Whether picking or planting, cooler autumn days mean you can get back out in the garden.

A mixture of garden flowers, foliage and hothouse flowers lay waiting in a cool, shady area to be placed in their containers. Fluffy crape myrtle (Queen of shrubs), bold purple steak plant, pink roses and hot pink orchids will provide interesting texture and contrast in the rusty urns and wooden containers. Fill your home with interesting free-form arrangements that make a vibrant transition from summer to fall.

  • Roses
  • A bouquet of full -blown Bermuda garden roses including Rosette Delizy, Anna Olivier  and Archduke Charles are interspersed with fennel flowers and mint leaves. Arranged in a favourite silver container (an old ice bucket with a top that’s been missing for years!) creating wonderful old-world charm. Bermuda roses flourish from fall through spring giving many months of enjoyment.
  • Mantle
  • Make a simple and pretty statement with a combination of irregular containers and seasonal material displayed on your mantel. Keeping it monochromatic, gather flowers, leaves and even weeds from the garden or roadside. Place individual stems from your collection in a variety of mismatched vases, bottles or decanters that you may have at home.
  • Boxes
  • Decorative wooden boxes can look stunning in the company of flowers. Use crotons, fruits and grapes, still on the vine, creating a lively tableau. Include mini yellow sunflowers that provide a jolt of colour against the dark mahogany boxes.
  • Pumpkin
  • When dining alfresco consider an unusual place for a floral display. This earth tone garden wall niche is the ideal spot for this hardy outdoor posy in a nature inspired container. The pumpkin with the flaming orange proteas looks brilliant on a balmy fall evening.
  • Wedding Roses
  • Old-fashioned roses, in a combination of blazing sunset colours, make the perfect centrepiece for a fall wedding. The colours, size, shape and very faint scent of these irresistibly gorgeous bouquets set the mood for a memorable evening.