Artful Autumn Arrangements

The cool breezes of autumn don't have to signal an end to fresh, colorful floral arrangements. Birmingham floral designer Jon Martinez shares some tips for arranging fall flowers, fruits, and leaves to brighten up your home.

FALL COLOR

Materials:
Selection of fall leaves (on slender branches), flowers, and greenery

1. Use fall leaves to make a framework for the arrangement.
2. Place flowers within the arrangement, establishing length and width. Try to cluster the flowers to establish a focal point.
3. Fill in the spaces between the flowers with greenery.

FIREPLACE TAPESTRY

Materials:
Styrofoam
Floral foam
Fall leaves
Fruit
Flowers
Hyacinth sticks (one stick for each piece of fruit)

1. Start with a piece of styrofoam that is slightly smaller than you want your finished arrangement to be.
2. Cut blocks of wet floral foam into halves or quarters and tape these pieces to the styrofoam.
3. Attach a thick cover of fall leaves to the wet foam, completely hiding the styrofoam.
4. Add fruit to the arrangement by using a hyacinth stick to pierce the back of the fruit, then insert the stick diagonally into the styrofoam.
5. Fill in gaps in the arrangement by attaching fall flowers to the wet foam.

PORCH SWING ARRANGEMENT

Materials:
Florist wire (between 20 and 22 gauge)
Fruit (such as apples or pears)
Green or other colored peppers
Fall leaves

1. Wire fall leaves to the swing using short pieces of florist wire.
2. For the fruit, bend the wire into a hairpin shape so that one end is longer than the other. Pierce the fruit with the longer end and push the wire through the fruit until the shorter end also pierces the fruit, forming a loop. Wire the fruit to the leaves with additional florist wire.
3. For the peppers, do not pierce the skin; instead wrap the wire around the stem of the pepper and secure to the leaves.
4. Finish by hiding any loose wires with more leaves.

RESOURCES: Jon Martinez, Masterpiece Flowers, Birmingham, 205/969-0705.