"These Cheeses Sustain Vermont's Working Landscape." So it says across the top of Jasper Hill Farms' press packet. For brothers Mateo and Andy Kehler, who founded Jasper Hill, making excellent cheese is not just about running a successful family business, it also is about revitalizing the local agrarian economy.

Central to that vision are the cheese cellars at Jasper Hill (the blueprints for which, are part of the company logo). Designed in 2006, this 22,000-foot, state-of-the-art facility features seven caves or vaults, each calibrated to produce a specific type of cheese. Here, and in their dairy and creamery, the Kehler brothers employ close to 50 locals. More broadly, they help sustain other regional dairies by providing affinage (cheese-ripening expertise), as well as marketing and distribution services. Finally, Jasper Hill plays an active role in a growing network of local craft food entrepreneurs, sustainable farmers, and educational institutions that is redefining the Northeast Kingdom as a mecca for slow food. 

Photography by Justine Hand for Gardenista.

Above: Jasper Hill Farms is in Greensboro, part of Vermont's picturesque Northeast Kingdom, which for years was a center of dairy farming. As boys, Andy and Mateo Kehler, whose family ties to the area go back 100 years, enjoyed summers among these rolling hills. But by the time the brothers were young men, more than a third of the farms that had sustained the region were failing. In an effort to invest in the community they loved, Mateo and Andy Kehler bought Jasper Hill Farm, and began making raw-milk cheese.

Above: Clarence, the supervisor for Vault 7, works with young Alpha Tolman (R) and Bayley Hazen Blue (L). Here Clarence hand spikes and turns Jasper Hill's signature blue cheese in order to make sure the veins are evenly distributed. 

Above: Classic Alpine cheeses such as Appenzeller inspired the recipe for the Alpha Tolman. Here 22-pound wheels of this Jasper Hill Creamery original are aged for from eight to 12 months.

Above: In the state-of-the-art rotunda that connects all the cheese vaults, steaming strips of the inner bark from local spruce trees are wrapped around wheels of Haribson. For a fascinating inside look at how Harbison is made (and enjoyed) visit the cheese section of Jasper Hill's website.

Above: Another bark-wrapped delight, Winnimere is named for a cove on Lake Caspian where the Kehler brothers' grandfather used to ice fish. Made in winter when the Jasper Hill cows produce the richest, hay-fed milk, this soft cheese took home the American Cheese Society 2013 Best in Show.

Above: Named for Anne Harbison, known as the grandmother of Greensboro, wheels of Harbison cure for 90 days. Personally, I can't say enough about this rich, creamy cheese except that it is my new favorite. This woodsy cheese is wonderful spread over a soft baguette, enjoyed with an oaky white wine, or with something sweet such as dates, figs, or maple nuts.

Above: Better than Fort Knox: the gold in this vault is Cabot Clothbound Cheddar. In 2003, the doyen of Vermont cheese asked the Kehler brothers to age a special batch of Clothbound Cheddar. The result was an American Cheese Society Best in Show winner, which today is the flagship of Jasper Hill Cellars. 

Above: Made from milk sourced entirely from George Kempton's Farm in Peacham, Vermont, young cheddars are formed at Cabot Creamery and aged at Jasper Hill. Upon arrival at the Cellars, the 32-pound wheels are coated with lard and an additional layer of cloth. They are then aged for from nine to 13 months, during which time they are continually brushed, turned, and monitored for quality.

Above: Molly Browne (a Wisconsin native and convert to Vermont cheese) is Jasper Hill's liaison to cheesemongers; she notes that the old English tradition of wrapping cheddar in cloth allows for more airflow during the aging process. The results are less sharp than those produced by plastic or wax, creating a more complex and savory cheese.

Above: "Bright and brothy savory notes with a salt-caramel finish and crystalline texture that becomes creamy on the palate," Cabot Clothbound cheddar is delightful when paired with apples, fruity cabernets, or "big brown" ales.

Above: Vita and her fellow Ayrshire cows graze in a pasture adjacent to the Jasper Hill Cellars. A hardy breed, Ayrshires produce milk that is especially well-suited for cheese making.

Above: Erika (Oma) and Werner (Opa) were the first von Trapps to farm the family land in Waitsfield, Vermont. Today their grandson, Sebastian von Trapp, keeps up the tradition with "Oma," a cheese made from organic milk from his Jersey cows. Oma cheese is aged and distributed by Jasper Hill as part of the company's active partnerships with other area dairies.

Above: "Soft and tender with a thin, earthy rind," Oma loves to be coupled with Belgian-style ale, Grüner Veltliner (Austrian, white wine), buttery crackers and fig jam, or dried fruit.

Above: Ochre Oma against the marbled concrete walls of the cheese caves proved a favorite photography subject.

Above: It's not a competition, it's a partnership. Eventually, Andy and Mateo hope to support even more Vermont creameries and cheesemakers under the Jasper Hill umbrella.  (You can learn about other affiliated cheesemakers here.) 

Above: Another partner: To diversify and revive their second-generation dairy farm in the White Mountains, Doug and Deb Erb developed Landaff as well as Kinsman Ridge (not pictured), which are both aged at Jasper Hill. (For a delightful break in your day, watch the video of their "cow spa" here.)

Above: Fittingly Jasper Hill Farm's signature Bayley Hazen Blue is named for the Revoluntionary-era road that brought the first settlers to Vermont. 

Above: Pairings such as sherry, imperial stouts, and dark chocolate bring out this creamy blue's spicy, nutty character.

Above: Like a pantheon of Vermont cheese, Jasper Hill Cellars feature seven radiating vaults around a central rotunda. Due to strict health codes, Jasper Hill is not open to the public. The cheese is readily available in the area and at gourmet cheese shops throughout the nation. You can also order it at the Jasper Hill online shop. 

Hungry for more cheese?

• In California Meredith takes us on a tour of a goat farm in From Goat to Table: Harley Farms on the California Coast.
• Mimi Giboin travels across the pond to France in Shopper's Diary: The Cheese Man of Pas de Blénac.
• Meanwhile, Remodelista's editors have found the world's most elegant cheese slicers in Thor Bjørklund's Cheese Tools at Mjölk.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Garden-to-Table Recipe: 10-Minute Pasta Sauce with Radicchio and Cheese
• Required Reading: Green Kitchen Travels
• Required Reading: Bitter

Decor-wise, Halloween has never been my holiday. Christmas sparkle and Easter florals certainly inspire, but to me all those gravestones and ghouls are just, well, monstrous. 

But this year a comment from my mother prompted me to try a different approach. While shopping in an antiques store, she declared, "I hate old things. They're always so creepy." While I love storied objects, I knew what my mother meant: Sprinkled here and there, vintage pieces add soul. Unrelentingly layered, without anything fresh or new, they become somewhat morbid.

Which is good if that's the effect you're going for.

Thus inspired, this year I thought I'd take advantage of my own upcoming front hall and stairway renovation to get into the spirit of things, so to speak. Using only vintage items that I already own, plus ancestral portraits gathered from my family, I created an homage to Halloween—and for $0. Devoid of pumpkins and witches, it's not your average child's play. Which, to me, makes it all the more haunting.

Photography by Justine Hand.

Above: A gilded vignette conjures the feeling of faded grandeur. 

For my haunted hall, I wanted to evoke the aura of a gothic tale—eerie, but not grotesque and certainly not hokey. After all, my family and I have to live in this space. So I opted for a subtly disturbing approach, one that creeps up on you. Here, using the antique journals of my house's original owners as a launching point, I created a gilded assemblage. With my grandmother's candlesticks, dried hydrangeas, and some old portraits, it's almost pretty, until you realize it's all dead.

Above: With its long narrow stair, my front hall is quintessentially creepy. It even has a black door that creaks when you open it. The chipped paint and strip of raw wood from an original runner were recently revealed under a thick green carpet (see below) that I spent much of last Thursday removing. All I added was an antique mirror, a bit of cheese cloth at the top, and lots of dried leaves.

