Fill your bowl with fruit and sunny sunflowers
Stop in the produce section when you're grocery shopping to pick up a bag of lemons and limes. Then head to the floral section for some small sunflowers and a few stems of leaves.

Fruit and Sunflowers

• bowl container (or a platter or tray)
• 18-24 lemons and limes (or enough to fill your container)
• 6 sunflowers (we've used small ones)
• a few stems of eucalyptus or other leaves

Pile the fruit into your bowl. Use all lemons or a mixture of fruit in the colors of your choice. Tip: Use a few toothpicks to secure fruits if necessary.

Cut the sunflower stems to about 3-6" long and insert between the fruits. Note: Ripening fruit can cause fresh flowers to wilt so be sure to add flowers only an hour or so before your party.

Clip leaves to about 5" lengths and insert under lemons around the edge of the bowl and a few in the center.

Tip: Flowers may last several hours without water. To make an arrangement last longer, fill the bottom of the bowl with water and cut flower stems long enough to reach down to the water. Or, use floral water tubes for each flower stem.

Highlight a few gorgeous flowers...
With only a few flowers and some floating candles, this centerpiece is simplicity itself.
Vary the type and color of the flowers for an arrangement that can be appropriate for any occasion.

Floating Candles and Flowers Centerpiece

• 3-5 open roses
• bowl container (or a platter or tray)
• floating candles (optional)

Set your bowl in place on the table. Fill it with water using a pitcher.

Next cut roses or other large open flowers so the stems are less than 1" long. Float the flowers on the water.

Place floating candles on the water and avoid wetting the candle wicks.

Tip: Flowers that are large and open (not buds) will work best in this arrangement. Don't crowd flowers and candles or petals could be singed.

Use any leaves from your yard...
An arrangement of pears makes a wonderful centerpiece. Choose fruit in bright green, golden yellow, or russet red -- either fresh or artificial -- and pile into a pretty bowl.

Carry the fall theme through with some oak leaves (or any other type of fall leaf), acorns, and mini crab apples for a bit more color. All finished!

Fall Pears and Oak Leaves

• 12-18 small pears, in any color you like (fresh or artificial)
• 3-5 large pears
• handful of oak leaves
• garnish with acorns and mini crab apples
• bowl container (or a platter or tray)

We've used three varities of pear and heaped them in our footed glass bowl.

Next, clip fall leaf stems into 4-6" lengths and insert a few here and there around the perimeter of the arrangement. Since our leaves were from the backyard oak tree we also added some acorns.

A final garnish of miniature red crab apples adds more color to this fall centerpiece.

Tip: Use artificial fruit for a long-lasting arrangement that only needs dusting!

Concentric circles surround a tall candle
This minimalist centerpiece can be made in minutes.
Stand a large pillar candle in the bowl and surround it with circles of fruit.

Garnished Pillar Candle

• Bowl container (or a platter or tray)
• Pillar candle, any color or height
• 9-12 small lemons or tangerines
• 7-10 small artichokes or limes

Set a pillar candle into the center of your bowl. Secure it with florist putty or candle wax tabs if necessary.

Make two rows of fruit or vegetables around the candle. Small items will work best. We've chosen some baby artichokes and some very small lemons, but tangerines, limes, or any other item could also work.

Turn a popular accessory into a centerpiece...
Decorative accessory spheres are all the rage. Found in ceramic, twig, and seeded versions, these pretty items can be the basis of a great table arrangement.
Once piled into a bowl, the balls can be embellished with flowers, babies breath, or leaves.

Decorative Balls Centerpiece

• Bowl, platter or tray
• decorative accessory balls
• 6-12 roses or other type of flower
• leaves, if desired
• (optional) babies breath

Arrange balls in a bowl or on a platter or tray.
Next, cut the flower stems to about 3-6" long and insert between the balls.
Clip leaf sprigs to about 5" and insert between the balls near the roses.

