PLANTS, FLOWERS, AND HERBS FOR FALL
November or “Slowvember” is a time for reflection and harvest. When the air is festooned with falling leaves of blazing orange and crimson, it’s time to reap certain plants, herbs, and flowers. When the temperatures drop and days shorten, let Mother Nature’s generosity fill your cup with squash, carrots, leeks, kale, scallions, and citrus. There’s nothing more comforting than hearty plant-based soups and simmer pots filled with cinnamon, apple slices, star anise, and fresh oranges stirring the air with aroma. While we get ready to make floral centerpieces for Thanksgiving, it’s always a good idea to add a cornucopia brimming with fresh produce for extra colour and abundance. Baskets filled with persimmons, beets, sage, Swiss chard, cranberries, and pears make the most beautiful arrangement of all!
Add bowls and dishes decorated with your favorite fruits and veggies to your table this Thanksgiving season. Bouquets of yellow, white, and rust-coloured chrysanthemums look even better when paired with additional fresh décor in your tablescape. Add fresh Swiss chard, spinach, and beets to your floral display for an aesthetic of plenty. Chives are ideal for a cool-season garden, as they go dormant in winter and come back in spring. These are just one of many herbs to plant in November. Not only are they wonderful as a garnish and flavouring for seasonal dishes, but they also have frilly lavender blooms that look gorgeous when picked as a bouquet. Sage, thyme, cilantro, mint, dill, and parsley also look adorable in little terracotta pots on a windowsill and complete any spice garden. Seasonably appropriate herbs add a touch of homey comfort and rustic ambiance to any kitchen. It’s no wonder the kitchen is everyone’s favourite room in the house, where guests gather for warmth and cheer.
Some gardening tips that will help with your indoor floral décor include bringing tender plants indoors, dividing and re-potting overgrown perennials, and cleaning up fallen leaves. Use the pretty leaves that still retain their vivid color for a bouquet, wreath, or as DIY confetti! While chrysanthemums are an obvious favorite in November, peonies are also a birth flower for the month. Deep crimson ones rival any homemade cranberry sauce. The deep red pigment is ideal for mid-autumn, especially when paired with ornamental cabbage and/or kale. The splashes of purple complement this seasonal colourway beautifully. Cranberries and pomegranates are also prized this time of year. Because cranberries are high in antioxidants—and pomegranates in anthocyanins—they are highly coveted medicines. Kumquats, dates, nuts, figs, ginger, and pumpkins are also filled with healthy vitamins, and make for a beautiful fresh display at any gathering. Cranberries and persimmons still on the branch also add a touch of shabby-chic whimsy to any floral décor.
Some other flowers that bloom in November include camellias, violas, pansies, asters, cyclamen, calendula, primroses, goldenrod, salvia, cosmos, zinnias, dahlias, and winter jasmine. While tending to your cool-weather garden, make sure to compost dead leaves, harvest remaining crops, prune dead branches, plant spring bulbs, and propagate cuttings. This will supply you with greenery indoors all winter. Still stuck on what fresh flowers to gift and decorate with for November? Visit Chelsea Flowers for all your floral needs and desires.
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