Red alert: A great fall neutral for flower fans

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Red alert: A great fall neutral for flower fans

September 24, 2008

Sure, red is the color of roses and Valentines. But it also rocks for autumn arrangements. "Red is a great way to add a dash of bright color, whether it's a wreath or plant for your front porch or a floral arrangement for your table," says Carol Caggiano, freelance floral designer AIFD, PFCI.

And if you’re giving a bouquet as a gift, red blends in well with many decors.

You could take the red theme even further, Carol says, recalling a memorable wedding she designed in NYC using red roses and dahlias. The reds were accented with leaves and bittersweet for texture as well as more roses and dahlias in burgundy and orange.

To translate that rich, romantic look to a dinner party at home, Carol suggests thinking of your dining area as a “tablescape” with several vases of loosely arranged flowers (say one of dahlias, two of roses), rather than one large, structured centerpiece.

And now the fun part: Fill in with votive candles, fruit, pumpkins, cabbage, leaves and/or petals loosely scattered (perhaps leaves and orange rose petals) along the table. Closer to the holidays, you could swap pine needles for the leaves.

Because of all the rich color that’s naturally available in the fall, this is a great time to create arrangements. Carol suggests using no more than 3 variations of flowers in the same color family (say orange roses, red callas and yellow lilies) and 2-3 types of foliage or other accent, such as berries, seed pods or wildflowers.

And of course you can never go wrong with different kinds of flower, all one color (burgundy hydrangea and burgundy roses, for example) or one type of flower in a few different colors (yellow, orange and brown mums perhaps).

To sum it up: One color OR one type.

Crunched for time? Your Teleflora florist can help out whatever the occasion. And Carol offers this quick and easy tip using real or artificial apples. Line a 20" by 14" basket with birch branches, cut into 3" pieces. Place the apples inside and sprinkle more birch on top. Voila!

Flower Fact of the Day: The colored part of the calla lily can bruise easily, so be careful when handling. And callas are thirsty so be sure to refresh their water frequently.

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Comments

Lynn | Reply
September 26, 2008

I love to use fall color flowers in my home. My favorites are rust, gold, red and yellows. These colors always bring warmth and eye pleasing colors to any flower arrangement.

Lynn | Reply
September 26, 2008

I love to use fall color flowers in my home. My favorites are rust, gold, red and yellows. These colors always bring warmth and eye pleasing colors to any flower arrangement.

Queen of the Click | Reply
September 28, 2008

I always think of orange, gold and tan for Fall flowers, but I love the look of the red flowers. I love the red roses and dahlias in this arrangement.