Categories: Gardening

Autumn Bouquets from Your Garden

Look into your cutting garden. The leaves are turning. The dahlias, zinnias, and other warm-blooded flowers have become victims of the frost, melting to the ground in a pool of black goo like the Wicked Witch of the West. Hardy perennials are almost done for the year, thinking about going dormant. It’s had it for the year.

Or has it?

True, active life is on a downhill slide. The variety of cutting material is very limited if one looks at the garden from the traditional flower arranger’s point of view. But there is still plenty out there for bouquets, if one is willing to expand one’s definition of what can go into an arrangement.

There are, of course, still some flowers. Perennial asters and chrysanthemums, the mainstays of the autumn garden, are in their glory, and are long lasting in bouquets. They offer pinks, purples, white, yellow, bronze and red. Some asters have stems so packed with little flowers that a couple of stems make a good vase full on their own! Some of the later phlox may still be blooming and, if the first blooming was cut back, the delphiniums should be making a smaller, shorter set of flowers now. Just this year, I’ve discovered how wonderful Helenium autumnale is when cut- I’ve had a mixed bouquet for over a week and a half now, and just about the only thing left that looks nice is the Helenium. I’m so curious to see how long it will last that I just can’t throw it out! The gaillardia is still pushing out bloom after bloom (and I like them almost as well after the petals fall and the round, orange seed head forms), and the goldenrod is very nice. Don’t cut the goldenrod if it’s past it’s prime, however: the yellow flowers will promptly turn into white fluff which will distribute itself around your house. And tansy… oh, yes, tansy. A noxious weed in this area and quite a few others. I cannot recommend planting it if you don’t already have it, but if it’s there, you might as well use it’s acid-yellow flowers that are long lasting when cut. It, like the goldenrod, must be cut when the flowers are freshly opened, or it will do the fill-your-house-with-lint trick. Hydrangea flowers are very good, especially those of H. paniculata grandiflora, the P.G. hydrangea. If cut at the right stage, after they turn white/pink rather than the younger green color, they will happily dry in the vase if you let the water run out. They can then be used in dried arrangements for several years. If you didn’t trim off the astilbe flowers in July, you can do so now and take them inside rather than to the compost heap. From the annuals, about the only things left are snapdragons and petunias. The snaps make fine cut flowers, and the petunias, although not normally thought of as cutting material, can be used nicely if you cut a long stem and tuck it into the edge of a bouquet, allowing it to drape.

Those are the usual suspects for cutting. Now we must venture further afield.

I like to use some foliage in my arrangements at any time of year, but in autumn it becomes almost a must in order to make a full bouquet. It can add as much color as the flowers do! Sadly, some plants with brilliant fall color, like Virginia Creeper or burning bush, lose their leaves quickly when cut and aren’t good bouquet material. Sumac leaves don’t last long, either, but can be good for one evenings beauty. Other foliage is quite durable. Peony leaves turn yellow, scarlet, orange and maroon and last forever in a vase. Small sprays of maple or oak work well, but you must cut them when they first turn, or they will drop quickly. If you want them to last longer, you can put a small dot of white or hot glue at the base of each leaf where it connects to the branch. Spireas have great foliage for cutting, my favorite being Goldflame, which turns a traffic-stopping orange-red. Another favorite shrub of mine is the variegated red osier dogwood. The stems are red, which is good at any time of year. In spring and summer, the leaves are green edged with white. In fall, they turn to two shades of purple. If I had to have only one shrub for cutting material, it would be this one. Ivy trails beautifully out of a vase. Bergenia leaves turn a fantastic red at this time of year, and while they have almost no stem, they can still be used in low, wide arrangements. Mugwort stems, with their coloring and seed heads, make great filler. And finally, from the herb garden, comes good old garden sage. It’s soft, gray leaves complement any other color, and it lasts forever- it’s the one thing still left in the vase with the heleniums, in the great endurance contest.

Don’t stop at flowers and foliage. In fall, berries and seeds abound, and they can be taken inside to enjoy. Clematis, with it’s soft, fluffy, round seed heads are wonderful draped down the side of a vase. Like goldenrod and tansy, this is another one that can turn on you, making clouds of white fluff. If you’ve any species roses that make lots of small hips, cut a branch and tuck it into the vase. Hips can be orange, red, or even blackish-purple, depending on the species. The leaves may or may not have fallen by this time; some species keep their leaves until snows come but may turn a nice yellow. If your area has been invaded by bittersweet vine, it’s sprays of berries (yellow with the husks, red/orange if dehusked) are lovely and long lasting. Branches of snowberries add a touch of white, and mountain ash adds more orange/scarlet- the foliage of this tree is fairly fine, and needs to be cut before it ages too much or it will fall off when taken inside to the warm house. Baptisia pods are steely gray, dramatic and upright. And even sumac pods, if picked before they turn too brown, look nice for awhile.

The seed heads of grasses are great in bouquets at any time, and now they take a larger role. Make sure you cut them before they start to shatter, or you may end up with a lawn growing in your carpet. Most provide a wispy, airy element that moves in the slightest air current; grains like oats and barley have a more robust feel.