Tip: Flowers may last several hours without water. To make an arrangement last longer, fill the bottom of the bowl with water and cut flower stems long enough to reach down to the water -- only if the water will not damage the decorative balls. Or, use clear floral water tubes for each flower stem, inserting both a flower and a leaf, plus a stem of babies breath into the tube.

This colorful centerpiece smells wonderful...
Fresh lemons and limes give this centerpiece a fresh spring look and smell.
We simply added 8 yellow mums and a few clippings of leather fern, for an arrangement that will last many days if wilted flowers are replaced or removed as needed.

Lemon Lime Centerpiece

• Bowl, platter, or tray
• 24 small lemons and limes (or enough for your container)
• 8-12 flowers
• 3 stems leather leaf, cut up

Arrange fruit in your container.
Next, cut the flower stems to about 3-6" long and insert between the fruit. Note: Ripening fruit can cause fresh flowers to wilt so be sure to add flowers only an hour or so before your party.

Clip 3 stems of leather leaf into shorter sprigs and insert between the fruit, around the rim of the bowl.

Tip: Flowers may last several hours without water. To make an arrangement last longer, fill the bottom of the bowl with water and cut flower stems long enough to reach down to the water. Or, use clear floral water tubes for each flower stem, inserting both a flower and a leaf sprig into the tube.

Gather fall materials for a natural arrangement
Natural fall materials can be found on walks or in your backyard. Use them to make an autumn centerpiece for a fall dinner or Thanksgiving.
We fit a few pine cones into our bowl, surrounded them with some fall leaves, then stuck in a handful of colorful red twigs.
It is perfect for the season and will look terrific on your fall table.

Pine Cone and Twigs Centerpiece

• Bowl
• assortment of pine cones
• handful of fall leaves
• handful of lightweight fall twigs

We placed one large round pinecone in the center of our bowl and surrounded it with several long thin pinecones.
Next we placed fall leaves in and around the pine cones. Last, the lightweight twigs were stuck down into the arrangement, held in place by the pine cones. Add a few more fall leaves if desired.

Fruit and Flowers add color
Bright orange tangerines and yellow lemons add fresh color to a table.
Vary the flowers to fit your mood -- anything from white daisies, orange roses, or purple statice might look wonderful.

Enjoy!

Tangerine Centerpiece

• Bowl, platter, or tray
• 6-10 tangerines
• 6-10 lemons or limes
• a few stems of green leaves
• 8-12 flowers (daisies, roses, mums, etc.)

Arrange fruit in bowl, and place some extra fruit around the base of the bowl.
Cut the flower stems to about 3-6" long and insert between the fruits. Note: Ripening fruit can cause fresh flowers to wilt so be sure to add flowers only an hour or so before your party.
Clip leaf stems into shorter lengths and insert under fruit around the edge of the bowl.

Tip: Flowers may last several hours without water. To make an arrangement last longer, fill the bottom of the bowl with water and cut flower stems long enough to reach down to the water. Or, use floral water tubes for each flower stem.

Tip: Use silk flowers and leaves for a very long-lasting arrangement.

Fruit and flowers bring easy style to a table
Limes add color, scent, and stability to this centerpiece.
We've used roses, but almost any kind of flower could be used. Feathery leaves add texture and appeal.

Enjoy!

Limes, Candle, and Roses Centerpiece

• Bowl
• large pillar candle
• 6-9 limes
• a few stems of green leaves
• 8-12 flowers (daisies, roses, mums, etc.)

Place candle in the center of the bowl.
Set a row of limes around the candle. Fill base of bowl with an inch or two of water.
Cut rose stems to 4-6", making sure that each stem can reach the water. Arrange roses evenly around the bowl, with some resting on the edge of the bowl.

Note: Ripening fruit can cause fresh flowers to wilt so be sure to add flowers only an hour or so before your party.
Clip leaf stems into 5-8" lengths and insert evenly around the bowl.