Falling for Fall… I do this Every Year!

There is no doubt – fall is my favorite season. As Editor at Large with Southern Living, I have the privilege of contributing fun stories and ideas to the magazine as a whole, but my fall stories seem to always make the newsstands! I’ve said it over and over and this mantra of mine is worth repeating: “Fall is a Southerner’s reward for surviving summer.” I’ve even seen this printed on a cocktail napkin – thanks y’all for the advertising!

So as y’all peruse the pages of the October Southern Living, I’d love to walk y’all through some of the fun from behind the scenes that didn’t make the cut – as if me and my uber stylish outfit weren’t cute enough for the pages of SL… ha! From the cracker-jack team of my BFF Jess “Frou Frou” Margeson, Stacey and Laura Lyn from JFI to the senior stylist Mrs. Buffy Hargett Miller herself to editor Jen Kopf and photographer extraordinaire Helen Norman (who has photographed A Time to Cook and Porch Living), we managed to somehow not only set, style and shoot and amazing venue, but have an absolute blast doing so! Time certainly flies when you’re having fun, and I’m here to tell y’all it was a blast from start to finish!

Jen Kopf, Helen Norman, yours truly, Buffy Hargett Miller

The setting was a dear, sweet friend’s home in Cashiers. I was at her house one lovely summer day for cocktails before sunset and jokingly said I wanted to transform her immaculate, stunning, antique-filled, absolutely gorgeous home into an autumnal oasis to celebrate the season… and pitch the idea to my editors at Southern Living. This, y’all is never an easy task to ask, but thankfully, my adorable friend (and her family) obliged. I cannot thank my precious friend enough!

With unparallel views of Whiteside Mountain just beyond the tree line, the crisp autumn air glowed with the hues only fall can afford to lend the sky. My friend, an antiques dealer out of Atlanta, has treasure troves of l’objets d’art from her forays through Parisian flea markets, Portobello Road in London and scouring the French and English countryside for just the right barley-twist candlesticks. If ever there was a “set” to photograph a celebration of the season, this home was it. From the mountainsides and gardens and farmers markets, I gleaned the season’s best. Tables were set, flowers were arranged and mantels bedecked with the flair of fall. Give me a pumpkin, some leaves and bittersweet, and I’ll give you a mantel!

Dried hydrangeas, rose hips, beauty berry, dahlias, Free Spirit roses, bittersweet, magnolia, cabbage, apples, pumpkins, oak leaves, acorns, pecans and plumes upon plumes of grasses were all woven together to create a tableau as rich as the season could present.  I could go on and on and on about this shoot. From the feel, the textures, the scents, the sights, the hues, tones, arrays and luscious combinations my favorite season gives us, I am rejuvenated and invigorated for this time of year.

I hope y’all are inspired to kick off the holiday season with a fanfare for fall. I know I am! Enjoy these behind the scenes pics and be sure to check out the October issue on newsstands now!

Jess and I have just as much fun taking selfies as we do making outrageous pumpkin arrangements. Her work is phenomenal! Like her hair, her pumpkin creations are a work of art!!

I love antique crocks and pottery. Here, these fantastic old jars with a deep tobacco glaze. These jars are filled to the brim with nandina berries, sweet gum, dried hydrangea, celosia and viburnum for some fall fabulousness. 

A garland of oak leaves, maple leaves, magnolia and dried hydrangea cloaks one side of the massive stone mantel. I love symmetry but I love balance more. Though this mantel scene is not symmetrical per se, it is balanced. Of course I had to throw some pumpkins and ornamental cabbage for good measure. 

Give Ol' Jimmy a jug of sweet tea and I can decorate for hours. You can take the boy out of Perry, but... y'all know how it goes!

 I love to use dough bowls as centerpieces. They are long and set a table oh so well. Here, I mounded bunches of dried hydrangea, fall foliage, artichokes and even a few turtle shells for texture. The nandina berries just pop against the autumnal palette. I love too how this is so fall but not filled with orange pumpkins. The green 'Cinderella' ones make for a stylish departure for this set up. Plus, this arrangement will last all through the fall with the hydrangeas and leaves and berries drying and the pumpkins lasting for months if they're not carved. 

