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When it’s time to say goodbye to your outdoor garden for the year, it can be bittersweet. The good news is Ryan McEnaney of Bailey Nurseries has ideas for bringing the outdoors in and adding vibrant colors to your home this fall.
What are tips for creating beautiful fall-themed arrangements, using cut flowers and foliage?
When cutting from the garden, be sure you’re using clean shears and putting the flowers and foliage into a clean vessel. If you’re cutting blooms, be sure they are fully formed and not immature blooms, or they may not last as long. Because there are so many vibrant colors in fall, be sure you have balance in your selections and create some neutral elements to break up the color. Ornamental grasses or neutral foliage like the silver of Iceberg Alley Sageleaf Willow are great ways to do this.
How can we incorporate natural elements into our home décor to embrace the fall season?
Adding pumpkins, gourds and other natural elements is a great way to add a focal point … Whether filling a basket or surrounding a vase with these elements, they’re great additions to rounding out a display. Plants like hydrangeas, barberry, ornamental grasses, roses, Japanese anemone and yarrow all do incredibly well as dried arrangements. Simply cut the mature flowers and foliage, place them in a vase with about ¼ inch of water and let it naturally evaporate. This will help everything keep its color and prevent the leaves and petals from cupping.
What are the best practices for maintaining the freshness and longevity of fall floral arrangements indoors?
The most important thing to keep any arrangement fresh is to refresh the water every few days. It’s also necessary to clean the vase or vessel to prevent bacteria [from] developing, which will help the arrangement stay fresh longer. And as they fade, allow the arrangement to dry and enjoy it all winter long.
Create a Cohesive Indoor-Outdoor Environment
While most indoor plants are tropical and are treated as indoors for Minnesota, Ryan McEnaney says there are some that have some vibrant fall color to make it feel consistent with the outdoors.
- Croton have textured leaves with hues of red, rose, orange and yellow mixed with a green base.
- Ornamental eggplant is also known as pumpkin-on-a-stick. It’s a great indoor plant that adds flair fall.
- Hippo Red is a great selection that adds splashes of red to the dark green leaves, bringing that classic fall color indoors.
Bailey Nurseries
1325 Bailey Road; 800.829.8898
