Even after the garden has gone dormant for the year, we can still admire it and use it for decorations in our homes. Dried dogwood twigs, ornamental grass, and dried hydrangeas are just a few of the many materials waiting to be used. Here is a list of DIY ideas to use parts of your garden in beautiful homemade Thanksgiving displays!
Acorn Flower Vase: skip the water and take advantage of the beauty of acorns in this display. Simply place dried cut flowers into a glass flower vase with pine cones, ornamental grass, dogwood twigs, and juniper boughs mixed in among them. Instead of filling it with water, fill it with acorns from around your yard.
Fall Flower Wreath: autumn is a great time to make wreaths out of dried garden material. On a metal wreath frame, arrange a colorful display of your favorite fall flowers. Dried sunflower blossoms, hydrangea panicles, chrysanthemum flowers, coneflowers, and daisies are just a few possibilities. If you don’t have enough flowers, you can weave together willows, dogwood twigs, and ornamental grass stalks as a base layer on the wreath. Use the wreath as a centerpiece for your table, or hang it on the front door!
Gratitude Time Capsule: on small pieces of colored paper, have your family write out the things they are most grateful for in their lives from the past year. Tie the papers with ribbons and place them inside a jar, along with acorns, dried leaves, and other fall mementos. Display the time capsule as a centerpiece during Thanksgiving, and keep the jar throughout the rest of the year as a reminder of all the things you’re grateful for.
Cornucopia: also called a Horn of Plenty, the cornucopia is a traditional symbol of fall abundance, originating in ancient Greece. It’s easy to assemble beautiful decorations for it from materials in your garden and from the seasonal harvest, like apples, gourds, mini pumpkins, chestnuts, and dried corn.
Centerpiece of Pine Cones: put the pinecones in your yard to use by arranging them into a straightforward but beautiful homemade centerpiece. Simply place them together on a wooden platter or in a bowl. Mix in other Thanksgiving decorations of your choice, like apples, mini pumpkins, gourds, or dried hydrangea blossoms.
Natural Napkin Rings and Place Cards: for a simple but cute decoration, create festive napkin rings by hot gluing two acorns to a piece of waxed twine. For matching place cards, mark fallen leaves or smooth stones with your guest’s initials using a gold paint pen.
Ancestor Centerpiece: make a homemade arrangement to honor the past by placing photos of your grandparents and ancestors among a Thanksgiving centerpiece of your choice. The photos can be a conversation starter at dinner and part of a larger gesture of gratitude for all that they’ve given you.
Rustic Grass Bouquet: bring winter interest from your garden inside by cutting some tops off your dried ornamental grasses. Place them in empty flower vases or old-fashioned pitchers to decorate your Thanksgiving dinner table and coffee tables around your home.
Thanksgiving Door Swag: tie bouquets of ornamental grass stalks, dried flowers, and pinecones together with a ribbon. Hang them from walls around your living spaces, on the backs of chairs, or on doors—it’s like smaller and simpler versions of a homemade wreath!
Painted Pumpkin Centerpiece: turn miniature pumpkins and gourds into homemade works of art by painting them in a seasonal color palette. Try gold and silver, brown and burnt orange, or colors of your choice. Top it off by finding matching candles for your painted pumpkins and arrange them on the table as a centerpiece.
The beauty of the garden is that it doesn’t end with the fall. We can continue to use and enjoy it all year round, especially at Thanksgiving. For more Thanksgiving decorations, visit our garden centers in Lothian, Alexandria, and Belle Haven!
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