Floral Fall Decorating Ideas  
By Brenda Madkin and Michael Phillips                                        

Festive fall flower arrangements can add highlight to your holiday atmosphere. If you are seeking the right balance between traditional and contemporary décor for autumn, may we suggest:

• A rustic basket filled with Indian corn, mini-pumpkins and vibrant live flowers for the entry way or hall;
  
• A basket of brilliant living mums for the hearth;
• Seasonal fresh flowers in bright yellows, reds and orange to bring the warm color of autumn from the countryside into your home.
  

Consider also brightening up a corner with pumpkins, gourds, and bright colored fall flowers and grasses. Leave the work to us. Let us design your centerpiece for Thanksgiving and holiday dinners and parties. Perhaps you want to brighten someone else’s season? Let us design something for that someone special, as a reminder of your friendship. Speak personally with our floral designers and let them help you invite the warmth of the season into your home. Call 214-691-6751 or stop by
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By Carolyn Oldham

Welcoming birds to your garden has many benefits. They eat lots of bugs, they come in pretty colors, and they sing better than most mortals. Best of all, they bring a garden to life with their fascinating activities.

The best way to attract them is with a variety of food. The #1 preferred seed by all birds is black oil sunflower seed. Safflower seed is a great problem-solver because squirrels don’t like it and annoying birds like grackles, starlings, cowbirds, and house sparrows aren’t crazy about it. Peanuts are favored by jays, woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, and wrens. Millet (especially in winter) will attract the native American sparrows that winter here such as juncos and white-throated sparrows. Suet cakes (especially peanut and berry) provide protein and energy for many species. Thistle seed (put out around Thanksgiving) will attract the colorful American Goldfinch.

Planting a natural habitat garden will also attract birds. Three key elements are diversity — lots of different plants that provide seeds, berries, and cover; density — allowing plants to grow in a more natural state with less trimming; and distance — providing about 6’ between bird feeders and cover (such as shrubs) to allow birds to feel safe from predators. A well-maintained birdbath (change the water daily) will also keep the birds coming back.

We can help you with the bird feeding supplies and the habitat plants for a garden that welcomes “everybirdy.”

   
Visit our book rack for field guides that will teach and assist you with bird identification in your backyard habitat. Birds of Texas has interesting story-type information. The Sibley Guide to Birds (the National Audubon Society) is written and illustrated by David Allen Sibley, a gifted contemporary painter of birds. Birds are painted in all poses for easy identification. Smaller, easy-to-carry field-type guides are Birds of North America (by Kaufman), which has a pictorial table of contents, allowing for quick classification; and Field Guide to Birds—Eastern Region (by Stokes), which has great pictures for quick and easy identification.