How to Make a Rustic Bouquet with Fall Foliage

No matter where you live, you can bring the vibrant colors of nature into your home. In an artificial world, a live bouquet with Fall foliage really sets the tone. It’s pretty in a vase on the kitchen window sill. Or as a freshly picked table centerpiece for harvest gatherings. I like to place an arrangement in a vase of water and set it outside as part of my front porch display. The foliage lasts longer in the cool temperatures.

Take a walk in the woods

There’s nothing prettier in my book, than a bouquet of things I’ve collected on my walks. Granted, they don’t last as long as the plastic decor from the craft store. But the specific varieties of plants and grasses from the woods around my home can’t be found anywhere else. That’s what makes a live arrangement special. Finding it gets you out into the cool fresh air. And besides, it’s kind of fun!

That doesn’t mean you have to go out of your way. Even a walk around your block or the local city park will have something to offer to make your own rustic bouquet with Fall foliage. This is a great way to relax and learn to see things in nature you never noticed before such as the artistry in the arch and curl of a stick on the ground. For me, making a live arrangement takes me back to the simple pleasures of childhood.

Tips for a Rustic bouquet with fall foliage

What to pick: Fall colors have such dramatic contrast, yet they all blend together for a pretty country bouquet. Vegetation that looks nice in such an arrangement includes tall grasses, stems with seed pods or dried flower heads still attached, bare twigs and branches for contrast.

When picking, leave stems on the long side. You can always cut them to the length you want later on.

Vase: Since I always seem to be picking on a whim, I don’t exactly have a vase selected in advance. Once back home, I scrounge around to see what might work.

Find a vase that won’t compete with your bouquet, a solid colored one in warm Fall hues. Clear, glass vases that let the light shine through seem to show off the colors the best. A clear drinking glass will suffice.

But anything that holds water will work. You can even get creative and set a small vase down on the inside of an old hiking boot, or child’s rain boot. Or whatever you have on hand to try.

You can even add a ribbon of bow in a complimentary color. Or wrap a piece of burlap around the vase to achieve that rustic look.

Make it a simple arrangement

Arranging: Add a teaspoon of sugar to the water to help cut plants last a little longer. Add your fresh-picked foliage and arrange it however you like. You don’t have to be a professional florist. If the bouquet is for a table arrangement, scatter some fall leaves or a few pine cones about the vase.

Sadly, they may only last for a few days. Even in water, once inside, the dryer climate may cause leaves to shrivel and curl. But that just adds to the character of your arrangement and it can still be enjoyed in that condition, too!

I’ve noticed my bouquets did better outside on the front porch in the cool temperatures.

Final Thoughts

There’s no shortage of stuff from the woods to give your home an authentic touch of the Fall season. A live bouquet by the front door or on the table may interest guests who maybe haven’t seen those plants before, or at least not up close. A fresh arrangement is fun to put together and adds a certain home spun charm that may spark happy memories.

At “Make it a Garden” we’re simple paths to inviting places. One of the simplest pleasures to enjoy is live bouquets of fall foliage. Bring nature indoors to inspire!

Other Fall Posts you may enjoy:

Homemade Rose Hip Tea

A Different Kind of Scarecrow

Photo Essay: Sights and Smells of Fall