DIY Floral Arrangements for Autumn

Materials

• Use seasonal flowers and plants when creating autumn floral arrangements. Crysanthemums are late-blooming, hardy plants which are traditionally used to provide color in the fall. Coleus, which is a light green during the summer months, turns dusty pink in the fall. Sedum is a rugged plant that comes in low-growing and tall varieties. Low sedum plants are used as ground cover, but taller varieties, such as Autumn Joy, have long stems and flowers that turn from pink in late summer to rust in the autumn.

  Add fruits for a homey or country-inspired arrangement, or use colorful vegetables for an unexpected twist. Apples, pears, kale, turnips, berries and nuts are just a few of the autumn edibles that will enliven your display.

  Browse your backyard for natural elements that you can use for your floral designs. Small curved branches can hold an assortment of leaves, flowers and nuts that will make a lovely swag. Bunches of maple leaves in red or yellow will provide a bright background for dried flowers, and bittersweet vine, with its burst of autumn orange, is a natural choice for wreaths.

  Give your arrangement a distinctive touch with an unusual container. Instead of a vase, choose a small galvanized pail, a one-peck apple basket or a hollowed-out pumpkin.

Making an Autumn Centerpiece

• Place a piece of dry floral foam in the bottom of your container. Insert two or three small bare branches, spacing them evenly. Using floral wire, attach clusters of leaves to the branches. Add gold and peach daisy mums, cutting the stems to varying heights. Tuck bittersweet vine around the edge of the container, letting it drip over the sides.

  Choose a small mum plant and place its practical pot inside another, larger container. Fill the gap between the pot and the container with small pebbles, glass marbles or gravel, and finish with a scattering of nuts.