Back from Summer Hiatus...Just in Time for Mid-Fall Florals!
Hello, Hello, my friends!! It’s so nice to be back here on the blog!
As some of you know, I spent the summer in Nashville with my daughter, which was a FAN-tastic experience all the way around. Just the best. Since having dropped her off back at school, I have been working away on my BRAND NEW home decor and accessories line. More about that at a later time…but be sure to check out my Shop page for a preview! (SO EXCITING!!)
So…while I may be a little on the late side getting back to my blog after my hiatus, I’m not too late to give you a few ideas for your fall floral designs! Ready?
This is a detail shot from a centerpiece I created with white pumpkins, white snowball pumpkins and white minis and several of my favorite dried elements. ©betsygibsondesign
What’s New For Fall…And What’s Not…
If you follow the blog or have had a gander at any of my fall designs from the past (see the Portfolio tab), you will know that I do not use garden mums in the fall. Ever. I go out of my way to avoid them, in fact. Why, you may ask? They’re pretty, provide great pops of color and are easy to drop into a window box or container. Yes, they are. And THAT is precisely why I avoid them. The fall is such a short season for us here in Boston that I want to be able to use it to create something different and totally unexpected before the long, miserable winter sets in. Now, that having been said, if I weren’t flower obsessed, I would TOTALLY be throwing a few pots of mums into my containers and calling it a fall….so I’m happy to call a spade a spade here….I’m not in the business of engaging in any sort of “mum shaming” or anything of the sort. I get it. I’m simply saying that mums are not my preferred fall flowering plant. And as a result, I’ve been left to my own devices through the years to find some cool alternatives. And if mums have got you down, or if you’re just interested in learning about some “new” design elements for fall, just keep on reading!
WINDOW BOXES
I never know what I’m going to do with my fall window boxes and urns until I make my rounds at the nurseries. I happened to have been craving “colorful” in early October, so that’s the route I took. I love the results!! To get the maximum color, texture and movement, I decided to go with:
Fountain Grasses
Pansies
Celosia
Ferns
Ornamental Peppers
Mini orange pumpkins white snowball pumpkins
A few dried elements, including some curly willow left over from last spring
Stewartia (from my garden)
Other ideas include Croton, Cabbage and Kale, Aster, Dianthus, Black Eyed Susan, Sweet Potato Vine (which I usually use if I’ve used it in my summer boxes…it’s great and lasts all the way through the fall).
Fall 2019 Window Boxes in Weston, MA. Betsy Gibson Design. ©betsygibsondesign
Fall 2019 Window Boxes by Betsy Gibson Design. ©betsygibsondesign
Celosia and Fern. Fall 2019 Window Boxes by Betsy Gibson Design. ©betsygibsondesign
URNS
I have been so busy this fall—and it’s been so warm until the past few days—that my urns are still rockin’ their summer flowers. I got lucky (or was I just smart??…no…lucky!) in that I used two types of hanging Begonias when I designed the urns back in May. And it just so happens that they got just the right amount of sun and shade. And water, thanks to my sweet and incredibly diligent husband.
Two different kinds of Hanging Begonias, coupled with part sun/part shade and diligent watering by my sweet husband while I was away have allowed these guys to remain in situ from May through….whenever I take them out! They may not look “great” now, but the orange is still orange! So don’t sweat it if you can’t switch your containers out on schedule. They’ll be there for the next season’s designing! ©betsygibsondesign
Indoor Floral Designs
While my outdoor spaces are bright, colorful and full of texture and movement, I’ve been drawn to creating more subdued designs for inside. Designs that might not necessarily scream “FALL” to you but that are most decidedly fall in my book. As you will see, I use lots of dried elements in these designs, and I’ve even gone the subdued route with my pumpkin florals…let me know what you think!
Subdued for fall. Three white pumpkins and three air plants on top of moss and surrounded by four separate dried elements. ©betsygibsondesign
Use a white pumpkin as your vessel and fill it with some of the glorious, though not necessarily “most popular”, colors of fall. ©betsygibsondesign
Detail of my kitchen table centerpiece. You guessed it. White pumpkins featuring lots of different dried design elements, along with a few kale and some gorgeous dried oregano for good measure. ©betsygibsondesign
So now that you’ve seen what I’ve been up to, I’d love to hear what YOU’VE been up to! Please comment below or contact me via email or social media. And send photos!!!