Use What You Grow: Fall Decorating With Garden Flowers, Branches, and Foliage

By VOICE-TRIBUNE • Photo By Nati (Pexels.com)

Fall decorating doesn’t always require a trip to the store. Some of the prettiest autumn décor may already be growing right outside your door. With a pair of garden clippers and a little creativity, flowers, branches, foliage, grasses and seed heads can become beautiful seasonal decorations for your porch, patio, entryway, or dining table.

Using what you grow is also a wonderful way to enjoy the garden as the growing season winds down. Instead of seeing fading flowers and changing leaves at the end of the gardening season, look at them as materials for bringing the beauty of fall indoors and around your home.

Gather From the Garden

Start by looking for plants that have interesting color, texture and shape. Late-blooming flowers such as asters, goldenrod and native coneflowers can add pops of color to a simple arrangement. Ornamental grasses provide height and movement, while seed heads add texture and can last for weeks when displayed indoors.

Branches are another easy way to bring fall into your decorating. Look for branches with colorful leaves, interesting bark or berries. Even a few branches arranged in a large container can make a striking statement on a porch or entryway.

Before cutting anything, make sure you know the plant and that it is appropriate to harvest. Avoid taking branches or flowers from public property or your neighbor’s yard, and leave plenty behind for pollinators and wildlife.

Create a Simple Fall Arrangement

You don't need professional floral-arranging skills to make a beautiful display. Start with a container you already have, like a simple pitcher, crock, basket, galvanized bucket or even a favorite vase.

Begin with your tallest branches or grasses, then add flowers and foliage around them. Don't worry about making everything perfectly symmetrical. A slightly loose, natural arrangement often feels more appropriate for an autumn garden. For an especially simple look, fill a vase with several branches of colorful foliage and let the changing leaves do the work.

Don't Overlook Seed Heads

As summer flowers fade, their seed heads can become some of the most interesting elements in a fall arrangement. Coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, grasses and other seed-producing plants can add architectural shapes and earthy texture.

Leaving some seed heads in the garden also benefits wildlife, so consider harvesting selectively rather than cutting everything at once. The remaining plants can provide food and shelter for birds and insects through the colder months.

Bring Fall to the Porch

Your outdoor spaces can benefit from garden cuttings, too. Fill containers with ornamental grasses, branches, dried flowers, and colorful foliage. Add to wreaths. Tuck a few pumpkins or gourds among the plants if you enjoy traditional fall decorating, but let the natural materials take center stage. A simple collection of containers in different sizes can create a welcoming entrance without requiring a complete seasonal makeover.

Enjoy What You’ve Grown

Perhaps the best part of decorating with your own garden is that it's kinder to the environment and every arrangement tells a story. The flowers, leaves, and branches came from plants you tended throughout the year, giving your fall décor a personal connection to the season. 

So before you head to the store for autumn decorations, take a walk through your garden. You may discover that you already have everything you need to celebrate fall growing right outside your door.