Flowers bring joy and can help us celebrate any moment of life, big or small. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, focusing so deeply on gathering with one another, sitting down at a table, and enjoying a meal with loved ones (as opposed to, purchasing many presents).

Having fresh or dried flowers to decorate your home with this season further enhances the joy of the holiday. There are a few important things to consider when considering the best Thanksgiving flowers.

What to Consider with Thanksgiving Flowers

For many of us, Thanksgiving marks the end of the autumn season and the start of winter festivities. For this reason, it’s a wonderful time to appreciate the best fall flowers Pittsburgh has to offer.

A main consideration with most holiday flowers is that they are not overly fragrant. Often, Thanksgiving arrangements are set on a table near food, or in the vicinity of people who are eating and drinking. As we don’t want to get in the way of enjoying the big event (dinner!), it’s crucial to go with florals that have a minimal scent.

Furthermore, certain colors fit the autumnal color scheme more than others. Now this is not a hard and fast rule (feel free to get creative), but typically we lean towards red, yellow, and orange color stories this season. It simply feels the most festive! 

You will notice, many of the flowers that are very popular this time of year naturally fall into this color palette as well. Neutrals and earth tones are a natural counterpart here as well, helping us to embrace all the autumnal vibes. 

Most Popular Flowers for Thanksgiving Arrangements

• Chrysanthemums are one of the most notable fall flowers for a reason. They are fairly hardy (can withstand chillier temperatures) and come in a wide variety of hues including rust, deep red, russet, and gold. This makes them an ideal inclusion for a fall-focused bouquet. 

• Sunflowers, though slightly out of season in our region, are still extremely popular in Thanksgiving arrangements. They come in many varieties and truly convey a sense of cheerfulness that fits well with the holiday.

• Dahlias are a wonderful fall flower, especially when sourced locally. Our Pittsburgh-grown dahlia arrangements are especially unique since many different varieties cannot actually be shipped. They are fairly cold-sensitive, so when temperatures dip below freezing they will not survive. All the more reason to enjoy them now, before things get too cold!

• Dried flowers are an excellent choice for Thanksgiving; they come in a variety of options and with such a long shelf life, they are very sustainable. 

• Though not technically flowers, leaves and berries are wonderful inclusions in holiday arrangements. They naturally hold the colors of the season and also often last through cooler temperatures. Hawthorn and viburnum are two common examples. Filler is a very important addition that can be easy to forget when making a flower arrangement at home!

How to DIY Flowers Arrangements for Thanksgiving

To create a centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table, begin with a low vase or bowl to anchor things. A flower frog will help things stay in place when secured in the base (before adding water). 

It’s important to not choose a vase or container with much height. After all, you want your guests to be able to see one another when sitting down to eat. If your arrangement is going somewhere like a side table, this is less of a concern. 

For a balanced and eye-catching piece, utilize at least:

• 2 types of filler, such as leaves or seed pods (like viburnum)
• 2-3 varieties of accent flowers (vines or small buds, such as statice) 
• 2 types of supporting flowers (medium-sized blooms, such as zinnias)
• 1-2 focal flowers (including heirloom chrysanthemum and sunflowers)

Color Theory with Flowers

As mentioned above, I like to stay within a particular color story as this helps things feel cohesive. So, I’ll choose either a theme (soft neutrals) or a collection with similar saturations (such as lavender and sage green).  Important note: keep the undertone of all colors the same (either warm or cool).

How can you tell if something is warm or cool-toned? Consider it on a spectrum of yellow to blue. 

Does the flower have more yellow undertones? Meaning, are you seeing “warm” notes, similar to how direct sunlight looks when it hits a floorboard?

Or perhaps are there more muted, grayish, blue undertones? Blue is typically a cool color, and notes of it exist in many other hues. 

An example of a cool red would be scarlet or crimson. A warmer red would be maroon or vermillion (more yellow notes). 

With practice, color theory gets easier! There are plenty of books on this subject if you’d like to learn more. 

Eco-Friendly Options for Thanksgiving Flowers 

The most eco-friendly kind of flower is one that is grown organically, close to where you live. At Redolent, we source as much as possible from flower farms in Pittsburgh. We believe in the power of local flowers, to bolster our economy, reduce carbon emissions, and support small flower farms.

Most flowers have a very extensive supply chain, which can adversely impact their longevity and which varieties are available. Local flowers can truly make a huge difference in both the environmental impacts of your bouquet and the benefits for flower farms in our community. 

Flower Delivery Options in Pittsburgh and Bethel Park

At Redolent Floral, we deliver both bouquets and Pittsburgh flower subscriptions across the entire region! In many parts of Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair, and Mt Lebanon, we deliver for free. 

Feel free to peruse our entire collection of Thanksgiving and holiday florals below.