Above: On the stairs, an old doll and a handwritten letter whisper of past lives, once rich, now gone.

Above: An ode to Miss Havisham: taking advantage of that archetypal scary spot under the stairs, I put my wedding veil to use.

 I employed allegorical vignettes to engage my visitors' sense of fantasy. What is going on here? Who is the woman in the portrait? Did she meet some sinister end? And what's with the key? In this context, objects that usually suggest a happy beginning (like a veil) or innocence (like the doll on the stairs) are much creepier than ghoulish recordings and fake webbing.

Above: An old journal, leaves, and a veil. Clues to some macabre mystery?

Above: Empty frames and ancestral portraits are quite effective when striving for a spectral effect.

Above: Dessicated and brittle, dead leaves strewn about the hall suggest neglect and decay.

Above: The only color in the room, last month's dried hydrangeas resurrected.

Above: Soon to be replaced by something more current and less shiny, my hall chandelier enjoys one last hurrah. Here, I used a combination of antique silk and silver thread (from Michael's) to create the remains of a web.

Above: Except for a trio of small portraits at the top and a mirror at the bottom, I left the stair wall blank to emphasize the long, lonely ascent to the top. 

Above: True horror: the green carpeting that came with our house, shown in a "Before" image. Ripping it off the stairs was so liberating. "Like taking a sack cloth off a woman with a gorgeous figure," was how my aunt put it. After Halloween is over, I look forward to the real renovations. Stay tuned...

Halloween curb appeal? We've been figuring out how to create it fast, on a budget:

• 8 Best Orange Paints for a Front Door
• 13 Ways to Create Curb Appeal with Pumpkins
• Design Sleuth: Spooky Planters for Halloween

N. B. Looking for another easy approach to Halloween? Try a little black paint.

More Stories from Gardenista

• DIY: A Tiny Fall Garden in a Window Box
• Small Space DIY: A Perfect Shoe Rack for a Narrow Entryway
• DIY: Woven Rope Doormat

Do you shun russet-colored floral arrangements because you think they're an autumn cliché? I too used to say thanks but no thanks to orange florals before I came across the wild compositions below.

With leaves withering on the branch, seed pods dried to a husk, and flowers past their prime, the harvest shade takes on a poetic depth. When you showcase orange blooms the way nature intended them, they're beautiful in their decay:

Above: Dusty orange dahlias are loosely surrounded by wildflowers including Queen Anne's lace and daisies, arranged by Brooklyn florist Sarah Ryhanen of Saipua at her farm. For more, see Alexa's Garden Visit to World's End Farm. 

Above: Seen on Decorating Mumma, an inverted bundle of branches brighten a weathered cabinet.

Above: Ochre ranunculus, deliberately disheveled by Sarah Ryhanen of Saipua, look as if they were left in Miss Havisham's attic. 

Above: Spied on Wooden Nest, a bunch of dried flowers.

Above: Seen on Sanctuary & Style, bittersweet berries, while invasive, are beautifully contained in a beer stein. If you can't win, as they say, arrange them.

Above: Time in a bottle: dried specimens at Design Sponge.

Above: Little Flower School channels gothic romance with a high-low mix of roses and perennial grasses.

Above: A woodsy wreath with feathers and fungi by Studio Choo.

Above: Forgive our obsession with Saipua (she did start a movement, after all). Here is Ryhanen's arrangement of black-and-white anemones, roses, and a cascade of ivy gone medieval.

Above: Styling by Erba Floral Studio proves you can cool down the saturation of tangerines and roses with a dahlia past its prime and withering leaves. Photograph by Parker Fitzgerald.

Still not warmed up to orange? See Lindsey's Unexpected Autumnal Arrangements that say "harvest without harvest colors." And, to browse all our Entertaining & Arrangement posts, head over here.  

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• Steal This Look: Style on a Budget, a Picnic on a Bed of Leaves
• DIY Succulents: Tabletop Arrangement for Under $20
• Recipe Contest: We'll Feature Winners at Our Next Dinner Party

By day, the best stairway lighting is barely noticeable. After the sun goes down, well chosen lights can transform staircases to glowing jewel boxes. Here's our primer to make your exterior stairs safe, sure-footed, and if we're counting first impressions, stunning. 

N.B.: This is the third in our series of landscape lighting primers; scroll to the end for links to our posts on uplighting and pathway lighting. Sources for landscape lighting are also below. 

Above: Designer John Pawson's Casa delle Bottere in Treviso, Italy has a single story above ground. A staircase leads to a sunken courtyard and a basement level. Photograph by Marco Zanta via John Pawson.

Besides location, how is stairway lighting different?

Stairway lights generally offer a lower level of illumination than standard path or garden lights, leading the way without blinding the walker or distracting from the landscape. The direction of the shine is downward or sideways to create soft pools of light for safer footing.

Above: Concrete steps and discreet lighting by Growsgreen Landscape Design.

What are the different types of step lights?

Many outdoor lights can be used to illuminate at foot level, but some fixtures are designed specifically to light exterior stairs. Below are the most commonly used step lights. (Keep in mind that some lights can fit into more than one category.)

Riser Lights

Demure and effective, flush lights that mount on risers provide easy stairway navigation and can be coordinated with their background material so they don't distract during the day.

Above: In a Geyserville, California project by Andrea Cochran Landscape Architects, a steel garden stairway with riser step lights that disappear by day. Photograph by Marion Brenner. 

Above: Bands of riser lights add to the geometry of the "Unfolding Terrace" in Brooklyn by Terrain Landscape Architecture.

Under Tread Lights

Above: Hardscape lighting that mounts beneath the overhang on a stair tread is discreet and effectively directs light downward. For more, see Design Sleuth: Hidden Hardscape Lighting. Flexible light tape also can be used.

Recessed Wall Fixtures

Above: Mounted in adjacent walls, recessed lights cast a glow sideways across the stairs, creating safe stepping and visual interest on a far wall. Photograph via Delta Light.

Wall Sconces 

Outdoor wall sconces mounted on posts alongside a stairwell can provide effective shine. Keep glare to a minimum by using down lights (or down/uplight combinations).

Above: In Calistoga, California, Bernard Trainor & Associates used downlight sconces mounted on wood posts for stairway navigation. Take a visit to Bernard Trainor's Most Beautiful Swimming Pool.

Pathway Lights

If your stairs are flanked by greenery, consider pathway lights, fitted with canopies to direct light downward.  

Above: Garden lights tucked in grasses of staggered stairs by Botanica Design in Vancouver, BC. 

Above: Strategically placed pathway lights lead the way. Photograph via Delta Light.

What are tips for stairway lighting placement and selection?

• Space out fixtures to avoid a bright stream of light. In other words, don't use a light at or on every stair. 
• Consider placing a brighter lamp at the bottom and top of a stairway to guide walkers to the start and end points.
• Choose fixtures that direct light downward or sideways at foot level.
• Consider the width of your stairs. Extra-wide flights may need multiple fixtures at each level.
• Select lights with frosted glass or shielded to prevent glare.
• If your stairs are not uniform, consider placing lights where careful navigation or extra attention is needed.
• Use lighting to enhance your landscape (most stairs are not worthy of a spotlight). Pay attention to placement so you can simultaneously highlight a prized plant or create an attractive light pattern.

Above: Wide stairs call for multiple step lights. The seemingly random placement of the step lights creates an appealing entrance for a retreat in Michigan by Wheeler Kearns Architects.

How do I power step lights?

Unless they are solar-powered, outdoor lights need to be connected to an electric power source. You can plug them into an outdoor power socket, hard wire them to a full 120V electric source, or install a low-voltage transformer. From safety, cost, and easy installation, low voltage is the way to go. Low-voltage transformers change the electric current from 120V to 12V, ideal for outdoor garden use because of the wet conditions. (Electricity and water are typically a bad combination.)

