End of Summer Bittersweet

Change of seasons is always bittersweet for me. I absolutely love the summer – my seaglass walks, seeing family at the beach, harvesting tomatoes and basil from the gardens and cooking on the grill almost every night. Autumn is sneaking in now though and I am bidding farewell to to the heat and closed windows. I am opening the house to cool nights, cutting back the spent flowers and looking forward to fall foliage...so why not put up a wreath to welcome the season!

Bittersweet is an invasive vine that curls around just about everything. It is flexible and easily wound into a circle. With a little help from my friend Willie, we made quite a mess!

For the time, I left the leaves on the vines but they will eventually dry and drop off. To add some interest I looked for anything in my yard that would look autumnal to add some character to the circle of green now and as it becomes barren.

 Dried coneflower seed heads, dried black-eyed susan seed heads, deep purple and soft green hydrangea blossoms were intertwined between the layered bittersweet vines. There is no need for anything else to hold this wreath together as those "killer curly" vines are just like twine.

The new wreath with one from a past year.

The elements are so gorgeous up close and personal!

The completed wreath. 

I will add to this when the bittersweet leaves drop off with more pods, seed heads and anything else that feels right. It is all about going with the flow, using found materials and enjoying the process!

Happy Almost Autumn to all!