No Place Like Home

Karen Wight

It’s time to think about paperwhites, pumpkins and things that go

“bump” in the night.

For incredible Halloween ideas and decorations, go check out the

Halloween scene at Roger’s Gardens. Their spooky merchandise is, severed

hands down, the best place to become inspired.

Their raven look-a-likes are better than the real thing and make a

great mascot for your front door. Or perch one on the dining room

chandelier.

Everyone should have a few glow-in-the-dark skeleton hands coming out

of planters, bowls or vases. Don’t forget to change out your candles to

the version that drips “blood.” A little bit creepy is a lot of fun.

Stock up on pumpkins. You can use them through Thanksgiving. All the

nurseries have a good selection right now. If you want to support a local

cause, go to the Environmental Nature Center today between 10 a.m. and 3

p.m. and help them raise funds to continue their educational programs.

They are located on 16th Street by the Newport Harbor High School

football stadium. There are plenty of activities for the kids and the

center is a great community resource.

After you get your big pumpkins to stack up around the front door

(wait to carve them until just before Halloween), get a few (dozen) mini

pumpkins to fill up your nooks and crannies. These festive little orbs

are great mounded in a bowl on the kitchen table, singularly lined up on

a mantle or added to a floral arrangement (drill a shallow hole in the

bottom and insert a thin dowel so you can use it like a flower stalk).

And you can have your mini pumpkin and eat it too. After they’ve run

their course as a decoration, wash them well, cut off the top and stuff

them with brown sugar, nuts, dried cranberries and butter. Bake them

until they’re soft and you’ll have a great dessert.

It’s time to think about planting paperwhite bulbs for continuous

blooms throughout the holidays. If you start today and plant bulbs every

two weeks until the middle of November, you will have beautiful flowers

through the first of the year.

Paperwhites almost grow themselves, they are that easy. You don’t even

need soil for them to prosper and reward you with their fresh scent.

Any container will do when it comes to paperwhites. If you choose to

grow them in a soil-less environment, use a bowl, saucer or vase that

will hold water. The growing medium can be almost anything: gravel, sand,

glass pebbles, small lava rocks, marbles, beads, coins, Legos -- you’re

getting the idea, right?

Fill the container with your chosen material to reach 2 inches below

the rim. Tightly clump your bulbs together, hold them in place and add

enough planting material to cover the bottom quarter of the bulbs. Be

sure that the bulbs have enough support that they will not topple over

when they begin to grow.

Add water to your container until it is slightly touching the base of

the bulbs. Place your containers is a cool, dark place (the garage is

perfect) until the roots are established. In three weeks, move the

container to a low light area, and eventually place the bulbs in a bright

location, away from direct heat.

Once the bulbs begin to flower, you might need to use a flower support

or tie them together with a bow or raffia to prevent them from tipping

over. Your efforts will be rewarded exponentially with their angelic

appearance and sparkling fragrance.

If you want to try Amaryllis bulbs this year, plant them in a

container with drainage, using potting soil as your growing medium.

Amaryllis, unlike paperwhites, are repeat bloomers. If you keep the soil

moist in between blooms, you will be rewarded with many more floral

performances.

And just to put you over the top, if you are planning on sending a

photo card this Christmas, grab you camera or make your appointment with

the photographer now.

Enjoy the transition before the craziness of December sneaks up on us.

Take a little time to appreciate the homey feel of the fall-idays.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs Sundays.