FORAGING FOR WILDFLOWERS OF THE SEASON
The saturated colours of autumn are in full swing – the perfect time to forage for flora of the fall harvest! There’s a myriad of ways to bring these vibrant shades of the season into your home to create the kind of coziness we crave when nights turn chilly and daylight begins to wane.
Instead of visiting your neighbourhood flower shop, there’s an abundance of locally-found foliage and flowers all around us that beautifully showcases the luminosity of fall. Even city-dwellers can find many types of wildflowers in their surroundings: in their own garden, along roadsides and highways, and even within the spaces between the sidewalk.
Here’s a quick tutorial on how to create a wildflower arrangement to get you inspired.
When choosing flowers and foliage, consider:
- sumac
- goldenrod
- rose hip
- dogwood
- Queen Anne’s lace
- berries (on-stem)
- asters
- grasses
- twigs
How to:
- Make sure to choose a vessel that suits the scale of your foliage. Tall stems and twigs require more substantial vessels, such as a vintage tin syrup bucket. The opposite is true of smaller-proportioned items, which work well in mason jars.
- Start with elements that have interest, shape, and the ability to support the more delicate items to be arranged. Twigs and berries on-stem are great choices as a base.
- Pull in colours that work well together in a palette; i.e the crimson of sumac, rose hip, and dogwood, paired with the brilliant yellow of goldenrod for contrast; or dainty white Queen Anne’s lace coupled with bright, cheery asters.
- Take your time and experiment with different shapes and combinations, while honouring the natural form of the plants you’ve selected. Don’t forget to add water to the vessel, and top up as needed to keep your arrangement fresh and alive for as long as
xo, Denise