Using regular electrical power requires wiring to be buried at least 18 inches deep or to be encased in a conduit, while low-voltage systems can plug into an outdoor socket. Then the wires can be easily buried under soil or gravel. Installing stairway lights in risers or walls adds an extra dimension of work. Consult with an electrician, contractor, or outdoor lighting professional for guidance.

Above: Hooded step lights are surface mounted on one side of the stairs in an urban garden retreat by Charlotte Rowe Garden Design in London.

Where can I buy stair lighting?

Above: Single riser step lights center mounted in concrete stairs in garden by Pedersen Associates. Lightology offers a good selection of step lighting.

For more landscape lighting ideas, see our earlier features:

• 10 Easy Pieces: Landscape Uplights
• 10 Easy Pieces: Pathway Lighting
• 10 Easy Pieces: Black Wharf Lights
• 10 Easy Pieces: Outdoor Nautical Bulkhead Lights 

Read our other outdoor lighting primers: Landscape Uplighting and Pathway Lighting. And for more staggeringly beautiful views, see Meredith's Architect Roundup: 10 Garden Stairways.

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• Rust Never Sleeps: 8 Surprising Ways to Use Steel in the Garden
• 10 Easy Pieces: Chimineas
• Curb Appeal: 8 Best Orange Paints for a Front Door

Every year I attempt to carve a pumpkin that's somewhat on the subtler end of the spectrum from the wide, toothy grinned pumpkins of my childhood. I'm usually foiled by rudimentary carving skills that don't match my vision for sculptural masterpiece. This year I decided on a starry pumpkin that doesn't require very many special skills, yet still manages to look grown up. 

Photography by Erin Boyle.

Above: To begin, I chose a sophisticated white Lumina Pumpkin instead of the typical orange porch-dwellers (see Janet's roundup for our Favorite Pumpkin Varieties).

Above: I drew a faint line with a colored pencil to mark where I'd make my lid.

Above: Using a chef's knife to make diagonal cuts in the top of the pumpkin, I cut a lid. The diagonal cuts are important so that the lid doesn't fall through when the pumpkin begins to shrink as it dries out.

Above: Next, an ice cream scoop came in handy for removing the seeds and goop from inside the pumpkin. (Don't worry: I made sure to save the seeds for roasting.)

Above: I use a set of hand drills to punch different sizes of holes in the pumpkin wall. I didn't draw a guide, but I did start with the largest drill and work my way to the smallest, making a haphazard pattern in the pumpkin wall. The Gimlet Hand Drills I used are $13.95 from Kaufmann Mercantile.

Above: Designed for wooden surfaces, the steel hand drills also worked well on a pumpkin. I took care to wash and dry them carefully afterward.

Above: After punching holes over the surface of the pumpkin, I decided to get fancy and turn a few of my regular old stars into supernovas. I used a small knife to carve tiny star bursts around the edge of some of the largest holes.

Above: After I tackled supernovas, I went straight to comets. 

Above: Set on my bookshelf, the pumpkin looks as pretty by day as it does at night.

N.B. To make sure I really got the pumpkin glowing, I used three small beeswax tea lights instead of one and let the pumpkin glow with the lid off to promote oxygen flow to the candles. 

Are you in a Halloween mood yet? For more, see:

• Curb Appeal: 8 Best Orange Paints for a Front Door
• 13 Ways to Decorate for Halloween with Pumpkins
• 10 Easy Pieces: Best Pumpkins to Plant for Next Year's Halloween Harvest

More Stories from Gardenista

• DIY: Justine's Haunted House on a Budget
• DIY: A Tiny Fall Garden in a Window Box
• Small Space DIY: A Perfect Shoe Rack for a Narrow Entryway

The house and garden at Hemingford Manor are part of the local riverscape on the Great Ouse, Cambridgeshire. They also feature in a fictional one, the enchanted Green Knowe of Lucy Boston's children's books.

Benign spirits mingle with the living in the castle-like house and on visiting, it is a challenge to separate fact from fiction at this 12th-century dwelling, arguably the oldest inhabited house in England.

Photography by Jim Powell for Gardenista.

Above: A low wall divides the garden from passersby on the river. Water lapped around the doorstep at the beginning of the first book in the series, The Children of Green Knowe. The last time this happened in real life was in 1947. Lucy Boston arrived at Hemingford Manor in 1939, as a single mother. She set about restoring the cluster of buildings, the heart of which dates back to the 1130s.

The manor is lived in by Lucy's daughter-in-law, Diana Boston, our very knowledgeable guide. Her husband was Lucy's son Peter, an architect who also illustrated the Green Knowe books. Inheriting the immortalized house was, according to Diana, "like finding a difficult baby on your doorstep."

Above: The gardens are laid out in semi-formal beds at the front and side of the house, and planted in a relaxed cottage style. Old roses abound, and running parallel to the moat at the front are ranks of irises, interplanted with Verbena bonariensis and Veronicastrum.

Above: The Hidden Garden, not on view from the river, is near the oldest part of the house. There are intriguing trees, such as the apple which has fused with a crab apple, producing a simultaneous crop of separate fruits. Shown here, a spindle tree sports contrasting hues of foliage and berries against lichen.

Above: A particularly vibrant Ricinus communis, (the toxic castor oil plant) shown to best advantage against the grass Stipa gigantea. Though the house (which is open by appointment) is an obvious attraction, the gardens are just as intriguing, clearly tended by a keen plantswoman, with some part-time help.

Above: The newer part of the house (18th century), with some of the yew shapes planted by Lucy Boston and Diana. This particular topiary is a reference to the accommodating "castle of yew" in the books.

Above: An engraved birthday gift to Lucy Boston in the music room window. This room upstairs is the old hall, the nucleus of the original dwelling. During the war Lucy put its large gramophone to use, giving twice-weekly recitals to the RAF. Having lived "in all the music capitals of Europe," she knew her stuff and the collection of old 78 rpm records, which are still played, is impressive.

Above: Lucy Boston began writing books when she was 60. Her work was recognized with a Carnegie Medal and she wrote six full-length stories about Green Knowe. They are delightful for adults and children alike. A visit to Hemingford is a way to explore the details of the book, for instance this creaking rocking horse and wicker bird cage.

"We always keep the window by the bird cage open a little," says Diana. "So that the greenfinch can come in at night." Clearly, we have dipped into the parallel universe, signs of which are all over the house.

Above: The view from the attic window over a giant chess set created from yew.

Above: Topiary on the lawn was laid out by Lucy Boston in the 1940s. She decided to give the yew a patriotic twist in 1952 to train it into crown and orb shapes to honor the Queen's coronation.

Lucy was influenced by the gardens at Levens Hall, Cumbria, which she'd known as a child. Levens Hall is renowned for its curious and ancient topiary.

Above: "Green grow the rushes oh." This traditional song appears in the books and preoccupations are watery. This channel forms part of the moat which circumvents the house through woodland and more formally planted areas.

Above: A more conventional way of arriving at the house, down the driveway. The tracks make it as unobtrusive as possible; even so, visitors are asked to park in the village and walk by the river to the house.

Above: The view from the garden gate.

We love to poke around in writers' gardens. For more, see:

• Required Reading: Virginia Woolf's Garden
• Eudora Welty: A Writer's Garden in Mississippi
• The Poet and his Garden: Ian Hamilton Finlay in Scotland

More Stories from Gardenista

• Garden Visit: At Home with Vanity Fair Art Director Julie Weiss in Manhattan
• Designer Visit: Arne Maynard at Home in Wales
• Weekend Forager: Are Those Mushrooms Edible?

London architects Haworth Tompkins found an ingenious way to to honor history—by building a new music studio inside the ruins of a tiny dovecote on the Suffolk coast of England. 

A dilapidated brick pigeon house seemed, at first, beyond salvation on the campus of performance arts center Aldeburgh Music, where a collection of crumbling Victorian-era brick industrial buildings has been rebuilt over time. But concert patrons and students had a particular affection for the tiny structure. When it came time to decide its fate, the architects came up with a plan to preserve and honor the historical ruin—while simultaneously transforming it into a modern music studio. Inside are simple plywood walls and a piano. 

