A Victorianesque Hallowe'en: Indoor Autumn Gardening

I have really been looking forward to writing this piece for a number of reasons. The
first being that while most see Autumn as the time of harvest and putting the garden
to rest, the Victorians had some of the best approaches to maintaining a garden year
round. Even though greenhouses have been around since long before the Victorians, one
of my favourite images of grand Victorian homes includes the ornate skeletal
framework and glasswork of their sanctuaries for all things green and flowering
during the coldest months.


Their decor reflected a love of all things natural, and this time of year many of us
find countless ways to decorate with the fruits of the harvest and the deep, vibrant
colours that only Autumn brings. The outdoors seem even more alive with fiery hues
and the rich scents carried past on slow, low-rolling breezes. And like then, even
now we attempt to bring that outdoor vibrance indoors with us.

A trend over the last several years that has made me quite happy is the newer
approaches to jack-o-lanterns. This Hallowe'en staple originally intended to scare
off bad spirits, greedy trick-or-treaters and replace the head of certain vision-
impaired horsemen, has been turned into the newest Hallowe'en artistic canvas with a
wide variety of designs from witches in flight to ghosts, back-lit cats and all of
the usual Hallowe'en designs. Luckily, and quite artistically, many individuals have
taken this trend several steps further. Craft stores now stock molded copies of our
favourite oversized gourd, allowing creative individuals to use them as flower vases,
scarecrow heads, jack-o-lanterns and anything else they can dream up, all without the
fear of rot, drooping, that LOVELY smell and a very short display life.

So what am I proposing here? Including jack-o-lanterns and other decorative gourds in
your Victorianesque decor. Imagine a beautiful, huge Victorian bouquet nestled
securely in a pumpkin, or a series of illuminated images lining your staircase or
buffet. To give you a better idea of what I am referring to, I have the pleasure of
featuring the delightfully creative Gothic Gourd Girl and her plethora of Autumn
creations. Below are two photos of one of her most recent pieces, the Weeping Willow.
I love this particular gourd because of the almost Gorey-esque style. When unlit, the
pale gourd allows the carving to stand out almost like ink on paper, but when lit, it
stands it all it's weeping Hallowe'en glory.

I would encourage anyone to visit her site and see all of the fun things she has to
offer, from gourd bouquets to wreaths as well as the fun carvings she designs. And a
fun side note about Stacy, the Gothic Gourd Girl: She is not just an artist, she is
very active in her local zombie scene, showing her finesse and sense of style as a
zombie pin-up girl. Now while most of you know I am not a "zombie person", how could
I possibly pass up the chance to feature a lovely zombie with such Victorian finesse?

Now I leave you to peruse GGG's site and decide how you want to bring the Autumn
charm of the outdoors into your haunted Victorianesque home. I am off to find more
things to illuminate.

Gothic Gourds site:  http://gothicgourds.com/
All photos property of GothicGourds.com. Many, many thanks for allowing me to use them.
Until next...Keep a warm glow in the hearth and a chill wind in the attic,
Raven