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“How beautiful the leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days”. ~ John Burroughs

Oh Fall! How I love you! Anyone else feeling the the cozy vibes that only the crisp fall air and its radiant color can bring? Seriously! Michigan is absolutely bursting in vibrant color right and the spectacular hues never cease to amaze me!

We are thoroughly enjoying this season and wanted to share some of the fall inspo that has our fall decorating juices in high gear as well as some ahhhhmaaazing recipes to enjoy!!! And we would love to hear from YOU! What are some of your fave recipes, decorating tips and traditions you enjoy this time of year?

I have to say I’ve been enjoying a little more coffee than usual and feel slightly more productive {go figure!} but what I really love is my son Liam’s homemade masala chai tea. Guys, this is the real deal. A serious cup of coziness. The kind that calls you to hold the mug with both hands to warm up and has you take in the aromatic fragrance. Yep! This is THAT tea. The “recipe” varies from batch to batch but with Liam’s permission I will provide the basics for the “base”…

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liam’s homemade masala chai tea

On the stovetop, bring water to light simmer and add black tea bags, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon, ginger root “coins”, nutmeg & sugar to taste. Amounts vary depending on how much you want to make and your personal taste. Its easiest to make a “bouquet garni” of all the ingredients, so its easily fished out. We like 1/2 & 1/2 & honey in ours, too! And for an extra kick try using “Spicy” honey….yummmmmmm!

white chicken chili

Another “fall favorite” recipe is white chicken chili. It ticks all the boxes…quick, easy & delicious!  Now with the shop in full swing and the schedules filling up with evening commitments, its nice to have a satisfying one-pot meal.  I usually cheat and use frozen bread dough that I set out to thaw first thing in the morning and pop into the oven as soon as we get home. Then into the crockpot go a jar of Great Northern Beans (undrained), a jar of mild salsa, a few cups of shredded chicken, and a bag of shredded mozzarella cheese. Sometimes I add a can of rinsed black beans and super sweet corn and we always top it with a spoonful of sour cream.  You can also make this recipe right on the stovetop, if you wish. But either way, its a terrific meal that our whole family loves!

So Happy Fall, y’all. And I hope you are enjoying every bit of fall!!!

Love,

Angie

There is something about the fall season that sets my love for all things cozy into high gear… apple picking, cable-knit sweaters, heirloom pumpkins and of course, pumpkin spice EVERYTHING!

As fall approaches each year, my family enjoys a trip to Gull Meadow Farms in Richland, Michigan. From the hayride to the orchard for picking apples and selecting their pumpkins, the delicious cider and donuts made on-site and all the fun activities we participate in at their farm, its a tradition that we look forward to year after year. I guess traditions are one of the reasons I love the change of seasons in Michigan. A quick trip up north provides a spectacular color tour that is second to none…mother nature works her magic during this season as the trees turn from summer green to vibrant red, orange and yellow! Winter covers the mitten state in a blanket of white that just sparkles in the light. The renewal that comes in the spring and of course enjoying our salt-free great lakes all summer long…Its a bit magical if you ask me. AND a great place to call home!

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower”. ~Albert Camus

But for me right now, there’s the cozy fireplace at night where we grab some hot chocolate or spiced tea and just enjoy the glow and read before bedtime. Suppers tend to get a little more “comfort” in them, too (homemade mac and cheese, anyone?). I personally enjoy how life seems to just slow down a bit this time of year, chores are a bit lighter, and the hustle of “packing” adventures into a short summer vacation time-frame are all beautiful memories we get to reflect on.

In the weeks to come, we will be sharing some of our favorite recipes to help savor the bounty of all things harvest & fall, including my son Liam’s homemade chai tea (yum!). And be sure to check out our fall-inspired tablescapes, entertaining ideas & products we will be featuring at our shop and more!

So whatever your favorite season is, I hope that it finds you enjoying life to the fullest and surrounded by what you enjoy and the people you love!

Love, Angela

● If your soil is poor, the time to apply fertilizer (bonemeal, compost, or well-rotted manure) is early summer, after the peonies have bloomed and you have deadheaded. Don’t fertilize more than every few years.
● Help the stems. If peonies have any structural weakness, it is their stems, which are sometimes not strong enough to support their gigantic blossoms. Consider three-legged metal peony rings that allow the plant to grow through the center of the rings.
● Deadhead peony blossoms as soon as they begin to fade, cutting to a strong leaf so that the stem doesn’t stick out of the foliage. Cut the foliage to the ground in the fall to avoid any overwintering disease.
● Don’t smother peonies with ​mulch​. Where cold temperatures are severe, for the first winter after planting you can mulch VERY loosely with pine needles or shredded bark. Remove mulch in the spring.

