The Thanksgiving holiday is a time to gather with family and friends and reflect on all of the blessings in our lives. An important part of setting the scene for Thanksgiving is decorating your home with colors, textures, and fragrances that evoke the spirit of the season. A beautiful centerpiece featuring seasonal flowers is a lovely way to complete your Thanksgiving tablescape. The symbolic meanings and warm colors of certain Thanksgiving centerpiece flowers make them ideal choices for Thanksgiving arrangements.
Chrysanthemums Radiate Joy
Chrysanthemums, often called “mums,” are one of the quintessential flowers of autumn. Their bursting blooms in hues of red, orange, yellow, bronze, and rust fill farmer’s markets and floral shops in the fall. The chrysanthemum’s perky flower form and dense petals create a sensational centerpiece.
In many cultures, chrysanthemums symbolize joy and longevity. At the Thanksgiving table, mums in warm sunset colors represent the joy of gathering together. Their lasting beauty through November is a metaphor for enduring friendships.
Place a bouquet of brilliant yellow and rust-colored mums in a simple vase to decorate your Thanksgiving table with joy. For a dynamite centerpiece, nestle a mass of orange or red blooms inside a cornucopia-shaped basket.
Roses in Autumnal Hues Celebrate Love
Roses are a classic choice to convey love and appreciation on any occasion. The bloom of a rose has symbolized romance, friendship, beauty, and gratitude for centuries across many cultures. At Thanksgiving, roses remind us to appreciate loved ones.
Look for roses in deep red, orange, yellow, or coral hues that match the fall palette. Arrange a bouquet of autumnal roses in a clear glass vase so their spiraling form and varied colors become the focal point. Place rose petals around the table’s centerpiece to accent the roses’ vibrant hues.
For a unique natural look, collect fallen leaves in coordinating autumn shades. Scatter the orange, red, and yellow leaves down the center of the table, interspersed with loose roses. This organic design reminds us of the seasonal beauty we are thankful for.
Sunflowers Represent Abundance
The bright, sunny faces of sunflowers evoke the warmth, abundance, and prosperity we celebrate at Thanksgiving. Sunflowers, with their edible seeds and towering stalks, sustained people across North America for centuries. Their resilience and nourishment make them a fitting symbol for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Display fresh-cut sunflowers in a wide vase or jug. Choose a variety of sizes for visual interest; mix fully open blooms with buds that will open over your Thanksgiving gathering. Sunflowers come in a range of fall-inspired hues like burgundy, pale yellow, and rust. For a simple but spectacular arrangement, display a bounty of sunflowers as your Thanksgiving centerpiece.
Dahlias Showcase Nature’s Diversity
Picture a Thanksgiving cornucopia overflowing with fruits, vegetables, nuts, and autumn Thanksgiving centerpiece flowers. This image of nature’s abundance captures the essence of Thanksgiving. To bring this motif to your table, make dahlias the stars of your holiday centerpiece.
Dahlias bloom in almost every color except blue, which allows you to match any Thanksgiving décor. The flowers vary dramatically in size, form, and petal shape, representing nature’s diverse beauty. Dahlias symbolize lasting connections—appropriate for a holiday celebrating community.
Display a bouquet of assorted dahlias in a handled basket for an easy cornucopia-style arrangement. Choose Thanksgiving centerpiece flowers in sunset shades like peach, paprika, bronze, and burgundy. For an organic look, intersperse dried corn husks and straw among the dahlias.
Hydrangeas Provide Lush Texture
The lush, dense blooms of hydrangeas have a gorgeous texture that makes them ideal for Thanksgiving centerpieces. Hydrangea’s large, globe-shaped flower heads mimic the bounty of harvest. They lend a soft, full beauty to holiday table decor.
For a spectacular autumn-toned arrangement, use oakleaf hydrangeas. Their cone-shaped blossoms emerge white before transforming into rich shades of deep red, purple, and burgundy. Display oakleaf hydrangea stems in a tall vase, massing them together for impact.
For an organic feel, nestle bulbs of onion and garlic amid the hydrangea blooms. Their papery skins complement the texture of hydrangea petals.
Cushion Mums Offer Late-Season Beauty
Chrysanthemums bloom in a staggering range of shapes, sizes, and colors. Cushion mums are one of the latest-blooming varieties, lasting until Thanksgiving and even into December in some climates. Their dense, round flowers resemble pom poms.
Cushion mums provide vivid color when many other garden plants have died back. Look for late-season mums in jewel tones like ruby red, sapphire blue, and topaz orange. Display cushion mums in a wide, low bowl or vase to showcase their distinct horizontal form.