Don't forget your windowboxes! As for a fall display, I kept the ivy that was spilling out but planted ornamental cabbages that will last all through the winter in the the Deep South. Magnolia, a few pumpkins nestled in here and there, bittersweet winding its way throughout the scene and even an artichoke or two can be found alongside the cabbage. I added a few stems of millet for texture too - because it is fall and I can!

Is there anything better than working with a hydrangea as big as your head? As big as Jess' hair even? No. the answer is "no." Nothing better y'all! Ha!

As wonderful and fabulous as all this created fun is, nothing beats The Almighty's handiwork on an autumn day in Cashiers!

Happy fall, y’all!

Hydrangeas

It's time to start thinking about my favorite summer flower: the hydrangea. In the past, I've done a lot of writing about hydrangeas, and so I decided to jump into hydrangea plantin' time with a few short videos. Have a look and tell us what you're doing with YOUR hydrangeas this year!


Hydrangea Blue: This Farmer's Favorite Spring Hue from James Farmer on Vimeo.




Hydrangeas: From Pot to Plot from James Farmer on Vimeo.


As always, thanks to Room Eleven Media for producing this videos!

Feeling Blue, How About You?

The colors of spring are vibrant against the newness of green that abounds about the landscape. As all the newly purposed, revived, and flushed plants, trees and grasses reflect their chartreuses, kellies, jades, and emerald hues onto the garden scene, the florally cascade of the pinks and reds, pastels and bolds, yellows and whites, salmons and corals all make for an orchestral delight of color.

As these colors and blossoms fade, a color takes shape in the garden that will lead us into summer and accent the garden and home in a way few others do so – blue. Azure, aqua, cobalt, indigo, baby, cerulean, and turquoise find their way onto petals, foliages, skies and seas, pots, and garden accessories. These shades are visually cooling against the heat now creeping in for a long haul, and douse the garden with a pop of that coolness only blue can boast.



I use blue in my garden and interior design as my “go to” accent. From pottery, to china, lamps, garden stools, and urns, I trust in blue for that “something something”  the room or garden needs. A sucker for blue and white porcelain, I rely on its traditional and always fabulous nature for collections and boasting trappings from the garden.


As an architectural accent, blue shutters, doors, and even mullions can splash some luscious shades, hints, and hues of this color range. A buff, mild honey hued home with aqua/gray/ blue green shutters is fabo! Pennsylvania blue stone carries the hue onto the ground plane and what a delightful combination it is!

One feeling I have with blue is the color’s ability to pair striking well with just about every over color – including itself! When it comes to fashion, a sharp shirt, top, jacket or sweater always comes across sharp with dark denim jeans. Mr. Levi Strauss knew what he was doing! From boots to loafers, plaids to solids, checks, stripes, and piqué, blue jeans may certainly suit the ensemble. Same is true in the garden and interior!



A bouquet of blue hued blossoms in a blue and white vase, jardinière, cachepot, or urn is strikingly lovely, serene, and fresh. Blue and white mixed with books, silver, or other china such as majolica or Imari, is classically at home in many homes. Sparking off fantastically with magenta, coral, red, white and chartreuse, cobalt and azure glazed pots allow this marvelous color to become a garden feature and worthy accent to said colors. Yet, in the horticultural realm, true blue is actually a rarity for flower color, thus maybe why I cherish it so.

Thus, as the hydrangeas are starting to color up and bloom here in Dixie, mounds and mounds of the rare shade florets are popping onto the garden stage and can be carried through the garden with blue pots, garden stools, and other blue flowers. Besides hydrangea, this Farmer relies on salvias such as ‘Victoria Blue,’ ‘May Knight,’ ‘Sapphire,’ ‘Black and Blue’ and the lavender hued Mexican and Russian sages for spring, summer and fall blues. Plumbago, euvolvus, ageratum, and agapanthus spike shades of blue into the garden beds and pots alike throughout the spring and summer - and what lovely spikes they are!

So this Farmer is feeling blue, et tu? I sure hope so! From my garden to yours, all the best for a blue filled season.

Annabelle

The “A” in my hydrangea acronym LEONA, Annabelle is a showstopper in the garden and a must have in the landscape. Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle,’ is the Latin name for Annabelle hydrangea and this species of hydrangea is one of only two native hydrangeas to the US – the other native species being H. quercifolia, the Oak Leaf hydrangea.

