Autumn, commonly known in North America as fall, is a season that needs no introduction. Characterized by turning leaves, cool temperatures, and the spirit of Halloween and Thanksgiving, it’s no wonder so many people consider it their favorite season. But underneath everything, fall, at its core, is a season of nostalgia and reflection — moving on in life but keeping your past in mind. One common way people choose to convey such a message is flower arrangements. Whether it be a gift for a loved one or a centerpiece at the dinner table, fall flower arrangements are for everyone. Don’t know where to start? We’ll help out. Flower arrangements, at a basic level, consist of foliage, focal flowers, and filler flowers.
Foliage
Foliage is the foundation for your flower arrangement. It ranges from tree branches to stems to herbs, essentially anything that doesn’t produce a flower. Foliage enhances your focal and filler flowers, adds depth to your arrangement, and supports the overall structure of the arrangement or bouquet. Common fall foliage, such as eucalyptus, oak and maple branches, foxtail grass, and even feathers are often used in flower arrangements. This is because they can add color, support most fall colors, and help convey deeper meanings. When choosing any vegetation for your fall arrangement, doing research on the symbolic meaning is important. For example, eucalyptus is great foliage for fall because it symbolizes purification and rebirth.
Focal flowers
Now, it’s time for the main event, your focal flowers. When choosing these flowers, try to go for bigger, more eye-catching flowers. Generally, there are only one to five focal flowers in an arrangement. For the fall season, try finding focal flowers with warm colors. Yellow, red, orange, gold, and brown are many people’s go-to colors when they think of fall. While you don’t have to only choose flowers that bloom specifically in autumn, it’s recommended because it’s more likely you’ll get the flowers you need from your local florist or Trader Joe’s. Flowers such as chrysanthemums, sunflowers, oriental lilies, canna lilies, and dahlias are great choices. Each flower comes in several shades throughout the fall season and has symbolic meanings that correlate with fall. The sunflower, for instance, symbolizes strong bonds, lasting happiness, and hope.
Filler flowers
Last but not least, it’s time to bring balance to your arrangement. Filler flowers, like the name suggests, are flowers that help make your arrangement fuller. These types of flowers are usually small and come in clusters. Based on your focal flowers and foliage, your filler flowers should support or balance out the color scheme of the bouquet overall. Since this is autumn, getting different warm shades that aren’t the same as your focal flowers is recommended. Neutral colors like white, green, and sometimes black are also good choices. Getting your hands on some fall filler flowers should be easy, considering a lot of smaller flowers bloom in the fall. Flowers such as autumn sneezeweed, goldenrod, Japanese anemone, sage, sweet alyssum, and aster are all great choices. This is due to their smaller, more clustered size and vibrant coloring.
Additionally, most filler flowers are wildflowers, meaning that their symbolic meaning can varyrange as a result of their long history. Asters, for example, can be traced back to Ancient Greece, where they were connected to the goddess Astraea. In Greek myth, it was believed that the goddess Astraea possessedhad such grace in her soul that when she cried, asters would bloom. This led to the flower being associated with grace and love.
Bouquet types and resources
Now that you have your flowers, it’s your choice on how to arrange them. There are many, many ways to arrange them. While the way you choose to arrange them doesn’t directly correlate with fall, doing a cascade or “just picked” bouquet could fit, because fall is a time when they shed and begin to go dormant.
Although wrapping a bouquet is an art in itself, tissue paper, cloths, and wrapping papers are all common choices. If you’re trying to save some money, baking parchment paper and washi tape are great recommendations. Most flowers mentioned in this article can be found at Trader Joe’s or Sam’s Club, ranging in price from $5.00 to $13.00, or at your local florist. Remember that a flower arrangement is an artistic expression, so feel free to get creative with your bouquet.
Resources:
https://www.thespruce.com/top-fall-blooming-flowers-for-your-garden-1402188
https://www.floraqueen.com/blog/aster-flower-the-star-of-the-ground
https://www.marthastewart.com/869084/fall-flower-arrangements