Combine various hues for fall flair. Tuck in sprigs of wheat or dried grasses for texture. Cushion mums blossom during the most abundant time of the Thanksgiving harvest, reminding us of nature’s provision.
Montauk Daisies Uplift the Spirit
Also called insect flowers, Montauk daisies bloom into November with cheery yellow and white blossoms. These perky flowers thrive with little care. They add upbeat beauty to Thanksgiving table settings.
Montauk daisies symbolize optimism and joy. Their late-season vigor lifts the spirit as winter approaches. Display Montauk daisies in a clear vase to showcase their bright centers against dark disk florets.
For a playful tablescape, decorate Montauk daisies with glitter spray or metallic floral paint. Add looped strands of raffia in autumn colors cascading down the arrangement. Sparkling daisies set a scene of joyful gathering.
Asters Add Pops of Late Color
Asters emerge in a range of shapes and colors just in time for autumn. These daisy-like blooms include over 600 species, many native to North America. Asters appear along roadsides and in fields, persisting into fall with cheerful color.
Display a bouquet of mixed asters as a colorful Thanksgiving centerpiece. Choose spiky, open forms like tartarian and New England asters. Look for hues like lipstick red, violet, and magenta that contrast nicely with autumn’s muted tones.
For texture, mix the soft pincushion blooms of aromatic aster with fluffy, buttery yellow frost asters. Create a meadow-inspired look by slipping asters stems into a ceramic jug filled with dry ornamental grasses.
Carnations Offer an Affordable Choice
With their ruffled, spiraling petals, carnations provide texture and fullness to flower arrangements. These hardy bloomers come in many colors at an affordable price. Carnations pair nicely with the abundance of Thanksgiving.
Select carnations in warm autumnal tones like rust, burgundy, bronze, and deep orange. Display them in a wide, low bowl with other seasonal flowers like gerbera daisies and chrysanthemums. The carnations will provide support and fullness.
For an easy DIY centerpiece, fill an empty aluminum roasting pan with foam blocks soaked in water. Insert fresh carnation stems at varied heights for a lush, informal look. Sprinkle in hypericum berries and Chinese lantern pods for pops of texture.
Hypericum Berries Sparkle with Color
Also known as St. John’s wort, hypericum is a shrub that produces colorful clusters of berries in autumn. The glossy red, pink, orange, or yellow fruits resemble mini cranberries. They add bright sparkle when tucked into Thanksgiving arrangements.
Display a handful of hypericum berry stems in a slim vase for a simple table accent. Pair them with a few roses, sunflowers, or greenery stems like eucalyptus. The translucent berries beautifully catch and reflect light.
For a bodacious harvest-inspired centerpiece, fill a wide basket with mixed hypericum varieties, creating a bounty of colorful berries. Accent them with easy-to-grow plants like ornamental kale and cabbage.
Holly Leaves and Berries Say Holiday’s Here
The glossy green leaves and red berries of holly represent the coming winter holidays. Though we traditionally associate them with Christmas, holly sprigs lend autumnal color and symbolism to Thanksgiving as well.
In many cultures, the sharp leaves and blood-red berries signify life and regeneration. Holly remains vibrant even as most other vegetation dies back in winter. Display fresh-cut branches, or use faux stems for a durable, reusable option.
For a natural touch, tuck holly sprigs into a centerpiece of autumn flowers and foliage. Or anchor a Thanksgiving garland along your table runner with small clusters of holly leaves and berries. The red berries provide quintessential holiday color.
Bleeding Hearts for Remembrance
The dangling, heart-shaped blooms of bleeding heart vines produce an ethereal effect in autumn arrangements. As the flowers fade, their outer petals fall away to reveal a ruby-red inner flower that resembles a drop of blood.
Bleeding hearts remind us of heartfelt bonds and memories of those no longer with us. Honor loved ones who have passed on by incorporating these symbolic Thanksgiving centerpiece flowers into your table decorations. Display fresh bleeding heart stems in a slender vase, or mix them into a larger arrangement.
Choose the old-fashioned bleeding heart vine species, lamprocapnos spectabilis. Its elegant, drooping shape looks beautiful mingled with roses or asters. Let the bleeding hearts lend remembrance.
Delphiniums Display Exuberant Beauty
With their bursting star-shaped blooms on towering stalks, delphiniums create exuberance in floral arrangements. The flowers spread open into a cone shape, with petals in single or double form. Delphinium colors include white, blue, purple, and pink.
