Dressing Your Home With Fall Florals

Longer nights, paint brush colored leaves, blustery winds and the crispness in the air are only a few ways Mother Nature lets us know summer has faded away and autumn has breezed in. No other season beats the vibrant colors and the abundance of floral variety as fall, not to mention the amazing smells of the season. Fall evokes a nostalgic sense of excitement. It marks the kickoff to the holidays and more time at home with family and friends — which means more entertaining at home. So, dress your home for the fall and flaunt your blossoming floral knowledge and use of coloration.

The Chrysanthemum (mum) used to be known as "the official fall flower," but not anymore. There are so many stunning varieties of fall flowers that make it easy to step outside of the "mum comfort zone." Flowers have the capacity to transmit emotion, so, express yourself through the diversity of flowers.  With more than 270,000 different blooming choices, you shouldn't have a problem finding the perfect floral combination. Some of the most popular fall flowers are roses, sunflowers, lilies, carnations, and of course, the mum — all of which are spectacular fall choices. By adding varieties like delphinium, tulips, dahlias, coxcomb, and thistle, you give your artistic design a pop of energetic color, and by using an array of flowers it gives your design nice textural appeal. Utilizing filler flowers, such as, solidago, wax flower, or bright purple statice will help fill out your arrangement and cover any bare spots in your design.

Remember to be creative. Instead of using a vase you can use a hollowed out pumpkin as your container or you could even harness hollowed apples in contrasting autumnal colors for a gorgeous seasonal display to house your flowers. Small accent pieces, like, dried autumn leaves, cattails, wheatgrass, maze corn, gourds, and bowls of seasonally colored fruit (like, apples, pomegranates, or pomanders) are great and inexpensive ways to bring the harvest-time indoors while adding a splash of that cool-weather color. All of these items can be found at your local florist. The key is to be innovative with your floral and décor choices, while still taking advantage of the time old fall classics.

Although autumn flowers are worth the long summer wait, the colors of fall are just as fantastic and abundant; with the cooler season upon us, it is like an air brush of bold, rich, and vibrant hues have swept across nature's bounty. I love how many variations of color you can use to create the fall floral color palette. When we think of the fall we think of fiery reds, deep oranges, and punchy yellows, but that's not the case anymore. More and more you are seeing accent colors of plums and purples, burgundy, lime greens, and hints of blue. The Harvest season offers a warmth of color to what can sometimes be drab and confined to one area of the autumnal color spectrum. It is up to you to warm up the look of your blossoming choices. Play up the warm saturation of color. Use sparkly gold embellishments and the flickering glow of some well-placed candles to heighten that cozy ambient glimmer.

Let's not forget the aromatic smells of autumn to complete your seasonal appeal. Scents like cinnamon, pumpkin spice, apple cider, and vanilla are marvelous ways to capture the fragrant time of year. By incorporating an aroma into your fall adornments it will stimulate, not only the senses, but your guests can reminisce about past experiences. Smell has the ability to awaken our memory- inducing powers, so awaken your senses and spice up the autumn air!

Whether entertaining guests or just enjoying the coziness of your own domain, brighten those chilly autumn days and nights with the warm- rich color of flowers, and the soft glittery embellishments of your seasonal accents. So, turn on the fireplace, snuggle up and take in the seasonal ambiance you created.

By Hileah Cleveland, florist on BloomNation — "the Etsy for flowers" — and Owner of Sun City Summerlin Florist in Las Vegas, NV