Fall brings such a welcome change of seasons. By this time of year, we’re ready to embrace a new palette of colors and fun autumn motifs. The essence of the season can be expressed beautifully in floral designs.

So far as colors are concerned, any of the shades seen in fall foliage are very appropriate for floral arrangements. Along with those, a touch of black also works well because of its role at Halloween. White is suitable due to its ghostly associations.

It is often hard to find true black flowers. As an alternative, other dark shades are suitable, such as purplish-black. For fall, the yellows are more muted than the sunny ones seen during the summer.

For fall floral designs, flowers can be accompanied by all sorts of other seasonal materials. These include gourds in all shapes, sizes, and colors along with fall foliage and a rich array of ripening seeds, berries, cones, and seed pods.

Fall is one of those seasons that lends itself to informal displays. This goes along with the fun and upbeat mood associated with the autumn season.

Simple minimalist styles, such as that seen in Ikebana, works very well for the autumn season. Keeping that in mind, expressive natural materials that are informal by nature work beautifully. Examples include raffia.

Autumn colors and themes can also be expressed by liberal use of ribbons and bows.

So far as the type of floral designs is concerned, most any of these can be used for fall. Cornucopias are often seen during the autumn months. Swags and wreaths also work very well. These can be free standing designs in containers that can be displayed on tabletop, porches, and decks. Or, they can be hanging arrangements in baskets. Create garlands with fall foliage for displaying on stairways or along the frames of windows and doors.

For this season, there are all sorts of fall-themed containers that can be used for floral arrangements. These include tin tubs and pails in fall colors. There are even fall tin wagons that would be just perfect. The pumpkin colored tubs rest in the black wheeled wagons. These are small enough to use for fall table décor.

There are also wooden carts or wheelbarrow-like containers that would be suitable for fall floral designs.

For fall, nothing beats the pumpkin. These are the perfect container for fall floral arrangements. To emphasize the pumpkin designs, you can use one of the special pumpkin display stands. These are sold specifically for jack-o-lanterns. However, they would be great for floral design as well.

Another option is to hang your pumpkin flower arrangement on a jack-o-lamp frame. This looks like a shepherd’s hook. It has a rod that runs through the center of the pumpkin. The stand can support pumpkins up to 18 pounds. Once the rod is inserted in your pumpkin, you can cut openings for inserting your flower stems.

For other informal fall arrangements, try bushel baskets, crates, and barrels. Instead of filling the crate or barrel, turn them upside down and place gourds, mini pumpkins, and fall foliage on the bottom.

There are also ways to use scarecrows in fall floral designs. Some miniature scarecrows are small enough to use as flower picks. You could also work scarecrows into larger displays, such as a cart or wheelbarrow filled with fall flowers.