Native throughout Appalachia and into the Delaware River valley, H. arborescens can be found growing as an understory bloomer beneath the canopies of dogwood, beech, and birch. Mountain roadsides and stream beds host native habitats as well for this hydrangea. A cultivated species of the genus, ‘Annabelle’ is a terrific garden entity for its presence, cutting attributes, drying capabilities, and seasonal interest.

Here in the Deep South, ‘Annabelle’ will begin to bloom in mid May and bloom well into June. Once July and August come around, the creamy white blooms will turn lime green and make excellent additions to a dried hydrangea composition. Blooming right after Oak Leaf and just before ‘Nikko Blue’ and ‘Limelight,’ ‘Annabelle’ is your ticket to hydrangeas from late spring into early summer.

Light and water…’Annabelle’ can take direct sun with plenty of water. Remember, hydrangeas will tolerate shade but need sunlight for photosynthesis and bloom production. When planting hydrangeas, find a garden spot, such as an Eastern exposure, that receives several hours of sunshine and can glean hearty amounts of water. After all, hydrangea is derived from the Latin terms for “water vessel.” ‘Annabelle’ and ‘Limelight’ can tolerate the most sun in the Deep South and will appreciate a good dose of water when exposed to more sunlight.

Allow me now to gush about this flower proper…dinner plate size blooms I kid you not! Spanning up to 10” in diameter, the blooms of ‘Annabelle’ are a spectacular spectacle in the garden and mounded in floral compositions. Take an armful of these gorgeous mounds of tiny white florets and arrange them in a punch bowl, tureen, or cache pot for a glorious effect. Mix them with broad leaves of ginger, papyrus, fatsia, hosta, or philodendron for a cool and classic combo. And since these lovely blossoms are a neutral color, compose them with the beginning buds of ‘Nikko Blue,’ and ‘Endless Summer’ for a handsome array of summer’s splendor.

Once the white blooms have turned, you’ll witness your ‘Annabelle’ blossoms fade into a glorious array of greens, from ochre to jade to chartreuse. Once the blooms have turned from white to lime green, you can cut and arrange them for they will dry in place. Adorn your mantelpiece, bookshelves, or entry hall with lovely bouquets of ‘Annabelle’ and friends and keep them for months on end once they have dried.

I hope “LEONA” finds her way into your garden and ‘Annabelle’ in particular for a dose of mega blooms and drying prowess. This Farmer has made ‘Annabelle’ a perennial favorite in my garden and I hope you do as well…from the Farmer’s garden to yours…happy gardening with ‘Annabelle.’

Hydrangeas Part 4: Wardrobe Change

Many varieties of hydrangeas are susceptible to changing colors (the Hydrangea macrophylla cultivars like Nikko Blue for example) and this can be seen in the florist specimens around Easter and Mother’s day with ranges from pink to lilac to amethyst to aubergine. But these arrays of colors can be achieved in the home garden as well.

The quintessential blue of hydrangeas is not only genetic, but also enhanced by an acidic (less than 7 on the pH scale) soil. A more alkaline or basic soil (greater than 7 on the pH scale) will boast shades of pinks to red for your specimens. Tampering with the soil’s micronutrients, like aluminum sulfate, will influence your hydrangea hues as well. Natural remedies, such as coffee grounds, vegetable peels, and pine bark, can sway the soil’s acidity, along with some fertilizers for acid loving plants. Just be sure to water well whenever you fertilize! Depending on anomalies and pockets of nutrients in your garden soil’s layers, you can have multi-colored flowers on the same plant.

What a satisfaction to admire your blooming plants in the garden and bring them indoors as well…especially when some plants, like hydrangeas, can offer a myriad of shades, tints, and tones for personal color schemes!

photography by Delaney Holliman

Hydrangeas Part 3: Remember the “hydra”

Advice a college professor gave me on hydrangeas was, “remember their name …hydrangea …the roots of the word coming from the Greek words for "water vessel."

photograph by Delaney Holliman

Thus, hydrangeas require ample water, fertile soil, and sufficient sunshine. “Limelight,” “Oak Leaf,” and “Annabelle” (hydrangeas in the paniculata and quercifolia species in particular) will tolerate exposure to sun with plenty of water, yet these plants do appreciate some high shade and solar relief, flourishing quite well in morning or late afternoon light. Though shade tolerant and shade appreciative, keep in mind hydrangeas, as with all flowering plants, do require light to produce blooms. Baking in direct overhead sunlight for hours a day will be too harsh for these plants in the Southern gardens. Water, light, and food…is what they need, much like their gardeners themselves!

