Synonymous with autumn is the color orange. Pumpkin, salmon, persimmon, and rust abound throughout the garden and nature. From leaves to blooms to the fruits of the season, autumnal orange hues find favor with this Farmer. All I have to do is peruse around the garden and landscape and gather orange colored blossoms and fruit for an arrangement that celebrates the bounty of the season.
Planting snapdragons in the fall ensures mountains of this fun flower the following spring for the Deep South. Bronze Liberty Classic snaps are simply stunning, for they start out salmon and then are throated with golden/orangey/terra cotta tints as the blossoms mature.
This range of terra cotta to coral punctuates pansy and viola beds and spikes through glossy green parsley mounds for lovely fall color and spring delight. Since I’ve been planting them in the garden, I had a few stems to spare for an arrangement.
Great Aunt Irene’s orange, gold, and white bowl from the Far East (different family lore places it in different regions of Asia, so the Far East shall suffice) just spoke for itself as the vessel of choice for a festival of flowers, paying homage to a splendid color.
The snaps were a must and, thus, a pilgrimage through the garden commenced – the pilgrimage was now a hunt for orange flowers, fruit, and foliage.
‘Alabama Sunset’ coleus with its faded coral leaves and chartreuse edging glow with an orangey light and were added to the composition. Nandina berries, slightly copper and a tad rusty, were perfect for a punch. Pyracantha too was added to the fold of orange berries. Millet, picked right from an obliging field, anchored the rear of the arrangement and gave that earthen tone to ground this floral tableau. A few maple leaves tucked in for good measure gave a quintessential autumn element along with some rusty nandina leaflets.
Pomegranates - ahhh pomegranates – stole the show as the center stage performers in this production. Partial to this fruit as they don my Granade lineage coat of arms, I am a goner for pomegranates.
I’ve been growing a dwarf variety in my garden for a few years now, and small, orange tinted fruits filled with ruby red seeds and juice have been coming into season for the past few autumns. A constellation of these stellar super fruits nestled into a canvas of familiar shades is sure to take center stage in any floral work of art.
My tribute to orange began to take shape, sending forth glad tidings for this season. Using the coleus leaves and snaps as my base, I then anchored the back with the millet spikes.
Using floral picks, I tucked the pomegranates into the oasis block inside the bowls and filled in with the nandina and pyracantha berries. Fanning from the edges and topping this nosegay like a feathered headdress, the maple leaves rounded out the chorus of oranges.
Take a gander around the garden for a color that inspires you to compose your own honor to a favorite color. This season is a true cornucopia of offerings for arrangements, and I invite you bring these offerings into your home. Orange ya glad its fall? This Farmer surely is!
James T. Farmer III was born and raised in Georgia, where he continues to live and work as a landscape designer. He shares his love of food, flowers and photography on his blog All Things Farmer.