Display delphinium stalks in a heavy vase or cylinder to hold their top-heavy blooms. The flowers will tower above lower autumn foliage and flowers, providing drama. For Thanksgiving, seek out delphiniums in fall shades like chestnut, copper, and plum.
Incorporate delphiniums into a cornucopia centerpiece surrounded by gourds and mini pumpkins. Or place delphinium arrangements at intervals down the table for pops of color between place settings. Their lively beauty lifts the spirit.
Ornamental Kale and Cabbage Offer Color and Texture
Edible ornamental cabbage and kale varieties produce dense rosettes of foliage in eye-catching colors. The ruffled, tightly curled leaves come in hues of white, pink, purple, blue, and green with beautiful variations.
Ornamental cabbage and kale last through winter when cut and dried well. Display fresh-cut rosettes in vase arrangements or scatter them down the Thanksgiving table for organic texture and color. Accent them with hypericum berries, dried okra pods, sumac branches, or bittersweet vines.
For a unique napkin presentation, wire a dried ornamental kale or cabbage leaf to napkin rings. This earthy fall foliage will mark each place setting with natural beauty. Let ornamental edibles reflect the diversity and change of seasons we celebrate.
Wheat and Millet Provide Simple Texture
For an easy, affordable natural touch, add bundles of wheat and millet to your autumn flower arrangements. These field grains and grasses evoke harvest time with their tan, wheat-colored seed heads and long, sleek stems.
Display small tied bundles of wheat stems bundled with raffia or twine in a tall vase or ceramic jug. Mix in sprigs of fall flowers like dwarf sunflowers or asters blooming in complementary colors. For more texture, sprinkle individual millet sprigs throughout the arrangement.
Accent your Thanksgiving tablescape by clustering wheat and millet bundles at intervals down the table’s center. Interlace them with fallen leaves, acorns, mini gourds, or sprays of bittersweet vine for an organic feel. Let these field elements reflect nature’s autumn bounty.
Dried Grasses and Pods Add Drama
The lacy, branching seed heads of ornamental grasses turn bronze, blonde, and silver as they dry out in autumn. Grasses like millet, sorghum, and wild oats provide intriguing shapes. Mix in brown paper-like pods from plants like baptisia, okra, and milkweed.
Display dramatic dried grasses and pods in rustic vases, bundles, or loose handfuls down the center of the table. Accent them with fresh flowers in autumn colors, glittery hypericum berries, or dried mushroom caps for texture.
For easy drama, fill cylinder vases with masses of large grasses like miscanthus, purple fountain grass, and pink muhly grass. Their tall, arching shapes add movement. Sprinkle in assorted pods. Grass vases make stunning table accents to complement your main floral centerpiece.
Preserved and Dried Botanicals Allow Advance Prep
Part of the beauty of Thanksgiving gatherings is time spent together. Preserved and dried botanicals allow you to create stunning floral designs well in advance. You don’t have to purchase fresh flowers right before the event.
Look for dried products like hydrangea blossoms, curly willow stems, preserved magnolia leaves, and MilliA dried flowers. These elements retain their shapes, colors, and texture beautifully. Arrange them in creative combinations for long-lasting decor.
Spray paint dried materials in metallic sheens of copper, gold, and silver for luxe accents. Fill containers with preserved cypress vines, lotus pods, and grasses. Your arrangements can be made ahead and reused year after year. Enjoy time with loved ones instead!
Foraged Elements Lend Organic Charm
Autumn offers an abundance of natural foraged materials you can use to enhance Thanksgiving tablescapes. Look for fallen leaves, acorns, seed pods, curly twigs, pine cones, and dried corn husks.
Display these organic finds in vases, bowls, or jars for rustic accents. Or use them to embellish DIY paper flowers and other decorations. Follow the seasons by incorporating foraged beauty that you collected yourself.
Seek out maple leaves that retain scarlet or golden color, shedding birch bark curls, branches with ripening crabapples, and dried okra or witch hazel seed pods. Cluster them creatively down your table or beside place settings. Foraged elements infuse charm and make memorable decorations.
Bold Colors Celebrate the Bounty
After months of soft pastels and muted earth tones, autumn arrives with a bang of bold color. From the fiery hues of changing leaves to the jewel tones of ripening fruits and vegetables, fall is anything but subtle. Embrace rich, saturated color in your Thanksgiving centerpieces.
Look for dahlias, roses, carnations, and mums in electric shades of magenta, tangerine, and violet. Display purple ornamental kale and cabbage for maximum impact. Add pops of chartreuse from whimsical flowers like green trick dianthus.
