This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts Miracle-Gro for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love the fall. I get excited every time the seasons change and I always say I love whatever season is next, but really, fall is my favorite. I love the colors – the oranges and the reds and the browns. I love the foliage on the trees and the bushes. I love the gourds and pumpkins. And I love the mums. I think they are so pretty.

Each year, I buy a couple new mums to add to my collection. I’ve found that if I put my mums in great soil and feed them well, they will grow again next year and I won’t have to buy as many! And aren’t they pretty?

Honestly, I’m not much of a decorator. I’m envious of people who can decorate their homes nicely for each season, but the only season I really enjoy decorating for is fall {and Christmas, too, I gues…}.

I decorate the back door area of my house, as that’s the door everyone uses. Our house is on the main street of our teeny tiny town and parking is in the back. So when people walk in through my front door, it’s really kind of weird. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of room back at our back door, so I can’t go as crazy as I’d like. That’s good, though. It helps to keep cost down.

This is one of my mums from last year. Its shape isn’t as pretty as the ones I bought this year, and it’s a little behind in terms of blooming blossoms, but I can’t wait to see it explode with color as the blooms open. As you can tell, this mum was re-potted into a good sized pot with good quality dirt {like Scott’s Miracle Grow}. I didn’t really feed it, nor did I do a good job of keeping it watered this hot, hot summer, so I think that’s why it doesn’t look as nice as it could. This year I am going to make sure to not only repot my mums so they’ll come back again next year, but also to feed them {with Miracle Grow LiquaFeed }so they’ll look as pretty as they did this year.

These are a few of my favorite fall decorations! In addition to mums, I use gourds of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Wooden signs, terra cotta pots, and decorative clay pumpkins that I can re-use every year also make up my collection.

I l.o.v.e. this clay pumpkin! So cute!! I bought two of them this year to add to my collection. Adding a few things each year also helps me keep my costs down.

Want to find the beauty of fall at your house? Here are my tips for creating a fun and beautiful fall scene at your house!

1. Go natural! I love the real deal – mum and gourds especially. You can grow your own or pick some up at the home improvement store or the farmer’s market. I’m always amazed by the variety of colors available in both gourds and mums. I wish I could say I grew these gourds, but sadly, I didn’t grow the really cool ones. I did grow the two littlest ones, though. The big gourds I tried to grow this year didn’t make it – killed by blasted cucumber beetles. I will try again next year, for sure! I did grow some awesome blue corn and driednbsp; corn stalks also makes a great addition to a fall scene.

2. Add some fun natural pots - my favorite pots are simple terra cotta pots. Did you know your mums will come back year after year? Yes, they will! To keep your mums alive for more than one season, either re-pot the mums in good quality potting soil, like Scotts Miracle Grow, and feed them well after you buy them {Liquafeed might be a great choice}, or simply plant them in your flower beds {with good soil amp; food, of course}! Be amazed when they just show up again next year and try not to accidentally weed them out of your flower beds… {ahem, just sayin…not like I know that from experience or anything.}

3. I also like to add a few things that will last for years like a nice wooden sign – and my emstrongThe Witch is in sign? ~ totally appropriate. Just ask my kids. Hehehe;-) I also use a rusty old milk jug I dug out of someone’s trash {shhh…one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, right?}. And my clay pumpkins.

4. My last decorating touch is always a wreath. I got this wreath on close out at Target years ago. I hang it until Thanksgiving and then carefully store it all year. I can’t wait to take it out of the box again once fall comes around.

5. Finally, don’t forget to deadhead {or remove the flowers as they die from your mums}! This will encourage new blossoms to bloom and will keep your mums looking nice longer!

For more information and tips for your fall garden or decor project, check out Scott’s Find beauty in the Fall and Fall gardening. You can also like the Miracle-Gro Facebook page.