Household Hints
How To Make Fall Even More Spectacular
By Dr. Bridget K. Behe
Sep 7, 2005, 23:40

(NAPSI)-Fall is such a great time to decorate and making the most of seasonal possibilities may be even easier with some tips from the experts.

Here are some questions about seasonal decorating answered by Dr. Bridget K. Behe, a professor of horticulture at Michigan State University:

Q: What's an easy way to create a beautiful centerpiece using fall colors?

A: The season's warm tones are ripe for the picking in rusty red mums, orange pumpkins and bronze gourds. For a great centerpiece or accent piece, you can cut the top out of a gourd and remove the seeds.

Wet a piece of floral foam in warm water with a measured amount of preservative.

You can scale the design to tiny two-inch to four-inch individual place settings with just three yellow mums to a grand and large centerpiece with several pumpkins of increasingly larger sizes.

Use an odd number of gourds. Golden-yellow and red-bronze mums are a striking combination. If you have stems left over, lay them on the table between the gourds.

Q: Can you suggest a flower arrangement for Thanksgiving?

A: Giving thanks for nature's bounty is part of what the season is all about. For a rich, festive display, mix deep-russet chrysanthemums with small yellow-button mums.

Soak a floral foam block in warm water and preservative, wrap in plastic wrap and insert in a basket. Orange lilies make a special addition to the display. For an even bigger splash, set it on a mirror.

Q: If I want a traditional yet trendy table setting for the fall, what flower combinations can I use?

A: Start with orange-it's the one color that sums up the season. You can highlight orange mums with purple/blue statice or highlight gold mums with mini orange carnations. Or try orange lilies in a crystal vase filled with candy corn.

A trendy combination is orange and pink, so combine pink lilies and orange pompom chrysanthemums-make it even more trendy by displaying this cheerful combination in a bright lime-green vase.

For more ideas on how to bring the best of the season indoors, visit www.flowerpossibilities.com. At the Ask Bridget part of the site, you can ask her questions about caring for and arranging flowers.

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