Pests and Diseases

Peonies are generally very hardy. They are susceptible to Verticillium wilt,  ringspot virus, tip blight, stem rot, Botrytis blight, leaf blotch, Japanese  beetle, and nematodes.

Many gardeners wonder why so many ants crawl on the peony buds. They  are eating nectar in exchange for attacking bud-eating pests. Never spray  the ants; they’re helping you nurture peonies and actually help them to  bloom!

So if you enjoy peonies like I do, please share your photos with me on instagram, pinterest and facebook…I love sharing my love of gardening and hope you will, too!

The peony​ is ​outrageously beautiful in bloom in springtime—with lush foliage all summer long. Here’s how to grow peonies and get the best peony flowers in your garden.

Peony flowers are perennials that come back every spring to take your breath away. The plants may live longer than you do—some have been known to thrive for 100 years. Peony plants require little maintenance as long as they are planted properly and establish themselves; they do, however, require special care when transplanting.

Peonies are hardy to Zone 3 and grow well as far south as Zones 7 and 8.  In most of the country, the rules for success are simply full sun and  well-drained soil. Peonies even relish cold winters, because they need  chilling for bud formation.

When to Plant Peonies

● Plant peonies in the fall: in late September and October in most of the country, and even later in the South. (If you must move an established plant, this is the time.)
● Peonies should be settled into place before the first hard frost. Spring-planted peonies just don’t do as well, experts agree; they generally lag about a year behind those planted in the fall.

How to Plant Peonies

● Grow peonies in deep, fertile, humus-rich, moist soil that drains well. Soil pH should be neutral.
● The soil will benefit from the addition of organic material in the planting hole. If the soil is heavy or very sandy, enrich it with compost. Incorporate about 1 cup of bonemeal into the soil. Tamp soil firmly. Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.
● Peonies are not fussy, but choose your location wisely, as they resent disturbance. Provide shelter from strong winds. Plant away from trees or shrubs as peonies don’t like to compete for food and moisture. Space them three to four feet apart for good air circulation.
● Peonies like full sun, and though they can manage with half a day, they bloom best in a sunny spot.
● Peonies are usually sold as bare-root tubers with three to five eyes, divisions of a three- or four-year-old plant.
● Dig a generous-sized hole, about two feet deep and two feet across in well-drained soil in a sunny spot. If the soil is heavy or very sandy, enrich it with compost. Incorporate about one cup of bonemeal into the soil. Tamp it firmly.
● Set the root so the eyes face upward on top of the firmed soil, placing the root just 2 inches below the soil surface. (In southern states, choose early-blooming varieties, plant them about an inch deep, and provide some shade.)
● Don’t plant too deep! In most of the country, the peony’s eyes (buds) should be no deeper than 1-½ to 2 inches below the soil line.
● Then, backfill the hole, taking care that the soil doesn’t settle and bury the root deeper than 2 inches.
● Water thoroughly and Spare the fertilizer. Work the soil well before you plant, mixing in a little fertilizer, and that should be enough.

“Had I but four square feet of ground at my disposal, I would plant a  peony in the corner and proceed to worship”. –Alice Harding, The Book of the Peony

I cannot think of a more glorious flower in my garden than the peony. From the petal orientation to the fragrance, there is something beautifully mesmerizing about this spring blooming beauty. My love for peonies began as a young girl spending time at my grandma Esther’s farm in Decatur, Michigan. If you had the good fortune to know her, then you had the pleasure of seeing her magnificent gardens. I can vividly remember pulling off of CR 657 onto her winding gravel driveway, creeks on both sides, usually seeing her brimmed hat bobbing through rows of veggies and blooms as I made my way to the house. I guess you can say that this is where my love for gardening began.

Some of my favorite peony varieties include my beloved yellow peony, with its unusual foliage and rare, yellow blooms; the creamy white Ann Cousins peony for its enormous, full-petaled blooms; Butter Bowl because of the sweet pink petals and butter yellow center; the Festiva Maxima peony for its reliable high yield of flowers; Karl Rosenfield with its brilliant, almost red double blossom; and Sarah Bernhardt because of its huge blossoms with apple-blossom pink petals and its an effortless grower.