I'm Not Done With Autumn Yet - Bringing It Indoors

It's a sad thing when we don't truly take the time to enjoy the gifts of autumn displays. They truly don't come to full life until November.

In Canada, as soon as Halloween is over, the stores have all their Christmas displays set up and nothing of autumn is visible anymore.

Yet, the beauty remains outdoors. Time to bring some of that in - even though Christmas is still 7 weeks away.

Calamagrostis Karl Foerster grass seed heads are lovely when they wave in the wind. These sturdy dried flowers have had the wind blast them about. If these remain, you know they will keep well in your home too.

Pennisetum rubrum flowers are just so fluffy. Take the younger flowers when drying. The older ones will shed indoors.

I decided to take a bunch from each and make a small display for my hallway table.

 Acorns and Alder cones make for a great decorative addition to any votive candle bowl or...

...decorative container.  Add a few more pine cones come December and it will carry you through the Christmas season too.

 There is nothing more beautiful than Acer rubrum (Red Maple) in full blaze of colour.

I simply dried these between wax paper sheets and placed inside a picture frame. Great colour for teak furniture decor.

 Iris seed heads last throughout the winter. Dry & woody, they hold great shape.

So do Rudbeckia seed heads. Shake off the seeds as much as possible. Do leave some for the birds and winter interest too.

Allium sp. also have great seed heads to work with. You can even spray paint them to add a bit of colour to your arrangement.

I like the natural look. With a few dogwood stems as filler, they make a great display without having to buy dried stems from your local craft shop.

There - the great aspect: once Christmas decor items need to come out, these can still be saved and returned come January or whenever you want to display them again.

Enjoy what this November can offer.