Read on for before and after photos of the rehab project that saved the tiny brick building:

Photography by Philip Vile.

Above: London-based architects Haworth Tompkins designed a new Corten steel building, fabricated on site and placed inside the shell of the former dovecote. Built to the dimensions of the old building, the Corten structure has openings for doors and windows matching those of the dovecote. 

For more ways to use Corten steel, see Rust Never Sleeps: 8 Surprising Ways to Use Steel in the Garden.

Before

Above: The Victorian brick dovecote deteriorated over time and finally collapsed in the 1970s.

Above: Each Corten panel of the new structure was individually fabricated. Then the shell was welded together on site. A crane lifted it and gently settled it inside the shell of the old building.

After

Above: Recreating the original structure did not make sense—the campus was not in need of a dovecote—so the architects found an interesting solution to the question of historical preservation.

Above: Though brand new, the simple form of the Corten structure evokes the shape of the old building and blends in on the Victorian-era campus.

Above: Little was done to the existing brick except for minimal structural repairs. The builders added drainage measures to ensure water wouldn't collect between the two structures.

Above: Even the rusting window grills remain, flanking either side of a door. 

Above: Existing vegetation was allowed to continue growing over the brick structure.

Above: Inside the Corten shell is a timber box made of spruce plywood.

Above: Simple interiors: concrete floors, plywood walls, and a piano.

Above: The corner window opens completely, overlooking marshes toward the sea.

Above: Though the structure lacks a bathroom, the architects managed to fit in a tiny kitchen.

Above: A large north-facing window allows generous light for working artists.

Visit more of our favorite outbuildings in Black and White Orangery, Scandi Style; A Tuscan Cliffside Aerie; and A Rocky Retreat in the Czech Republic.

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By late October my potted shiso plants are several feet tall. Their ruffled green and purple leaves are sprinkled with flower spikes. As the nights grow longer, I begin to eat the leaves faster, knowing I will not enjoy them again until next summer.

Read on for delicious shiso suggestions—and step-by-step instructions for making a Shisito, my favorite October cocktail:

Photography by Marie Viljoen for Gardenista.

Above: The aroma and flavor have been compared with everything from anise to cinnamon and cloves. But to me the scent is reminiscent of roses, by way of quinces. The purple leaves are far more rose-y in smell than the green, which lean toward the quinces and perhaps a little mint. Their flavor is harder to describe.

Above: Shiso is the Japanese name for a specific variety of perilla: Perilla frutescens var. crispa. Another variety, Perilla frutescens var. frutescens, is the sesame leaf of Korean cookery. One can buy it pressed and preserved in specialty Korean stores. The names perilla, shiso, and sesame leaf are often used interchangeably. I suspect the two very similar-looking plants are often confused, by professional growers, cooks, and diners. I’m not sure it matters.

Above: I first encountered shiso, as many diners do, in a Japanese restaurant. It was sandwiched between a layer of pressed, vinegared rice and a sliver of rosy tuna. The fresh leaf delivered an unfamiliar, perfumed taste. The same night I found Shiso Perilla Green and Red Seeds ($1.99 per packet) at Botanical Interests. The plants have been a terrace staple now for three years, growing in pots and tolerating both full sun and partial shade. 

Above: Shiso is very slow to start in cool weather. Despite my inevitable impatience, there is little point in sowing it until early summer. But by late summer, its leaves are fat and crinkled like crepe and ready to pick. By October’s end I make sure to cut most of the flowers rather than let them set seed, as various perillas have demonstrated their invasive potential.

Above: As well as it pairs with sushi, shiso is also a refreshing foil for highly seasoned food. I marinate beef short ribs in a pungent combination of soy, scallions, ginger, and lime, before grilling them over coals. After it rests, the meat is sliced from the bones and each bite is wrapped in a shiso leaf.

Above: Another way we eat it is as a wrapper for Vietnamese-inspired fillings where lemongrass, fish sauce, tamarind, peanuts, and garlic send the umami into the stratosphere. The shiso brings it back down to earth.

Above: A simple, messy meal of shrimp grilled with garlic and lime juice, and drizzled with a quick raw sauce of chopped shiso, mint, more lime, sugar and salt is stickily divine.

Above: You say cocktail? I say: Shisito! Taking a cue from the delicious (but done-to-death) mojito, I combine another ephemeral seasonal pleasure—Muscat grapes—with crushed shiso and rum. October in a glass, with ice.

Shisito

Makes one sturdy drink

Ingredients:

• 6 Muscat grapes, peeled and seeded (yes, you can)
• 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar
• 6 shiso leaves
• 3 ounces good white rum
• 1 ounce lime juice
• Seltzer or sparkling water to top

In a cocktail shaker, aggressively muddle the grapes (crush them) with the sugar. Add the shiso leaves, and muddle to bruise. Add the rum, lime juice, and ice cubes. Shake like mad, and strain into a glass over fresh ice. Some bits will sneak through, that’s fine. Top with splash of sparkling water. Sip.

For more of Marie's garden, see her blog, 66 Square Feet (Plus). For more recipes from her garden, see: 

• Spicy Spinach from 66 Square Feet
• Tiny Gardens: Alpine Strawberries in NYC
• DIY: Pears Roasted in Red Wine

More Stories from Gardenista

• DIY: A Black Thistle Bouquet for Halloween
• DIY: Pumpkin Carving Ideas, Milky Way Edition
• DIY: Justine's Haunted House on a Budget

Looking for a last-minute way to spookify your Halloween dinner table? We suggest training your well-honed face painting skills on your flowers. Viewed through the right lens, thistles can look pretty spooky without any dressing up. But if you want to up their witchiness, try cloaking them in black.

Materials:

• 2-3 stems blue thistle
• Black acrylic paint
• Paint brush

Photography by Erin Boyle.

Above: Begin by snipping individual flower heads off the central thistle stem.

Above: Use a small paint brush to paint the outer leaves and stem of the thistle flowers. Leave the iridescent blue centers without paint.

Above: Allow your thistles time to dry before putting them into a vase.

Above: Make sure you paint the leaves and stem, too.

Above: Display your spidery thistles in vintage labware. (If you're looking for glass beakers or flasks, check the selection on Etsy. For instance, a Vintage Glass Lab Flask is $24 from Oh Albatross via Etsy.)

Above: Thistles have pretty good staying power outside of water. My painted flowers have lasted for several days out of water without any sign of fading.

For more DIY flowers, see:

• DIY: Spray-Painted Flowers for Valentine's Day
• DIY: Wintry Cardoon Thistles
• Small Space DIY: A Wall Full of Colorful Dried Flowers

More Stories from Gardenista

• Shisito Cocktail: October in a Glass
• DIY: Pumpkin Carving Ideas, Milky Way Edition
• DIY: Justine's Haunted House on a Budget

At Remodelista this week, Julie and team have it in for clutter, with genius storage solutions for every room. Their mantra: "Having a place for everything = order + sanity." From perfectly folded towels to closets where everything is at arm's reach? "Welcome to the golden age of organization," says Margot. 

Above: Can thoughtful design turn slobs into neatniks? Christine shows us how to kill clutter with 12 architectural built-ins for the bedroom. 

Above: In 5 Favorites, Julie sources the best wheeled canvas hampers designed to last a lifetime. Laundry is an obsession of ours. For small spaces, read Alexa's Clever Laundry Rooms, Space-Saving Edition, and to file away for when the weather is warmer: 7 Life-Changing Reasons to Dry Laundry Outdoors.

Above: Not that you need a practical reason to splurge at Hermès, but here it is: A pyramid of Hermès boxes that double as storage, featured in the new book Collected: Living with the Things You Love by Fritz Karch and Rebecca Robertson (ex-staffers at Martha Stewart Living).

Above: Fancy yourself cooking in a French kitchen? In Steal This Look, Meredith shows you how to recreate the look of A Tiny, Romantic Paris Kitchen, Moroccan tile included. 

