CHARLOTTE – Last year, over 175 million Americans celebrated Halloween. Halloween is second only to Christmas when it comes to outdoor decorating.

Pumpkins, jack-o’-lanterns and wheat straw bales are classic, but they’re not the only festive Halloween decorations for your lawn and landscape. Here are a few ideas to get folks in that “spooky” Halloween mood.

In the Garden – Plant fall flowers in autumn colors – yellow, orange, burgundy. Hardy flowers that can stand the chilly night air do best such as marigolds, pansies, and, of course, mums and they look great.

Create a Mini Cemetery – Buy or make a cheap fence to go around your garden area making it look like a small cemetery. If you’re crafty, you can make this yourself out of PVC or wood. After you have the fence, place styrofoam tombstones here and there in the ground and have hands coming out of the ground

Around the Fire Pit – The fire pit is the perfect gathering spot for chilly fall nights and it also makes a great Halloween prop. Place skeletons in chairs around the fire pit to make it look like they’re roasting marshmallows.

In the Front Yard – Your front yard is the most important and largest decorating space. A well-placed tree is a perfect spot for hanging decorations. Trees are spookier this time of year, so it makes them ideal backdrops to complement your decorations. With a fishing line make floating ghost decorations or make a noose from rope and hang a dummy from a limb. Styrofoam bats or a large spider web with a giant spider are inexpensive and easy to make.

On the Porch – You can place jack-o’-lanterns here and bushes and shrubs near the porch are also great places for string lights and spooky decorations.

Light It Up – The right lighting makes all the difference enhancing your Halloween decorations. Light up your sidewalk so kids know where to walk. Combine the lights with a fog machine to really liven things up.

Halloween 2022 is right around the corner so make your yard stand out for the Halloween holiday.