Choose complementary colors in different shades and intensities. Contrast magenta asters with softer peach roses, vivid orange lilies with bronze chrysanthemums. The bold colors of autumn florals reflect nature’s transformed palette.
Warm Tones for an Inviting Look
Capture the warmth of the season in your Thanksgiving centerpieces by focusing on flowers and foliage in sunset shades. Tones of red, orange, gold, yellow, and brown evoke cozy hearths, hardy harvests, and changing leaves.
Build arrangements using sunflowers, dahlias, mums, roses, and carnations in warm autumnal colors. Add orange and scarlet berries from plants like hypericum, winterberry, and American holly. Incorporate grasses, wheat, okra pods, and dried leaves for organic texture.
For dramatic impact, display a mass of orange dahlias and bronze chrysanthemums in a wide, shallow bowl. Complement the warm tones with accents of russet and gold. Radiate seasonal inviting warmth through your floral choices.
Cool Tones Inspire Tranquility
Think beyond expected autumn colors to create a serene Thanksgiving tableau. Hues of blue, purple, silver, white, and pale pink suggest tranquility and open skies. These cool tones offer calming contrast to warm shades of orange and red.
Choose flowers like hydrangea, delphinium, and lisianthus in shades of periwinkle, lavender, and cornflower blue. Add pale green ornamental grasses, dusty miller foliage, and frothy white asters for contrast. Display white pumpkins, birch bark, and magnolia leaves for organic neutrals.
Cool tones allow warm autumn colors to stand out when combined in arrangements. The interplay invites reflection and connection as we express thankfulness. Flowers in tranquil colors soothe and inspire.
Rustic Touches Embrace Imperfection
Part of the wonder of nature is its imperfect, ever-changing beauty. For a down-to-earth tablescape, embrace imperfection with rustic touches. Display organic materials just as you found them.
Use weathered burlap, loosely woven bowls, and空vintage tin containers. Style flowers to look freshly picked, with random blooms open and others still in bud form. Display wheat, grasses, and leaves as they naturally fell.
Rustic, imperfect elements like bird’s nests, dried pods that twist and split, and flowers past their prime add authenticity. Avoid manipulating natural materials into perfect shapes. Embrace the asymmetrical, transient beauty of harvested bounty.
Creative Containers Showcase Seasonal Style
Part of crafting a stunning centerpiece involves the container you choose. Repurpose vintage kitchenware, weathered wood boxes, and seasoned terra cotta pots to complement autumn’s russet palette.
For an abundant harvest look, display a wildflower arrangement in a classic wicker picnic basket. Line it with burlap or a bandana for texture. Or fill a chipped enamelware pot with a mass of dahlias interspersed with curly kale.
Use containers you already have around the home for an eclectic, seasonal style. Hollowed-out winter squash, old colanders, galvanized buckets, ceramic jugs— anything goes! Choose pieces with history and character to showcase your autumn flowers and foraged accents.
Interactive Tablescapes Encourage Playful Creativity
Thanksgiving tables don’t have to follow formal rules. Make your tablescape interactive to encourage family and friends to get creative and bond together. Provide a range of materials for people to make individual arrangements.
Offer small vases, floral foam, fresh flowers, leaves, acorns, and other foraged finds. Set out decorative pruners so guests can create fresh-cut stems. Supply vials of water preservatives like flower food.
Let your table become a creative workspace. Guests can craft centerpieces to take home and enjoy beyond your gathering. Interactive decoration makes memories along with beauty and reflects the holiday’s spirit of community.
Eclectic Combinations Tell a Story
When designing Thanksgiving table décor, resist the urge to match everything perfectly. Instead, embrace eclectic combinations that suggest changing seasons, passage of time, and personal memories.
Display vintage printed linens next to your great aunt’s embroidered runner. Create flower arrangements featuring bulbs forced from your garden alongside grocery store blooms. Incorporate organic elements collected over autumn.
Eclectic decor tells the story of changing seasons, generations, and gatherings over years. Showcase heirloom dishes alongside recent flea market finds. Craft a look that reflects your family’s narratives and connections through time.
Miniature Accents Maximize Visual Interest
Tiny details make a big decorative impact! Use miniature fruits, flowers, plants, and other dainty accents to enhance Thanksgiving tablescapes. Their delicate proportions contrast beautifully with larger elements.
Look for mini gourds, pumpkins, artichokes, and ears of ornamental corn with husks. Display them clustered in bowls, trailing down table garlands, or tucked amid flower arrangements.