Above: Towel rods turned shoe racks, color-coded drawers, and hidden hampers are some of the 11 Clever Storage Ideas for the Closet.

To see all of the editors' genius storage solutions, visit Remodelista.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Table of Contents: Orange is the New Black
• Trending on Remodelista: The DIY Bathroom
• Table of Contents: The DIY Mudroom

Here's what's on our radar this week:

• Above: We're daydreaming about an urban garden on a Juliet balcony.
• On our wish list: a set of three bee homes. 

• Above: Foraged finds for natural dye. Photograph via Sasha Duerr. 
• The perfect fall dessert.

• Above: Read on to learn about the healing properties of oregano oil. Photograph courtesy of The Chalkboard Mag. 
• A guide to turning an inexpensive bouquet into a fancy arrangement. 

• Above: We were first introduced to @mooncanyon on Instagram and we've been admiring ever since.
• We're turning to Cassandra Lavalle's Savory Recipe board on Pinterest for fall dinner. 

Take a look at our week of autumn colors and don't miss Remodelista's homage to Genius Storage Solutions. 

More Stories from Gardenista

• Calling All Readers: Send Us Your Halloween Photos
• Current Obsessions: Real Estate Envy
• Current Obsessions: Bringing Green Indoors

The first sign that I was not at a typical college were the axes protruding from students'  backpacks. Then, there were the 15 bushels of onions being cleaned by students in the courtyard. The clincher, though, were the draft horses cutting their way across campus. It's all part of Sterling College's mission to prepare the minds and hands of tomorrow's environmental stewards.

As it says on the School's website, "Many colleges have a farm. Sterling College is a farm." Located in the quaint town of Craftsbury Common, Vermont, Sterling was one of the first schools to link academics with ecology. Majors offered include Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems, Outdoor Education, Ecology, and Environmental Humanities. Sterling is also one of seven federally recognized Work-Learning-Service Colleges in the US. All students, regardless of financial aid, contribute at least 80 hours per semester to the day-to-day operations of the school.

Photography by Justine Hand for Gardenista.

Above: One of the oldest sustainable agriculture programs in the US, "farm work is integrated into the academic study, work program, and everyday community life." You can read more about the Sterling farm here. 

Above: Located in the vibrant community of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, Sterling benefits from active partnerships with local farms and business. During my tour of the region, I ran across Sterling alums at Jasper Hill Farm (See One Cheese at a Time: Jasper Hill Farm and the Rise of Vermont Local Food Movement) and High Mowing Seeds, whose founder Tom Stearns is on the Sterling College board, and at Caledonia Spirits. The school also collaborates with Pete's Greens, Vermont Natural Coating, and Vermont Soy. You can read more about these partnerships in Edible Green Mountains article, "The Town Saved by Food: A College Joins Hardwick's Blossoming as Ag Hub," by Sterling Trustee and long time NYTimes Food Writer Marian Burros.

Above: Animal care and husbandry is an integral part of the Sustainable Agriculture major. Draft Horse Manager Rick Thomas teaches a student how to properly change a horse shoe. In a "mixed power model" sustainable ag majors learn how to use both tractors as well as the school's four draft horses to work the fields.

Above: Another aspect that sets Sterling dramatically apart from other schools and colleges? The food. Freshly made by chef Simeon Bittman and students, it's nutritious and delicious. 20 percent (including organic vegetables, meat, even maple syrup) is sourced from campus, with the rest coming from within 100 miles on campus.

Above: My tour guide for the day was Sustainable Agriculture major Melissa Eckstrom, shown here with some hops in the Edible Forest Garden. A native of urban Philadelphia, Melissa fell in love with farming when she and some roommates turned their tiny city plot into a fertile garden. After graduating this year, Melissa will join the Peace Corps in Jamaica where she will embark on a sustainable food program.

Above: "Dress to be outdoors. Whatever the weather." Most Sterling classes happen outside in the fields and forest that make up the school's 130-acre campus. Every winter, students embark on a four-day, back-country hike through the mountains.

Above: Goats from Oak Knoll Goat Dairy in Southern, Vermont are being raised and studied in partnership with Vermont Chevon, which promotes the meat-goat industry. It's all part of the college's research in sustainable agriculture as well as their active partnerships with local farms and educational institutions.

Above: "Working Minds. Working Hands" is Sterling's motto. Work and service are an integral part of a Sterling education. In exchange students receive practical life skills, a deeper sense of community, and tuitution relief.

Above: The season's last tomatoes include a rainbow of varieties.

Above: Named for a former trustee and community leader, The Rian Fried Center for Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems includes the school's farm, Alfond Draft Horse and McCarthy Barns, as well as instructional facilities such as the Farrier Shop, which was constructed in collaboration with Yestermorrow Design/Build School.

Above: Free-range chickens provide meat and eggs for the kitchen. The college also raises turkeys, which grace faculty and staff tables at Thanksgiving. Extras go to local food banks.

Above: No ivy-covered buildings here. The Shaker-style structures of Sterling College's campus blend in seamlessly with the surrounding Vermont farm houses.

Above: It looks like a scene from any student dining hall...except for the axes, which are part of a required course for first years: "Tools and Their Appreciation."

Above: As part of Animal Science 1, the School purchased ten Holstein bull calves from a neighboring cow dairy. Students have full responsibility for all the health care and management of the calves, including de-horning, castrating, ear tagging, and vaccinating. Sterling Animal Science Students are also helping UVM with a research project to help raise livestock more efficiently.

Above: Sterling is an intimate community with just under 130 students. The School also offers summer study and continuing education courses such as: "Artisan Cheesemaking" with Jasper Hill Cellars; "Fermentation with Sandor Katz," whose latest book,"The Art of Fermentation," received a James Beard award; "From Forest to Forge," to develop skills in carpentry, timber harvesting; as well as canoeing, hiking, charcuterie, writing, and more. To plan a trip to Sterling College, visit their website here.

Interested in exploring more sustainable farms? Alexa takes us apple picking at Fishkill Apple Orchard: A Family Farm Goes Sustainable. Erin gets some advice from the pros in "Ask the Expert: Winter Garden Tips from Stone Barns."

More Stories from Gardenista

• Garden Visit: Lucy Boston's Storybook English Home
• Garden Visit: At Home with Vanity Fair Art Director Julie Weiss in Manhattan
• Designer Visit: Arne Maynard at Home in Wales

While we're under the spell of our garden year round, there's something particularly enchanting about the wild darkness that we celebrate this month. (As Halloween is Michelle's favorite holiday, we start decorating early.) This week, we call on the spirits, and summon the mystical and the pagan:

Above: Photograph by Sophia Moreno-Bunge from our recent post,  Uli Lorimer, Native Plant Whisperer.

Monday

Above: Michelle visits a tiny freestanding charred-wood bedroom addition (price tag $45,000) that's a mini mirror of the cottage next door in this week's Architect Visit. Photograph via NeM Architectes.

Above: Kendra explains the difference between beech and hornbeam in this week's Field Guide. Photograph by Kendra Wilson.

Tuesday

Above: A Steal This Look involving the Salem witch trials? Well, we did promise Dark Shadows. Meredith finds the somber beauty of this colonial facade translates well beyond the historical town.

Above: Superstition didn't stop Barbara from heading straight to Brooklyn Heights (a neighborhood that takes Halloween very, very seriously) in search of seasonal Curb Appeal.

Wednesday

Above: Our love of air plants is undying. Sophia shares her latest arrangement in this week's Entertaining & Arrangements. In the meantime, see Gardening 101: How to Water an Air Plant, and flex your botany know-how with Air Plants 101: How to ID a Tillandsia.

Thursday

Above: It's a monster bash at Meredith's, and you're invited for this week's Dinner Party Project, featuring readers' recipes and tabletop decor for your next Halloween party.

Friday

Above: Cheryl retreats to the mystical bohemian enclave of Southern California's Topanga Canyon, in this far-out Outbuilding of the Week.

Want more magic? Halloween mischief continues on Remodelista this week.