Sticking with eastern exposures, pockets of sun beneath high tree canopies, those little spots of light receiving a few hours of sun per day, and enough water will reward you and your garden with blooms.

Hydrangeas Part 2: Drying Advice

Drying hydrangeas may be accomplished with ease. Improper and premature cutting are most always the culprits as to why hydrangeas do not dry. So many times, folks have their cherished blooms crimp, shrivel, and wilt. Timing is everything with drying flowers, and hydrangea drying is of no exception.

Follow this tip for triumph with drying hydrangeas: By allowing the flowers to dry naturally on the bush, the need to preserve them with silicone gel or hanging them upside down becomes null and void. Clipping the blossoms once they no longer feel too “fleshy” but rather thicker and somewhat “papery,” rustling when you touch them, is a key to drying hydrangea success. Once your skilled “garden eye” has been honed, you will be able to scope out hydrangeas ready to be cut, arranged, and dried in place from twenty paces.

Share your garden treasures inside the home with arrangements of dried hydrangeas as wonderful accents on mantelpieces and atop shelves and cabinets.

Hydrangeas Part 1: Meet LEONA

The weather outside is frightful, so let’s think of something delightful…say, hydrangeas? Wintertime can be the best time to think about and plan for your upcoming garden ventures. Get ahead of the heat and plant hydrangeas and other summer loving shrubs late this winter or early spring. Here’s a highlight on hydrangeas.

Hydrangeas, hydrangeas, hydrangeas…a garden must have hydrangeas. Alone in an arrangement or mixed with other trappings from the garden, hydrangeas are a staple for the garden and the home. Many folks think of the “blue mop heads” in summer, but with the right selection, you can have hydrangeas from May through October. Let me introduce you my friend LEONA…that’s the acronym for the five types of hydrangeas that will give you blooms to arrange and enjoy for half the year or more! Limelight, Endless Summer, Oak Leaf, Nikko Blue, and Annabelle planted in the garden will provide buckets of blooms for your home and table for months.

Here in the Deep South, zones 7 and 8 especially, this acronym for the names of these five hydrangea cultivars is an easy way of remembering how to maximize the bloom times of these magnificent flowers. For those of us in zones 7 and 8, the Oak Leaf hydrangeas will start blooming first in May. Keep in mind different varieties of each hydrangea can bloom at different times as well, so you can even have a succession of successive blooms during the season. After the Oak Leaf, Nikko Blue and Endless Summer kick in along with Annabelle. Though all three bloom very close together, the Nikko’s turn green and shades of aqua after their classic blue shade and even turn shades of coral, rust, and chartreuse. Endless Summer blooms multicolored on each plant, with blues, pinks, and lavenders harmoniously covering the shrub. After their initial bloom, Endless Summer will jump start again with blossoms well into summer and finish up in the fall. I count on their russet, coral, and aubergine colored fall blooms for my autumn arrangements. Annabelle blooms hard through June and then the snowball white flowers turn chartreuse green for added summer color well into July and August. Finally, the grand finale is with Limelight. This new offspring of the
h. paniculata species kicks into high gear in July and goes strong well into August and September. The creamy white panicles or blooms turn lime green, almost like a high light from a stage, thus the name. Coral pink edging will occur and these flowers will provide your late summer and autumnal bouquets with body and texture.

Become acquainted with LEONA for May through October blooms. The back bone of your own personal floral shop, these amazing flowers can even be enjoyed year round once they are dried. When planning your garden, plan on inviting LEONA. The blossoms from this delightful new friend will fill your home and garden with multitudes of blooms.

Annabelle (white), Endless Summer (pink)
photograph by Delaney Holliman

Nikko Blue
photograph by Delaney Holliman

Annabelle

photograph by Delaney Holliman

Oak Leaf

Limelight