Quick combinations

Southern Living, Nov 2003 by Hamilton, Julia

For great-looking flower arrangements, you don't necessarily need lots of blooms. Take chrysanthemums, for example. A few of these inexpensive, long-stemmed beauties will go a long way. They're available in all the reds and russets, yellows and oranges that speak of the harvest season. You can build an easy display around a bunch of these cut blooms or a potted mum from a garden center. Add a few other elements, and you're all set for creative arranging that will flaunt your seasonal flair.

Harvest Touches

Miniature pumpkins and gourds provide a rainbow of hues. Add a few to a glass vase before inserting flower stems; cluster others around the base of the container. Let a wooden box hold a variety of knobby gourds.

Unique Solutions

Collect vases, urns, and other complementary items of all shapes and sizes. Use a grapevine wreath at the base of a large sculptural urn (see photograph on page 126). For a rustic look, adorn a table with a piece of burlap. Place an iron trivet over the mouth of an urn to hold branches and stems stationary as you arrange them.

Adding Color

Use evergreen foliage as filler when arranging flowers. Look to your garden for a variety of leaf shapes and seasonal colors. The large, lustrous leaves from magnolia trees are the ideal foil for vivid flowers, such as deep red daisy chrysanthemums or bright and sunny yellow button mums. For a loose and linear effect, arrange the long, needle-like leaves of 'Big Blue' liriope around your flowers so they spill over the edge of the container. Also, utilize the lacy foliage of smilax and the waxy leaves of 'Gold Dust' aucuba. Deciduous plant materials, such as oakleaf hydrangea, maple, beech, and crepe myrtle are easy to find and will also add wonderful color as their deep greens gradually turn to majestic rusts, reds, and golds to match the bold colors of fall.

Keep a few of these favorite things at your fingertips, and colorful everyday arrangements will become even easier.

JULIA HAMILTON