Falling For October (The Seasonal Series)

There’s no hiding that this is my favourite time of year and October certainly conjures up images of cosy evenings by the fire with hot drinks and warming food, as well as crisp walks amongst the fallen leaves. There aren’t many new flowers coming into season in October although plenty still in season from September, so it’s worth reading my last blog, ‘Something for September’ for more ideas and inspiration.

If you’re decorating your home and like to move with the seasons, leaning into the autumn colours is the way to go. Even though some of the same flowers are in season, we start to see more autumnal varieties appear. For example, dark and antique-looking hydrangeas are out, whilst some of the paler summer varieties are starting to turn.  I love rich colour schemes and although we generally think of reds, oranges and yellows as the main autumnal colours, adding a pop of deep pink, purple or even blue can really elevate your arrangements and make them feel even more luxurious.

Plants like lagarus are ready for drying and it looks great in any autumn arrangement with a real tactile quality. Millet also works well as a dried plant being a type of grass and is very textural. Other plants like crocosmia are in their seed-head phase. My parents have some of these in their garden and I’ve been really struck by how lovely they look at this stage. Although, the bright colours have faded, they add structure and style to your flowers.

At this time of year, there’s plenty of autumn foliage available and this itself adds colour to any arrangement along with the flowers themselves. Some are died or painted but if you prefer natural, seasonal stems, then purple beech is a lovely leaf. Although it’s called purple beech, it’s really closer to a deep maroon/ brown colour and what I particularly love about beech trees are the lines of veins you get down the leaves.

Leaves and other dried flowers are great for making autumn wreaths as they still look effective after they’ve gone a bit crispy. Add a few pine cones, acorns, dried fruit and a nice bow and you’re good to go! I’ve already run my autumn wreath workshop for those wanting to make the most of it on their front door, but October is the month for my pumpkin arrangement workshop! I’m sure you’ve already seen adverts for pumpkin picking and you may associate pumpkins with Halloween but I run my workshop as a Halloween alternative focussing on the autumnal/ harvest aspect for those who, like myself, don’t do Halloween! For more information and tickets click here.

One of the musts for my autumn workshops is physalis! (Pictured above in my pumpkin.) Sometimes known as Chinese lanterns, these papery shapes have a little berry inside which you may have had on top of a posh desert, (although I wouldn’t advise eating the ones from a florists!) They are generally orange in colour although some of the heads on the tall stems stay green and dry out well so make fun, little decorations for all sorts of things. I’ve even threaded them together and strung them up before!

As a florist working regularly with flowers, I’ve found myself going off the shorter-lasting flowers and falling more in love with those that last well! One of my favourites that you’ll see in the garden from October and throughout the winter is skimmia. It comes in red and white with lots of little flowers on. They start off as little ball-like heads and open up into tiny flowers. It’s only a short stem so doesn’t work for tall arrangements but they have multiple clusters on each stem and so can be broken down into lots of bits. That’s another reason I love it; because it goes so far in an arrangement! Not only does the flower last for a long time, the glossy, dark green leaves look attractive as well, so you really can make the most of this flower.

For more ideas, help or advice, do get in touch here. I hope to see you soon!