Fall is a wonderful time of year for floral design. There are so many beautiful flowers in rich fall colors. Thanksgiving and Halloween arrangements are especially fun. Use fresh flowers and Halloween novelties to make a fun Halloween design! Or, leave out the Halloween novelties for Thanksgiving. Some flowers that are great to use for fall include: Bird of Paradise, Alstromeria, Gerbera, Roses, Chrysanthmums, Carnations, Coppertip (crocosmia), and an orange thistle. Leather leaf, salal, and goldenrod are just a few examples of foliage that goes well with these flowers. Curly willow also adds an exciting touch to any fall design.

Use a pumpkin for the vase of your design. To design an arrangement in a pumpkin, first clean out your pumpkin. Sprinkle flower food on the inside, this will help your carved out pumpkin to last longer. You will then want to insert plastic lining in your pumpkin. Floral foam is a great way to anchor your design. After saturating your floral foam in warm water, you are ready to begin! The previous mentioned flowers will look great in this design.

Some tips for your design:

- You paid for that Bird of Paradise! Make sure you can see it! If you use expensive or unique flowers, be sure not to hide it behind foliage or cheap flowers.

- Use the “lid” of your pumpkin as part of your design, this can be attached with a wooden peg.

- Add fall leaves to your design.

- For more of a Thanksgiving look, include small squashes, vegetables, and other Thanksgiving items.

- To enhance your design, and to make it more suitable for Halloween, put Halloween novelties in it, like ghosts, spiders, cobwebs, or witches!

- Don’t forget purple is the new Halloween color. Using purple flowers and foliage can add variety to any seasonal floral arrangement and help your oranges and reds not to blend together.
For pictures of a flower arrangement in a pumpkin, Thanksgiving ideas, instructions on using floral foam, and more information on fresh cut flowers, please visit http://www.freshflowerideas.com

http://www.freshflowerideas.net is a great resource for wedding bridal bouquets and also provides resources to send flowers online.