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• Trending on Remodelista: Genius Storage Solutions
• Table of Contents: Orange is the New Black
• Trending on Remodelista: The DIY Bathroom

On the coast of Brittany, architects Lucie Niney and Thibault Marca of Paris-based NeM Architectes discovered "a vacation home frozen in time." The challenge was to add a bedroom without sacrificing any of the quaint atmosphere. The solution? They designed a mirror image—an even tinier replica—and connected the two buildings with a small walkway.

To create a mirror image effect, the architects wanted to complement the existing white cottage with a dark addition. (Black is a color often seen on the foggy Brittany coast, where nearby oyster huts are frequently coated with a black paint described as a tar.) But instead of painting the cottage black, Niney and Marca decided to burn it:

Photography via NeM Architectes.

Above: Old and new. The two cottages are joined by a walkway clad in charred Douglas fir.

Before

 Above: Working with a budget of $45,000 and a mandate to add a bedroom to the vacation cottage, the architects decided to build a second peaked structure alongside the house.

Above: During a recent trip to Japan, the architects had become interested in the Japanese charred-wood technique of shou-sugi-ban. Charring wood makes it weather- and mold-resistant, a benefit near the sea. 

Above: The architects' plan called for a freestanding charred-wood cottage connected by a walkway to the existing house.

Above: The new cottage is clad in charred Douglas fir.

After

Above: The two cottages share a terrace.

Above: The bedroom in the new cottage has floor-to-ceiling doors instead of a wall, to connect it to the backyard.

Above: Connected by a covered walkway to the existing house, the new cottage is a mini replica of the old.

Above: From the road, the new charred wood cottage is reminiscent of the dark-stained facades of nearby oyster huts.

For more about shou-sugi-ban, the technique of charring wood, see:

• Hardscaping 101: Charred Wood Siding
• Architect Visit: A Teahouse, Charred and Blackened (on Purpose)
• Outbuilding of the Week: A Stylish Swedish Outhouse

More Stories from Gardenista

• Curb Appeal: 15 Ideas to Steal from Brooklyn for Halloween
• Campus Visit: Sterling College for Aspiring Agrarians
• Garden Visit: Lucy Boston's Storybook English Home

Pity the poor tillandsia. With its affable, low-maintenance personality, your little friend tends to get ignored on a bookshelf. Its nickname—air plant—may reinforce the idea that it needs no special attention. But while it doesn't need soil, it does need to eat. Here's how to water it:

Photography by John Merkl for Gardenista.

Above: There are hundreds of different species of tillandsia (and thanks to rampant hybridizing, it's hard to find two that look identical). But one thing they all have in common is they need water to live. 

Above: A rule of thumb: water a tillandsia once a week.

Fine tune the rule: If the air in your house is particularly dry, water more often (every five days) and in a humid environment, water every ten days. 

Instructions:

Step 1: Fill a basin, bowl, or sink with water and dunk your air plants. 

Step 2: After 10 minutes, remove the plants from the water and spread them on a towel to dry.

Step 3: If the plants still seem wet, turn them upside down to shake water out of their bases.

Be particularly careful with bulbous tillandsias (you will recognize them because they have visible bulbs at their bases) because if they get waterlogged, they will rot. 

Step 4: On days you don't water, you can mist tillandsias lightly. You will notice that as they soak up water, air plants will turn a more vivid color of green.

Read More:

• See Gardening 101: How to ID an Air Plant.
• For more ideas about how to display air plants, see Hooked on Houseplants, Teen Edition. 
• Are you new to gardening? See more Gardening 101 tips.

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• DIY: A Black Thistle Bouquet for Halloween
• Shisito Cocktail: October in a Glass
• DIY: Pumpkin Carving Ideas, Milky Way Edition

European beech (Fagus sylvatica): "The Chameleon"

As a tall and graceful tree, beech can live to half a millennium. Its good looks can be adapted to a smaller garden as a hedge and it mingles well with other natives as a wilder mixed barrier. Informal or formal, a pleached beech could be the way, for a high hedge on stilts.

Photography by Kendra Wilson, except where noted.

Above: A beech column is one of the simplest topiary shapes, created here by Arne Maynard at Cottesbrooke Hall. The different stages of autumn play out on this single specimen, making it a great-value structural piece in a formal or semi-formal setting. A straight or curvy hedge is also a good showcase for the seasons.

Above: Weeping beech is a lovely thing for gardens with a lot of space, its yellow-orange-green tints waving around in fall. It is one of several variations that suit this smooth, gray-barked tree. Copper beech has dark red, almost black foliage and has been used to great effect as contrasting hedging or as beech "platforms." Spaced through grass, blocks of copper beach provide backbone. American beech (Fagus grandifolia) is less often grown, being slower and less pollution-tolerant.

For beech platforms in a designed landscape, see A Modern Garden in a Medieval Setting.

Above: Hornbeam is a good alternative to beech if excellent drainage cannot be guaranteed. For the non-expert, they are alike enough, with beech more smooth around the edges. Shown here: hornbeam left, beech right.

Above: Classic woodland in the UK includes beech, oak, and birch. This ancient beech is part of the Five Hundred Acre Wood in East Sussex, immortalized by A.A. Milne as the 100-Acre Wood. The holey trunk above would make a fine dwelling for Owl. Photograph by Jim Powell.

Cheat Sheet

• Beech has distinct identities either as a very tall tree or an agreeable hedge.
• A beech hedge that is trimmed will retain its foliage in winter, creating an opaque screen.
• Plant small beech whips about a foot apart; they will establish better than larger specimens.

Keep it Alive

• Beech likes a well-drained soil; if you can't provide that, plant hornbeam.
• Despite its eventual height, beech is notoriously shallow-rooting and should not be planted as a tree close to the house.
• American beech can withstand a hotter climate than European; both are suitable for zones 4-9.

Above: The floor of a beech wood is typified by thick leaf mold and the scrunch of beech masts. Or rather, their husks, since the small nuts are whisked away by the more alert: squirrels and mice. It is an acid mixture and not conducive to an understory except in the case of certain types of plant, including bluebells. Photograph by Jim Powell.

Above: A bluebell wood is so-called because it consists of two monocultures: beech and Hyacinthoides non-scripta. In England, it is (in theory) a remarkably simple way of planting up five acres.

Above: In April when new leaves on beech are just beginning to unscroll, there is enough sunlight to encourage a carpet of bluebells. Sun comes in at a slanted angle and the ground is still moist. Six weeks later the conditions would not work: too dry and dark.

Read more:

• Beech or hornbeam? For help choosing, see Field Guide: Hornbeam.
• For further field guides on autumn trees: Field Guide: Apple Trees.
• Topiary is an Arne Maynard specialty: see how he does it at home: Designer Visit: Arne Maynard at Home in Wales.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Field Guide: Pumpkins
• Air Plants 101: How to ID a Tillandsia
• Garden-to-Table Recipe: Spicy Spinach from 66 Square Feet

This summer brought near-perfect gardening weather to New York City: one sunny day after another, not too hot, and just enough rain to keep everything well watered (for those who don’t always have time to get out the hose or watering can). My own light-challenged garden was lusher than it’s ever been, with vines tumbling halfway to the ground from window boxes and planters on the wall. 

All over my neighborhood, front yards and stoops, planters and tree wells were similarly lush. Just another reason to love the Upper West Side. Could there be a prettier place to live in the city?

As it turns out, yes. That place is Brooklyn Heights. A couple of weeks ago I ventured into Brooklyn to see a friend with a new baby (the adorable Alida). At the end of our visit, my friend said, “Walk over to Sidney Place if you're not in a hurry.”

I did. And later, I emailed Michelle a photo, saying, “You won’t believe how beautiful the gardens and window boxes are in Brooklyn Heights right now!” This post is the result.

