CULLMAN, Ala. – Fall is definitely here, but saying good-bye to summer doesn’t mean saying good-bye to beautiful blooms and plants. Area garden centers have boundless varieties of beautiful colors for fall, as well as some great Autumn decorating trends.
Stackable pumpkins are this year’s must-have and Gibbs Garden Center has pumpkins and gourds galore. Taylor Oslin at Gibbs on U.S. Highway 31 North in Cullman was busy helping customers Tuesday as they browsed the many varieties in every shape, size and color imaginable. Pumpkins and gourds are a great fall look, and the stacks are a unique alternative to the traditional orange pumpkin.
The mum still reigns supreme as the top-selling fall plant, and Oslin said multi-colored mums are among the most-sought types this year. Coming in so many bold colors, mums are a great way to spruce up any area.
Pansies, violas and snapdragons are also available now, and Oslin said, “They will keep their color until spring.”
Pat and Chris Thompson at the Man Cave Market in South Vinemont have many beautiful fall plants including pansies and violas. Pat Thompson was excited to introduce us to some great fall flowering plants the Man Cave recently received.
“Crotons- there’s different varieties of them. We’ve got kalanchoes and calandiva, which is a double bloom kalanchoe. Those are really good. They’ll bloom in sun or shade and they’ll bloom year round. That’s a great plant!” he smiled.
“Pumpkins, pansies and mums are what most people ask for, but I’ve had a lot of people asking about orchids. Even though that’s not really a fall item, lots of folks are still asking about them,” Thompson said.
The Man Cave still has orchids and Thompson said their continued popularity is perhaps due to being able to tend to them inside.
Ornamental pepper plants, shrimp plants, Keepsake azaleas, Crown of Thorns (a type of kalanchoe) and Mona lavender are some of the interesting plants available and can add color to your home or yard throughout the year.
Thompson said of the Mona lavender, “It won’t take the cold and it’s a shade plant, but it’s also a great house plant. It will actually bloom like that inside. You can damage it by watering it too hard, but it’s a great plant.”
Thompson said he is also a fan of Muhly grass, which he described as a low-maintenance plant. “You can grow it anywhere you want. It takes full sun and I love it!”
Also popular this fall is decorating with driftwood and adding air plants, succulents and moss for a great conversation piece.
“The good thing is it’s interchangeable. You can change it with your moods, so you don’t have the same thing on there. The root systems on all of these things are very small and it doesn’t take a lot of water. People love doing that kind of thing. Creating something. When they create it, it changes their moods. Plants are therapy,” said Thompson.
Even the dreaded fire ant bed can create a great art piece for your home, he said. “They pour hot aluminum down a fire ant bed and this is what comes out of it (gesturing to a finalized piece). They pull it out, knock all the dirt off of it, paint it and mount it. That’s a local person who does that.”
Gibbs Garden Center and The Man Cave Market, besides offering wide varieties of fall pumpkins and mums, also have corn stalks, seasonal wooden signs, decorations and other fall necessities.
Gibbs Garden Center is located at 5847 County Road 616 Hanceville, Alabama 35077 and 1600 Second Ave. NW (Hwy. 31) Cullman, AL 35055. Find Gibbs online at www.gibbsgardencenter.com and www.facebook.com/gibbsgardencenter.
The Man Cave Market is located at 17897 U.S. Highway 31, Cullman, Alabama 35058. Find The Man Cave online at www.facebook.com/themancavemarket/.
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