A feast for the eyes

As Thanksgiving approaches, our thoughts tend to turn from garden design to garden fare. Recipes for Cousin Granville's sweet potato pie, Mema's mashed potato souffle, and Aunt JoAnne's pear-apple preserves fill our heads and hearts with edible anticipation, and fond memories. Decor ideas center around an overflowing holiday table. Yet what could be more enticing than preparing comfortable spaces and views outside as well as indoors? Even if it becomes too cold to make use of the outdoor areas, it's great to have a "room with a view," and spread the holiday cheer all around.

Now is the time to discover the best deals on perennials, garden tools, outdoor furniture and pots, even statuary. And it's at this time each year that I go on the hunt for things to enhance my garden areas. I usually set aside a weekend for perusing the local nurseries. One near my house even has a winery attached, so my friends and I always procure a non-drinking pal to drive us to that one.

In your quest for landscape perfection, don't overlook the Internet. Many online gardening/landscaping stores are trying to cash in on profits before the year's end. And Ebay always seems to have that ONE THING we often can't find anywhere else ( I bought a hand-held push lawnmower blade sharpener from them). As for large items, too costly to mail, Craigslist is vital. I make a habit of trolling my local listings once or twice a week, just to see if anything I like will pop up. Last week I hit the mother lode: 15 antique planters in all shapes and sizes for the price of--literally--two or three of them at my local nursery. A couple was moving and, rather than allowing the planters to stay with the new occupants of their 100-year-old-home, they placed the listing, snagged a few extra bucks for themselves, and gave me the deal of this century.

I am now the proud owner of seven cement window boxes of various shapes and sizes, three lovely cement basket-weave pots, five gorgeous, incredibly heavy urns, and a sore back from lugging them all home.
Yet, glancing at the beauty they add to my turn-of-the-century home, I feel it was worth the considerable effort to get them here. We're hosting the holiday gatherings this year, and although I haven't given a thought to the menu, don't have my shopping lists made or any pies ready for freezing, I'm more than ready.