Choose petite flower varieties like mini carnations, mums, and roses. Sprinkle in tiny succulents like string of pearls, fairy candles, and hen-and-chicks. Miniature accents maximize visual elegance and interest in table decor.
Candles Create Warmth and Intimacy
Nothing complements Thanksgiving décor like the warm flicker of candles. These universal symbols of hope and light have graced celebrations for centuries. Grouped candles make any setting more welcoming.
For intimacy, place small votive candles, tea lights, or tapers in glass holders up and down the table. Try scented candles that evoke the season, like spiced cider, cranberry chutney, or pumpkin pie.
Use hurricane vases or glass terrariums to safely contain pillar candles. Surround them with Thanksgiving centerpiece flowers, berries, foliage, gourds, and other embellishments. Candlelight casts a special glow over Thanksgiving tablescapes.
Garlands Unify the Designs
Connect all the elements of your Thanksgiving table together with garlands that run the length of the surface. Garlands visually unify diverse decorations into a cohesive display.
Make a unified garland using fresh and faux flowers, leaves, vines, and other seasonal materials. Wrap it down the table’s center, winding over and under dishes and accessories.
Or create individual runner garlands to place under each place setting. Alternate mini gourds, oak leaves, and wheat heads. Finish each mini garland with ribbon.
Garlands are great for kids’ tables too. Provide supplies for children to construct their own garlands using natural elements, craft supplies, and their own creativity! Connect in creation.
Focus on Seasonal Scents
Thanksgiving feasts awaken our senses, including our sense of smell. Choose fragrant flowers and natural elements to scent the air with seasonal aromas.
Shop for flowers like gardenias, lilies, freesias, and carnations that give off heady perfume. Display fruiting branches like crabapples that release scent when ripening.
Incorporate aromatic herbs like rosemary, sage, and thyme. Display woodsy evergreen boughs, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and dried orange slices. Place bowls of potpourri around the home to scent each room. Enhance the essence of fall through natural aromas.
Handcrafted Touches Make It Personal
Adding handmade elements personalizes your décor and makes Thanksgiving more meaningful. Craft projects get the whole family involved in creating special touches.
Make paper flower arrangements, garlands from wired leaves or felt circles, and place cards decorated with natural materials. Set out baskets of wool roving so people can wrap vases for one-of-a-kind coziness.
Provide nature-inspired stamps or potatoes carved with designs for printing napkins. Add hand-written drink tags decorated with fall stickers. Display favorite holiday photos. Handmade accents say “thank you” with creativity.
FAQ
What flowers symbolize Thanksgiving?
Some of the main flowers representing Thanksgiving include sunflowers (abundance), chrysanthemums (joy and longevity), roses (gratitude and appreciation), dahlias (diversity and connection), and asters (optimism).
How early should I buy flowers for Thanksgiving?
Most fresh-cut flowers last 1-2 weeks in a vase with proper care. Shop for flowers 1 week before Thanksgiving to ensure they look their best on the holiday. For longer life, choose flowers that bloom later like mums, Montauk daisies, and Christmas cactus.
What is a good Thanksgiving color scheme?
Warm autumnal colors like red, orange, yellow, purple, and bronze make perfect palette choices. Cool tones of blue, white, and silver create serene contrast. Mix and match shades for bold, eclectic arrangements.
Should I use real or fake flowers for my centerpiece?
Fresh flowers bring the essence of fall to your tablescape. But faux flowers allow you to arrange centerpieces well in advance. For practicality, mix fresh blooms with higher quality preserved and permanent botanicals.
What containers work well for Thanksgiving arrangements?
Reused vintage tins, baskets, ceramic jugs, and enamelware make ideal containers. Hollowed-out pumpkins, squash, and gourds also showcase fall flowers beautifully. Choose pieces with rustic, organic textures and colors.
Conclusion
Thanksgiving centerpieces present a wonderful creative opportunity to bring together fragrant, symbolic flowers and natural elements that capture autumn’s spirit. Chrysanthemums, dahlias, hydrangeas, asters, and berries in sunset colors complement holiday gatherings. Rustic, harvest-inspired touches lend cozy charm.
When designing your Thanksgiving table, embrace bold tones, imperfect textures, and scents that kindle memories. Repurpose old containers and decorations for an eclectic look. Embrace the festive spirit this Christmas with handmade accents and interactive options that not only adorn your space but also connect family and friends in shared creativity and gratitude. When choosing your Thanksgiving centerpiece flowers and decorations, opt for elements that inspire joyful thankfulness, letting your centerpiece become a heartfelt celebration of the season.