Photographer Doug Thompson and I spent a blissful afternoon wandering around Brooklyn Heights, shooting whatever we could see from the sidewalk. With Halloween a few weeks away, plenty of seasonal arrangements already were on display, and all so tasteful you'd think there must be a competition going on. We did find one yard filled with plastic tombstones, skeletons, and a moth-eaten rat (it was on State Street, and sorry, you won't see it here), but almost everything else showed an unerringly sophisticated use of color and texture. Read on for 15 Halloween ideas to steal from Brooklyn Heights for your own garden:

Photography by Douglas Lyle Thompson for Gardenista.

Black Backdrop:

Above: On the stoop at one townhouse on Sidney Place, a restrained black planter matches the black door and lends a Halloween air. Gourds and a pumpkin pop against the dark backdrop.

Above: A black window box at the same townhouse. Like the planter by the door, it resembles a miniature prairie grassland.

Ghostly White:

Above: Caladium seem to be everywhere these days, and no wonder. They're hardy enough for an urban environment, and come in a wide range of colors. These in terra cotta planters on Sidney Place stick to white and green, and must be a ghostly sight after dark. 

Vivacious Vines:

Above: Coleus went nuts this summer. The chartreuse-colored leaves in the garden and tree well are from the unstoppable "Wasabi" coleus, a recent variety that is the gift that keeps on giving. (Need a cutting? I still have plenty—from a single plant.)

Vegetation has priority on this stoop (left): more lush coleus, sweet potato vine, and a spreading tuberous begonia with white blossoms. Guests must circumnavigate the twining residents. (Watch your ankles.)

Plants on the Loose:

Above: It's hard to believe that Sidney Place is only one short block. Here's one more on Sidney, where the vines are given free rein. At the foot of the steps, a pretty vine escapes from a pot of Japanese anemones, grasses, and pansies. 

Unexpected Heat:

Above: On Henry Street, one block closer to the river, diverse plantings on a stoop and in a tree well. With a surprise . . .

Above: The pumpkin and chrysanthemum are to be expected, but check out the orange peppers on the right. And is that bamboo at the back?

Purple People Eaters:

Above: Purple works for Halloween, too (when doesn't purple work?). A tree well combines boxwood with fuzzy celosia and lavender-edged ornamental kale—it wouldn't be Brooklyn without kale. Luckily, Brooklyn Heights dogs are so well mannered they curb themselves.

Monster Plants:

Above: Feed me! Don't be afraid to go big in fall. This variegated elephant ear at the top of the steps may well scare off pint-sized trick-or-treaters.

New York City's Mascot:

Above: It's rare that a rat is a welcome sighting in New York, but this guy on Henry Street is more charming than scary.

Ghoulish Gourds:

Above: Joralemon Street is busier than the side streets, but just as nicely decorated. This stoop has some especially well chosen gourds and pumpkins.

Rampant Roses:

Above: On Joralemon Street, a climbing rose laden with orange rose hips has decided to ramble over the railing and across a trellis. 

Above: At the same townhouse, more coleus run rampant in window boxes, along with some late-blooming fuchsias. In this section of the street the pavement switches to cobblestones: I loved the sound of car tires rumbling along the block. 

Mini Pumpkins:

Above: A felicitous mix of plants at a house on Garden Place. Homeowners around here don't hesitate to rip out tired petunias or ragged geraniums when summer's bloom is done, and start anew with fresh fall plantings.

Above: These boxes fit the season, with their shades of orange, ivy, fuzzy grasses—and yes, mini pumpkins tucked in at the base.

Hawkish Owls:

Above: While Michelle loves Halloween, she confesses to hating the color orange. It's a conundrum. How about rusty-orange instead, like this window-box owl?

Black Cats:

Above: Black cats are always in fashion on Halloween. Get one if you can. I spied this spooky character peeking around his front door on Willow Place, and quickly motioned to Doug to grab a shot.

Edith Wharton's Halloween:

Above: A few blocks over on Columbia Place, a particularly handsome and well-kept townhouse has covetable stone window boxes.

Above: Here, the Casper-like shapes of peace lilies flit above white-and-green caladium leaves; boxwood and dwarf cypress fill in the gaps.

Halloween-to-Thanksgiving Decor:

Above: Our last stop on Columbia Place had an urn and window boxes that suited their spaces perfectly (aided by the lacy curtains behind).

Above: A mix of orange-and-gold crotons, mums, and asparagus ferns will look just as good on Thanksgiving, as long as the weather stays mild. That's the risk you run putting houseplants in outdoor fall arrangements. But isn't that half the fun of it?

For more Halloween decorating ideas, check out last week's 13 Ways to Add Curb Appeal with Pumpkins. And see what Erin found last year in Brooklyn Heights in Design Sleuth: Spooky Planters for Halloween.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Before and After: A Charred Wood Cottage, on a $45K Budget
• Campus Visit: Sterling College for Aspiring Agrarians
• Garden Visit: Lucy Boston's Storybook English Home

None of us live in houses linked to the 17th-century Salem witch trials—and really, who would want to? Still, we're somehow drawn to the eerie beauty of the last-standing Salem Witch House, wicked back story be damned. Should you, too, find yourself drawn to the dark, we've sourced the elements to recreate the look: 

Above: The Salem Witch House, estimated to have been built between 1620 and 1670. It was the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, a member of the court that sentenced 19 people to be hanged for witchcraft in 1692. The house was occupied until the 1940s, when a road widening project threatened to force its demolition. The house was moved 35 feet, restored to its 17th-century appearance, and made a historic site for Salem tourism. Photograph via Atlas Obscura.

Above: A Wispy Birch Wreath with buds of Northwestern birch is $35 for an 18-inch wreath from Kate Coury's Farmhouse.

Above: A diamond-paned window at Tretower Court, a 15th-century manor house in Wales. To source antique diamond-paned windows, we suggest contacting a local architectural salvage company. Two of our favorites are Ohmega Salvage in Berkeley, California and Big Daddy's Antiques in LA and San Francisco. Photograph by Helen Hall via Flickr.

Above: Though wood shingles take work to maintain, they're critical for a classic New England look. Here, sawed wood shingles on a house by architects C.F. Møller. Learn more in Hardscaping 101: Wood Shake and Shingle Roofs. 

Above: For the exterior of the house, we think Behr's Semi-Transparent Weatherproofing Stain in Slate is a good match. For more on the project shown here, see Palette & Paints: 8 Colorful Exterior Stains. 

Above: For the door and anything else in a solid finish (including the gutters), we like Benjamin Moore's Gravel Gray. See this gray and nine others in Shades of Gray: Architects Pick the 10 Best Exterior Gray Paints.

Above: For the natural stone at the base of the house, we like the idea of reusing wall stone from abandoned properties throughout New England. Stone Farm, based in Newtown, Connecticut, sources and sells such stones; contact Stone Farm to purchase. 

Above: Stone Farm also produces new slabs from a variety of New England natural stone, which we'd suggest for edging the walkway to the house. Learn more at Stone Farm. 

Above: Curtains are necessary if you want to keep people guessing what's going on inside a haunted house. White Lenda curtains are $19.99 per pair from Ikea. 

Above: An equally eerie view of the house, in winter. Photograph via Streets of Salem. 

Keep channeling fall style in Steal This Look: Style on a Budget, a Picnic on a Bed of Leaves; Steal This Look: Biergarten Table Setting, and Steal This Look: Farmhouse Modern Entry. 

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• Before and After: A Music Studio Rises from Its Victorian Ruins
• Hardscaping 101: Stairway Lighting
• Rust Never Sleeps: 8 Surprising Ways to Use Steel in the Garden

I like to punctuate a garden bed with velvety darkness. Nothing cuts the sweetness of all those frothy whites and blues faster than a black flower.

This year I turned part of my front yard into a new garden bed of wildflowers (hello, pollinators) and perennial grasses. The planting scheme is mainly white, purple, and butter yellow—with just a few black flowers. Guess where your eye goes first?

Here are 10 of our favorite black flowers for a garden bed:

Above: Papaver 'Black Peony.' Photograph by Annie's Annuals.

