The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly; Watson's in November

Watson's is always mostly good and beautiful but without a bit of bad and ugly for comparison, how would we know?  First the bad and ugly.  Of course, this is just my opinion and you are free to love these as much as you wish.

While I'm a big fan of warm colors, especially red and orange, in gardens, my small mind just can't wrap itself around spray-painted heathers (Calluna vulgaris.)  Dead trees, yes; living plants, no.

I'm fond of the hanging glass orb tillandsia/cacti/succulent thingies although I don't have any myself. Artificial succulents can come in handy if you really need a plant in a dark place or can't grow live ones for one reason or another.  Garden fairies aren't my thing but I don't mind them.  That being said, this combination looks a bit goofy to me. What is that figurine?  I guess if you glue butterfly wings to anything, it becomes a fairy.

I'd heard about this evil and even seen it on Danger Garden but never thought it would come this close to home.  The wax-covered bulbs come with a metal stand to hold them upright, require no water or soil, and will bloom for three to six weeks.  I still like the idea of growing these pots with soil to at least pretend that I'll keep them for years and not just toss them into the compost heap the second the last bloom fades.

Now, the good.

Love this group of winter pots.

At 50% off these were tempting since they could be lovely Thanksgiving decorations and then pumpkin and or squash soup.

Watson's has a great selection of ornamental cabbage and kale priced very reasonably. The red and white combination is handsome and perfect for the holidays and the rest of winter.

Look at that glow!  This one is my current favorite variety. 

Icy silver.

Rusty metal spheres of butterflies are pretty cool and must look fantastic lit.  Would these be considered butterballs?

A new shipment of tillandsias is always a good thing; the colors of the birds, I'm not so sure. 

The big bowl of Sansevieria something or other from Fleetfoot and Foul Weather is about to bloom.

 Swell small succulent bowls. 

Always happy to see the succulent area full of plants and  was taken with the textural combination of the senecio, aloe, and aeonium.

Another temptation from Fleetfoot and Foul Weather.  May have to go back for this one. 

Philodendrons dressing in red for the upcoming season.  Who needs spray paint?

One never knows what the various pianists will play.  This day we were treated to Mozart - Variations "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman", K. 265.  Had to linger a little longer to enjoy it!

If you'd like to experience it, there's a video.

Usually I don't like to think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving but this year, it seems like we could all use a little peace and goodwill a little sooner. The scent of cut evergreens always pulls my heart toward December.

Cute little hollies and reindeer.

Do you pick up cones on walks around your neighborhood, in the park, etc?  Do people think you're a little odd for doing it?

More than in some years, red is the predominant color on the decorated trees although there are still lots of other colors as well.

Let it snow!

Lots of applications for these metal branches.  

Shiny, bright silver.

Notice the floral arrangement on top of this one. 

Rich warmth.

Meanwhile, at the beach house.

Poinsettia with double white kalanchoe, a great long-blooming combination.  

Hedera helix trees.

With Thanksgiving being only 6 days away, it's time to start thinking about decorating (or not) for the darkest time (in this hemisphere) of the year.  Have you any special ideas about  things you'll do this year?   

Happy weekend and happy gardening!