We are having the most spectacular display of leaves this year in the PNW. At first I thought it looked so extraordinary to me because I was away last fall, but when I checked with others, they concurred, it really is the most vibrant and colorful display any of us can recall. The weather has been mild, cool misty mornings that turn into crisp, sunny afternoons. Without the winds and pelting rains that normally visit us this time of year, these leaves have been able to ombré into rich shades of oranges, rubies, yellows and greens that are dominating our every view.
With this daily assault of colorful beauty, I’m continually compelled to bring some of it indoors, a touch of nature to enjoy throughout our longer, darker evening. Here’s a bouquet I made, featuring the last of the Monet’s Garden Dahlias, and using the little 3~step method I’ve come up with for making great bouquets. I’ve been making flower arrangements for years, early on there were many a disappointing display that had to be redone or hidden. But over the years, I’ve perfected this simple design process that I find makes it easy to compose a complex, balanced bouquet in any color scheme, shape or size with ease.
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You may even have some interesting elements you can use for the bouquet growing nearby. For step 1, the shrubbery or foliage stage, I packed in sprigs of Sage. The thick, soft, pale green leaves of Sage are complementary to almost any color scheme. Also, beneath the waters surface, the thick, curved stems will give support to the other elements of the bouquet.
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Short branches of turning Snowball Viburnum leaves were layered into the bed of sage.
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and then I highlighted the perimeter with some of these rich colored, leathery~looking beauties. The greater the variety of greenery you use the more complex the arrangement will appear. I’ve found that using a minimum of 3 types of shrubbery is ideal.
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Since this is a garden bouquet, I am deliberately building a shape that’s looser and more informal. But you can also make a bouquet that is more symmetrical, like this holiday bouquet that was a part of a holiday bouquet “kit”, a group of bouquets, in a variety of sizes, that are made with similar plants.
Making a kit all at once gives you flowers for the whole house efficiently, because the stems that are too short for the grand entry bouquet {below, but imagine how it looked after the lilies opened a couple of days later}.
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| Chalet Bouquet |
may be the perfect length for the powder room, or kitchen sink bouquets {these are at stage one}.
But, back to the fall bouquet, where we are at step 2, the floral stage, for which I was armed with a basket full of the last of the Dahlia’s. These pale colored blooms and buds added delicate lightness to the arrangement when I placed them in any openings I found between the leaves in the display.
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The first of the rose hips forming on my rose bushes made the perfect choice for step 3, the accent element.
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Standing an inch or two above the flowers, they give the bouquet an extra level of interest. A few peridot colored Japanese Anemone flower centers made it in as well.
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So, there you have it, in 1~2~3, the best of the outdoors gathered together on our dinner table.
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I hope you have a chance to try this method, I’d love to hear how it works for you. For more floral inspiration stop by the Splendid Market Botany Page by clicking on flowers, there you’ll find bouquets, living arrangements and fruit displays to grace your space for every season.
What are the leaves doing in your part of the world?
So pretty, Emily. Those dahlias are extraordinary. Aren't we lucky to have such gorgeous foliage this year? I was painting in Volunteer Park yesterday and the colors were just amazing. What a gift.
Enjoy the day! XO
It has been the most perfect fall…which is fitting because we had the most perfect summer for it to follow! My dahlia's are still going strong as well and I'm shocked that I never thought of combining autumn leaves with them. I'd better give that a go before the first evening frost steals them away till next year.
Thanks for the idea…your arrangements are just lovely!
xo J~
You do fabulous arrangements, thanks for sharing the "how to"!
Best
Karolyn