How to Make a Fall Flower Arrangement From Foraged Botanicals

Fall is the best time of year to forage in your yard for beautiful blooms and lovely foliage. Fall botanicals are warm and infused with such a gorgeous array of colors. If you've never created a formal arrangement before, this is a great way to make your first try.

When choosing foliage and flowers, look for color, texture and structure. Don't forget the filler pieces. You will need something with bulk to fill in the spaces of the skinner/taller pieces. This arrangement contains coneflower seed heads, sage, sedum, blueberry leaves, weigela leaves, goldenrod, hydrangea and hydrangea seed heads.

Strip the leaves off the bottom of third of the stems. This will help the stems slide easier into the foam and help keep the stems fresher, longer.

I decided to use an old copper pudding mold for the container. Cut the floral foam down to fit inside your vessel of choice. Then pour water into the container and allow the floral foam a few minutes to absorb the water. It will turn a dark green when ready.

Begin by building the structure of the overall arrangement. This will determine the shape of the overall piece. I wanted a rounded fan shape. I built the fan shape with the blueberry leaves.

Next, I added in the coneflower seed heads. Be sure to slightly vary the height of each piece, you do not want everything even.

Start to fill in the spaces with fuller stems. I used the hydrangea seed pods in between the coneflower seeds and blueberry leaves.

Finally, use the softer foliage and flowers to fill in the rest of the spaces. Use varying heights for added interest and textures. Step back and check the overall shape of the piece. Trim any over tall stems or add more if needed. Keep the foam moist and your arrangement will last for several days.