Fall is a beautiful time of year. So many changing colours.
Our flowers, trees and shrubs have changed, displaying beautiful colours of red, orange, yellow and purple.
As you walk among your gardens, take a look around yourself.
What do you see?
Can you envision taking the beauty of the outside, into your homes? There are countless ways to create a fall centrepiece.
This is how I did it.
Summer came and went in a flash. Fall is now upon us, along with cool nights, changing leaves and shorter days.
As I look around my gardens, I remember the bright greenery of spring and colourful flowers of summer. Although I miss those days, I truly appreciate all the beauty that fall has to offer.
Walking through my gardens, I notice many beautiful flowers and shrubs displaying their gorgeous colours. The Zinnias are breathtaking, with their spectrum of colours. They are growing in shades of purple from dark to electric, in brilliant reds, pinks ranging in colour from light to dark, peaches, oranges and warm yellows. These flowers add so much colour to a fall garden and remind me of summer on those cooler days.
The Cosmos are still flowering in their light pinks, purples and whites. Their foliage is playfully fern-like and wispy. There are bright and healthy Marigolds and stunning orange Tithonias. Monarch butterflies love these flowers and constantly visit them.
I had the idea to bring some of these flowers inside and arrange a fall bouquet. However, instead of simply cutting flowers, I decided to enhance the bouquet with some fall colours and foliage. Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) is just starting to turn crimson red, adding a lovely texture and colour to the arrangement.
In the fall, Snowberry (Symphoricarpos) displays drooping thin branches filled with tightly clustered pink and white berries. Although these berries are poisonous to humans, wildlife enjoys eating their fruit in the winter. A few branches would add visual and playful appeal to a bouquet.
Another flower that is lovely all summer, but changes in the fall is Snowball Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens). This shrub has beautiful large white flower “balls” that turn green in late summer.
In the end, my fall bouquet consisted of Zinnias, Cosmos, Tithonia, Marigolds, Burning Bush, Snowberry, Hydrangea and Perennial Asters. In order to turn this bouquet into a centrepiece, I surrounded the vase with ornamental colourful gourds and pumpkins.
How do you think it turned out?
Now I give you a challenge
Walk through your garden or go on a hike. Take a look around yourself. Look closely at the individual plants, their foliage and potential berries. Consider clipping a few branches of shrubs or trees. Find flowers in your garden or forage for wild flowers. It’s amazing what you can come up with and how easy it is!
Please share your photos in the comments section below. I would love to see what you create. Let’s come up with some new ideas together.
Happy Gardening!
Julia