It’s the end of the growing season; time for cutting back, pulling out, bedding down. And thinking about making an arrangement with leftovers from the garden and “roadsidia” (a gardener’s term for plant material found anywhere on the road). Inspiration is to be found everywhere at this time of the year, my favorite season of all.

There are few things I enjoy more than gathering and arranging flowers. Just look at the plant list (in order of flowers pictured, left to right)…  

Plant List

Dahlia
 Belamcanda chinensis
Hosta
Rose ‘Julia Child’
Angelica gigas
Kale
Clematis paniculata
Pokeweed
Coleus ‘Saturn’
Cimicifuga

Everything from the  blue-gray curly leaves of kale to seed pods of the belamcanda chinensis (love that mouthful…otherwise known as “blackberry lily”) to pokeweed. Does this not say FALL? And of course the bright, blousy dahlias that are a gift to any autumn garden. Their color range is so versatile, from summer brights to the rich burnt colors of the season as well as golden yellows that lift the spirit and convey the impression of fireworks.

The container I chose is a “Fairy Tale” pumpkin with its flattened shape and deeply lobed sides known also for the shades of rawhide buffy colors that this variety can exhibit; a neutral that is anything but boring. The pumpkin is well-deserving of the statement-making cimicifuga that blessedly was just awaiting its star turn on Private Newport.

I wanted to add a bit of fun to this post for you, my friend and reader. So here’s our first flower arranging video, filmed in my mudroom amidst all my containers and garden notebooks. Hope you enjoy it!

Happy Fall!