Leaves are changing, temperatures have left the high 90s, and it’s finally time for fall. With Thanksgiving around the corner, everyone is thinking about what will be on the menu and how they’re going to outdo the fall decorations from last year’s festivities. Floral arrangements have a lot of room for creativity, so we talked to a few experts to find out how to perfectly tailor them to the new and long-awaited season.

Mary Johnston of Merry Floral

Mary Johnston of Merry Floral believes that all the inspiration you need for a fall floral arrangement can be found right outside your door. “This time of year, beautiful colors are all down our streets; gold, reds, greens, yellows, copper,” she says. “Choose a color scheme and go from there.”

Having a variety of textures in your arrangement is crucial to making it stand out, Johnston says. “You can go into your yard and find a branch with pine needles, pine cones or berries! You cannot go wrong or add too much texture,” she says. While Johnston points out that running to the nearest market for flowers is a convenient option, there’s something exciting about picking them fresh yourself. “The wildflower goldenrod has sprouted up all over Baton Rouge! Grab your clippers and go forage some for your fall flower arrangement.”

Once the details of your arrangement are ironed out, all that’s left is to put it together. “When making an arrangement, you always want to consider where you’d like to display it,” says Johnston. “If it will be a centerpiece, you want to be sure that you can see our guests over the arrangement, so make it low and wide. If you’re making an accent piece for your foyer, go big.”

Annmarie Meyers from Hummingbird Floral Studio

Hummingbird Floral Studio’s Annmarie Meyers says, “Texture is your best friend when it comes to fall arrangements.” With so many different options to choose from, Meyers looks for greenery with interesting shapes and colors .

“I like to use at least three different types: one with some drape and movement, one that has a bit more structure, and one that has something interesting about it,” says Meyers. Meyers suggests using the greenery to determine the shape of the arrangement because it provides a base for the flowers to stand out against.

Once the greenery is in place, Meyers again chooses three different types of flowers: “One focal flower, another smaller flower and then something light and airy that adds movement and interest.”

Flowers do more than just sit there and look pretty, and Meyers touches on how to manipulate them to your advantage. “Start with the focal flower and keep stepping down in size. Position your flowers at different heights, it creates depth and interest in your arrangement,” she says. Aside from choosing fall tones as your color scheme, accessorizing your floral arrangement is a great way to make sure it’s suited to the fall season. “Craft stores have tons of fall-themed picks that you can add to bump up the fall element,” says Meyers. If you don’t want to add anything to the arrangement itself, Meyers suggests adding to the space around it. “You can add gourds, pumpkins, or candles to enhance the fall theme.”

Rozlan Fransen of Baton Rouge Succulent Company

Succulents have been steadily gaining popularity, and Rozlan Fransen of Baton Rouge Succulent Company has found a way to make them even more trendy than they already are. “Succulents are the perfect kind of plant for holiday arrangements because they can take you through the entire season with just switching out a few details,” says Fransen.

Preparing a succulent to fit the fall season is a simple task. “We like to raid the local dollar stores for little objects that can be glued on or pricked with a toothpick and stuck in the soil, then we adorn the pot with holiday-specific ribbon,” says Fransen.  For Thanksgiving, it doesn’t take much to adjust to the season. “Tuck in some faux fall leaves, speckled feathers, and birch twigs,” she advises.

Baton Rouge Succulent Company will be hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas-themed arrangement workshops on November 7 and December 6 at 6 p.m. Find details here.