Deer-resistant but alluring to bees, Black Peony poppies are so named both for their color and for their large ruffled, double flowers, which can be as big as 5 inches in diameter. "The color, which is impossible to photograph, is a rich, dark-purple maroon," says Annie of Annie's Annuals. A Papaver 'Black Peony' is $5.95 per 4-inch pot.

Above: Trifolium. Photograph via Leila.

The color of Trifolium 'Dark Dancer' is somewhere between chocolate and dark purple. This variety of white clover is a good edging plant or ground cover and is hardy in zones 4-10. A Dark Dancer Trifolium plant in a 4.5-inch pot is $7.95 from Easy to Grow Bulbs.

Above: Hollyhock 'The Black Watchman' paired with snowball hydrangeas. Photograph via Chiot's Run.

Hollyhocks are old-fashioned flowers that bloom every other years (but re-seed freely). Plant against a sunny wall or fence and watch it get as tall as 7 feet. An heirloom variety, Hollyhock 'The Black Watchman' can easily be started from seed; a packet is $2.79 from Renee's Garden.

Above: Amsterdam-based garden designer Anouk Vogul mixed black scabiosa and grasses in a border at the Garden of Escher in France. Photograph via Anouk Vogel.

Scabiosa is an annual that will freely resow itself if you let its pincushion heads go to seed. This summer, I planted Scabiosa 'Black Knight' (a packet of 20 seeds is $3.50 from Chocolate Flower Farm) in my garden, interspersed with lavender and white foxgloves. Deer hate lavender and foxglove, which makes me love them deeply.

Above: A black border at the Garden of Escher in Chaumont-sur-Loire, France. Photograph via Anouk Vogel.

Punctuate a white border with spikes of black-purple grasses.

The black ornamental grass Pennisetum glaucum 'Purple Majesty' is a variety of pearl millet that grows as tall as 5 feet in full sun. With deep purple leaves and seed heads, it makes a good cut flower. It's easy to grow from seed; a packet of Purple Majesty Hybrid Ornamental Millet seeds is $6.95 from Park Seeds.

Above: Iris chrysographes 'Black Form'; photographs by Ben Rushbrooke via Flickr.

A Siberian iris with a velvety purple-black flower, Iris chrysographes 'Black Form' sometimes will appear with yellow veining (as shown, Right). A late spring bloomer, it will get as tall as 20 inches in a sunny border. A 3.5-inch pot of Black Iris is $8.75 from Edelweiss Perennials.

Siberian irises grow in clumps and after they bloom, and after they bloom their spearlike foliage stays green and upright for weeks in the garden. If you are looking for that old-fashioned iris that you remember from your grandmother's garden, however, you are probably on the hunt for a bearded iris.

Above: Bearded iris 'Hello Darkness'. Photograph via Lantliv. 

Bearded irises are taller, showier, and named for the petals that droop conspicuously from the flowers' chins. Every garden should have some. They're hardy, generally, in zones 3-9, and you can push it to zone 10, (when in doubt, dig up the rhizomes and let them overwinter in a dark, dry, cool box filled with straw).

Bearded Iris 'Hello Darkness' is as black as an iris comes; available seasonally from White Flower Farm, Schreiner's Iris Garden, and Iris Farmer.

Above: Raised garden beds stained dark play up the contrast between black flowers and foliage and bright, new-green spring leaves. Photograph via Lantliv. 

If you look closely, you can just make out Iris 'Hello Darkness' growing in the foreground of the farthest bed (in front of the dark-leafed smoke bush). Let's zoom in on the combination:

 Above: Photograph via Lantliv.

The dark purple-leaved shrub on the right is the smoke bush Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple', which has flowers that look like puffs of smoke in mid-summer. A Royal Purple Smoketree Shrub is $11.95 from WaWasGarden via Etsy.

Above: Photograph by Justine Hand.

The Latin name for black pussy willow is Salix gracilistylus 'Melanostachys' and, says Justine, it "bursts forth in the early spring with bunny-like blooms or catkins, in a velvety jet black." (After catching sight of it in bloom, she planted black pussy willow of her own.) 

Black pussy willow is actually a tree—it can reach a height of 10 feet and a diameter of 15. It likes wet soil and is happiest in a marsh or a wetland setting. A Jumbo Gallon Potted Black Pussy Willow is $25.95 from Sooner Plant Farm.

For more, see Trend Alert: Black Pussy Willow.

Above: Aquilegia 'Black Barlow'. Photograph via Longfield Gardens.

Columbine will naturalize in a partly shady garden with good drainage. For a dash of delicate darkness in the spring garden, plant Black Barlow Columbine (which will grow to a height of 32 inches); a packet of 30 seeds is $1.99 from Swallowtail Garden Seeds.

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It all started with just 28 seed varieties and a commitment to re-building healthy food systems. Today, after an exhaustive 2-year process, High Mowing Organic Seeds, located in Wolcott, Vermont, is the first organic seed company to guarantee that all of its 600+ varieties are non-GMO verified.

High Mowing's seeds have always been certified organic. But as more genetically modified crops are developed, the risk of cross-pollination and pollution increases. Therefore, High Mowing Seeds founder Tom Stearns believed it was important to take this extra step and submit to the rigorous process of becoming verified by The Non-GMO Project, an independent non-profit committed to building and preserving a non-GMO food supply. It's "an unprecedented achievement," says Stearns. "Verification further ensures that farmers, gardeners, and consumers can feel confident about the quality and source of their seed, as well as the food grown from it.”

During my recent visit to Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, I toured this groundbreaking company, where I got to see the commitment to quality and to the earth, evident in every step of the process.

Photographs by Justine Hand for Gardenista.

Above: Silver Slicer Cucumber seeds dry in the hoop house. 

Above: High Mowing Seeds offers 14 varieties of organic corn, including sweet, popcorn, ornamental, and milling corn. It bears repeating that GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) refers to any organism that has had the genes of a different species inserted into its DNA. In traditional methods of plant breeding, only members of the same species are crossed to create new varieties. Because corn, and other crops such as soy and squash are particularly susceptible to contamination from GMOs, High Mowing Seeds will have to submit to the rigorous re-verification process on an annual basis.

Above: Much of High Mowing seed is still grown on the company's 40-acre farm. Other seeds are procured from organic farmers both locally and across the globe.

Above: Every year, High Mowing tests nearly 1000 varieties in order to find the ones that will perform best for organic growers.

Above: Seeds are continually tested in the company's on-site lab to ensure the highest quality standards.

Above: On a beautiful fall day in Vermont, High Mowing Farm Manager Katie Traub washes watermelon seeds in a homemade sluice. For more on how to produce your own seed from wet-seeded crops (those inside fruit), see High Mowing's tutorial.

Above: Staff have their pick of vibrant squashes and other produce grown as part of High Mowing's rigorous quality control process.

Above: Waiting for your order, packets of certified organic, and now Non-GMO verified, seeds line the shelves. High Mowing Organic Seeds are available via their website and at many Whole Foods Stores and at garden centers across the country. You can also request a catalog here.

Above: Pull up a seat. Although High Mowing is no longer a one-man operation, much of the production is still done by hand. Under an outdoor canopy, the staff often enjoys coffee and a chat while shucking corn.

Above: Once the corn is shucked, the ears are inspected one by one, and any kernels that don't meet High Mowing's standards are removed by hand.

Above: Production is a wonderful mix of high tech (the machines that clean and sort the seeds) and old fashioned. In the hoop house, Charles uses a nineteenth-century corn sheller to remove kernels from the ears.

Above: A closeup of the corner sheller shows how it works. If you are interested in learning more about dry seed production, High Mowing's blog features a lesson on that too.

Above: Against a breathtaking fall landscape, drying ears of corn peek out from under the hoop house.

Above: Packets of High Mowing Organic Seeds sport their new Non-GMO label.

To find out more about Vermont's local food movement, see Justine's One Cheese at a Time: Jasper Hill Farm.  For our authoritative sourcebook on plants and seeds, visit Gardening 101.

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