Creating a Simple Fall Flower Arrangement

Use the last of your summer flowers and plants to create a beautiful flower arrangement for fall without spending any money at all.

FALL | Updated September 4, 2023

This past Saturday was an absolutely beautiful fall day. Temperatures were in the 70s and the sun was shining.

Looking forward to next weekend, however, it doesn't look nearly as nice. That was the push I needed to get outside and finish some necessary fall clean-up like cutting back flowers and putting away the outdoor furniture.

It is so much more enjoyable to do this work in the warmth and sun than a cold and dreary day. As much as I love to dream that the warm weather is going to continue, I'm also a realist who knows the weather conditions are not going to sustain the plants much longer. There is no time like the present for getting things tidied up.

What I Used in My Fall Flower Arrangement

As I was cutting back the bushes and flowers that remained in the garden, I realized that there was still a lot of beauty to what I was discarding.

There were orange mums vibrant and thriving.

Hosta leaves were still green.

And even though the astilbe bush had lost it's light purple flowers, what was left of the flower was very "fall" appropriate and beautiful in it's own way.

It is always nice to have fresh flowers in the house and I thought that what I was seeing here would make a lovely fall arrangement for the dining room table.

In addition to the orange mums, hosta leaves, and astilbe flowers, I trimmed a few pieces of a rose bush and tucked in some Autumn Joy sedem, one of the prettiest fall flowers, in my opinion.

I'M ALL FOR KEEPING THINGS SIMPLE AND USING WHAT NATURE PROVIDES WHEN DECORATING FOR FALL

If you're looking for more inspiration, be sure to look at this easy centerpiece with leaves, pumpkins, and berries that is perfect for your dining table!

How I Arranged My Fall Garden Cuttings

There is nothing fussy about this flower arrangement.

I layered the hosta leaves along the outer edges of the wide-mouthed vase and then literally just stuffed in whatever else I had gathered. All the criss-crossed stems basically hold the arrangement in place without the need for floral tape or a frog. I like to allow some flowers to stick out more than others, and let some leaves drape down over the sides of the container I'm using.

If your arrangement will sit somewhere that all sides can be seen like the dining table or coffee table, be sure to turn the container as you work to ensure that what you are creating is pleasing from all angles.

I've shared a few flower arranging tips here before and am a fan of not overthinking how you put them together. Use what you have. And place the flowers where and how they feel correct to you.

There is no right or wrong way to create an arrangement whether you are buying flowers from a florist, cutting them from your own backyard, or in this case, trimming things back for the fall.

A Few Fall Flower Arranging Tips

This is something that you can do with whatever types of plants and shrubs you have left still growing outside.

Mix and match different colors. The fall season gives us such a beautiful color palette to work with. You can mix shades together as I did here or focus on a single fall color.

Cut branches with leaves from the trees in your yard. You are not limited to just flowers. Actually, you don't even need flowers. The fall colored cuttings are as eye-catching as the seasonal blooms.

Add in something that seems a little odd like the astilbe that will add some texture and "architecture". I think the leaves and spent flowers of a butterfly bush are equally as pretty in the fall. The great thing about fall, is that some of the things that are considered dead or past their prime are great fillers in flower arrangements!

Flowers and Plants That Work Best for an End-of-Summer Arrangement

If you are wondering what you might have growing outside that will work in a seasonal arrangement, here are some suggestions:

Mums

Hosta leaves

Forsythia branches

Peony bush leaves

Rhododendron branches (just know that anywhere you remove a bud, one will not form in the spring, but if you have large bushes, this won't be noticeable.)

Rose bush leaves

Astible

Butterfly bush

Sedem

Black eyed Susans

Sunflowers

Dahlias

Zinnias

Cosmos

Coleus

Branches from trees

Pretty "weeds" alongside the road

This was all garden debris that was just going to be thrown away but it still had enough life to enjoy a bit longer indoors....and it adds a nice fresh flower fragrance to the house as well.

Think outside of the box and find ways to incorporate the beauty that you see around you into your life, my friends!