to Southern Exposure it will be on October 20 to learn more about Christmas cookies.

The gardens will probably be pretty much put to bed for the season. We might see some fall in the greenhouse to take us to November, but maybe not.

So, this is what I will hold in my heart during the cold winter months to come.

It's the herb garden and "flower bed," ending the season.

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