Foraged Fall Floral Arrangement

It has been a beautiful November here with mild weather and fall color everywhere.  The many different types of trees that seem barely noticeable in summer dominate our landscape now creating a show of autumn hues and lining the streets with fallen leaves.

The beauty of the season's colors and textures inspired this foraged floral design which is created with as many leaves as flowers.  I would consider this a nontraditional piece for that reason.  It is a true reflection of the world around me and an expression of my joy in watching nature progress into the heart of fall.

  

This design celebrates the warm flame-like colors of the season and is assembled with flowers and leaves I collected from the environment.  Many different Japanese Maple trees color the area with fiery oranges, chartreuse greens, yellows, corals and even a deep plum hue late in the season.  

I gathered branches from these trees, clipped some variegated mums and collected a few hydrangeas dried from the past season to use as elements in the arrangement...

To construct this design, I chose an oval porcelain container in an olive green tone and began by filling it with water.  This step is extremely important because Japanese Maple leaves are very delicate and will shrivel and curl in just an hour or so if not immediately immersed in water.  I began by adding dried hydrangeas and cut mums and then filled the empty spaces with colorful leaves.  

A foraged arrangement is a great complement to fall decor because it highlights the beauty of the outdoors in the interior of the home.  I plan to use this arrangement as a centerpiece on our dining room table.