DIY Floral Centerpiece for Thanksgiving

5 Materials
$26
1 Hour
Easy

Create an easy and long-lasting floral arrangement with these time-saving shortcuts and tips, using harvest elements as a centerpiece for a Thanksgiving or fall table.

Flowers and pumpkins are two of my favorite things and I love to combine the two for a seasonal arrangement for fall or Thanksgiving. Arranging flowers doesn't have to be complicated. Here are the easy steps and tips to create a floral centerpiece using a caddy or long box.

I started with a galvanized caddy I had. What I like is that it's not too tall to block anyone's view at the table.

Instead of using wet floral foam, I used mason jars for easy flower arranging. Ball Elite Wide Mouth Pint Jars are just the right height (3.75 inches) for the caddy. Using individual jars instead of wet floral foam makes it easy to replace individual flowers in the arrangement as they fade.

Plastic grocery store bags seem to multiply overnight at our house despite using reusable shopping bags and returning them to the store to recycle. I used the bags to help space the jars evenly in the caddy and to keep them from shifting once they’re filled with water and flowers.

I used a combination of autumn colored blooms from the grocery store . . . mums, alstroemeria and roses.

To complete the centerpiece, I added a few pumpkins I had, tucking them in to fill the empty spaces between the blooms.

Here are few tips to help extend the life of your flowers in your arrangement:


🍂 Cut your flower stems at a 45 degree angle for maximum water uptake and remove any leaves below the water line.


🍂 Always add the floral preservative packets to your vase water that come with your flowers from the store. If you don’t have any floral preservative, you can make your own with this easy formula.


🍂 Check your water level to top it off if necessary. Some flowers like hydrangeas are heavy drinkers.


🍂 If you’re using cut hydrangeas, use the alum-dipping method to keep them from wilting.


🍂 Change your vase water every other day if possible.


🍂 Keep your flower arrangement away from heat (like vents blowing) or direct sunlight.


🍂 To make your arrangement in advance, choose flowers with a long vase-life like mums, carnations and alstroemeria in particular, which is available in a variety of colors.

Pack your plastic bags (or you can use newspaper) in tightly so they can support the weight of the pumpkins in the arrangement.

To complete the centerpiece on the table, I added more pumpkins down the length of the table flanking the centerpiece, along with some scattered nuts and Indian corn.


More photos and details of my table at the blog link below.


Happy Thanksgiving!

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Mary @ Home is Where the Boat Is
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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