5 Autumnal Ideas for Dried Seed Pods in Floral Arrangements
5 Autumnal Ideas for Dried Seed Pods in Floral Arrangements. Karin Lidbeck-Brent, a Massachusetts floral designer, is always on the lookout for interesting materials to use in her arrangements – like seed pods!
To add a unique, non-blooming touch to her fall arrangements, she likes to collect seed pods from garden, meadow, and roadside plants each fall. “We pass attractive pods every day but tend to look for pretty flowers and not so much for brown and dried things,” she says.
Seed pods may not be a traditional choice for fall floral arrangements, but they can be just as striking as colorful zinnias or mums. Plus, they add an element of surprise!
When gathering seed pods for a floral arrangement anywhere other than your own garden, always get permission first from the property owner. Some plants can be prickly, so grab your gardening gloves and clippers.
And if you end up collecting too much of a beautiful thing, save nature’s bounty until next year. Place excess pods in plastic storage bags or a big box until you need them. Lidbeck-Brent stores her extras so she’ll have a handy supply at the ready whenever an arrangement calls for a striking shape or texture.
Use these quick and easy designs as inspiration for gorgeous fall centerpieces of your own that feature seed pods and warm autumn colors.
- Bell Jar and Pumpkin Display
This fall, take inspiration from one of the season’s most iconic plants – gourds! To create a festive centerpiece, start with a tall glass bell jar and a round pumpkin that is wider than the bottom of the jar. Outline the jar’s base on the top of the pumpkin using a marker. Use a knife to cut around the outline. Remove the pumpkin’s lid and scoop out the seeds.
Fill the bottom of the jar with sphagnum moss and arrange a variety of seed pods under the glass. The pumpkin base and moss will mimic a gourd’s natural shape. Enjoy your enchanting fall centerpiece!
Fill the pumpkin with potting mix and top with moss. Lidbeck-Brent uses fresh moss she finds in her garden but dried moss works well, too.
Choose several attractive seed pods and insert their stems through the moss into the potting mix at different heights. If some pod stems are too short, you can wire them to wooden sticks. Shown here are seed pods of lupine, common milkweed, hibiscus, and money plant (Lunaria annua), which produces seeds enclosed in translucent silvery discs. This makes for a lovely and unique Fall decoration for your home that will surely impress your guests!
- Log Centerpiece
It’s time to go foraging for some rustic materials to help create a beautiful fall flower arrangement! You can use a log or pieces of bark from the woods, which will add some extra dimension to your display. If finding a log where you live is difficult, you can also purchase one from a craft store. Be sure to add some dried seed pods or sticks to your arrangement for a touch of uniqueness.
When using a log or bark, be sure to scrape off any rotted parts and shake out the debris. If you’re using a trough, it should be about 3 inches deep in some areas and less deep in others.
- Sunflowers, Hydrangeas, and Pods
Even without their bright petals, the huge seed heads of sunflowers are beautiful when featured in a fall arrangement with acorns, leaves, and dark brown seed pods. Because dried flowers and pods don’t need a vase full of water to keep their good looks, you can fill up a clear container with acorns ($13, Crate and Barrel) instead to help hold each stem in place.
Fill a vase with acorns (gathered or store-bought).
Insert dried sunflower seed heads around the rim and dried hydrangea flowers behind them to give the bottom of the bouquet a visually balanced look.
Add taller stems of different pods, keeping the arrangement sparse and loose so their individual silhouettes stand out.
- Seedpod Wreath
A plain grapevine wreath ($9, Walmart) quickly transforms into a more welcoming fall door decoration with a few dried seed pods, fall leaves, and berries. Lindbeck-Brent used a variety of seed pods and plants to create her wreath, but you could also choose just a few favorites to mix together for a similar look.
- Cut or break the band binding the stems tightly together in a grapevine wreath.
- Pull the circular vines of the wreath apart slightly to add more dimension and create slots for inserting stems and pods.
- Rewire the wreath loosely to stabilize it, and make a wire loop hanger on the back.
- Pumpkin with Chinese Lanterns and Milkweed Pods
Using a pumpkin as a planter, you can fill it up with succulents, mums, or, in this case, a few simple stems of seed pods. Fiery Chinese lantern stems are especially striking against a light orange or even yellow pumpkin, but feel free to use any pods you want.
- Cut an opening in the top of a pumpkin (a Cinderella-type pumpkin is shown here).
- Scoop out seeds and any loose pulp. Use the hollow pumpkin like a vase, but do not add water.
- Arrange milkweed and Chinese lantern stems in the container, packing them tight to hold them in place.
Leave fresh flowers for the spring and summer, and embrace seed pods for your fall decor this year. Depending on the occasion, their autumnal colors and fun shapes are perfect for wreaths, dried flower arrangements, and stunning centerpieces.
