What Happens When You Keep Adding to One Foraged Fall Arrangement All Season?

What happens when you keep adding to one foraged fall arrangement all season? This fall, I’m finding out—and I’d love for you to join me. We’ll wander Vermont’s back roads, hike with Ella, and take a few RV antiquing trips through New England, gathering the colors of the season as we go. Starting with one vintage vessel, we’ll build an arrangement that changes right along with the foliage, then let it dry naturally to enjoy through winter. I’ll update this post throughout the season, so choose a vessel and create one alongside me.

Choosing a Vintage Vessel for Your Foraged Fall Arrangement

Before gathering the first flowers and branches, I like to choose the vessel that will hold the arrangement throughout the season. This year, I’m using an old blue ice cream bucket I found antiquing in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom last spring. I love how the blue contrasts with fall’s pinks, golds, rusts, and purples, and it works beautifully with the blue-and-white furnishings on our Vermont porch. It’s also a manageable size, so I can move it from the porch to our church pew, scullery, kitchen counter, or dining table as the arrangement grows.

I’m always drawn to vintage vessels with a little color, especially when they bring out the different shades in an arrangement. But I also love the texture of an old wooden crate, the patina of a New England sap bucket, and the style of an antique crock or the natural look of a woven basket. Each creates a different feel, so I like to think about where the arrangement will be displayed and how the vessel will work with the colors and furnishings around it.

What to Consider When Choosing Your Vessel

• Think about size and where it will live. A large crate or basket can make a wonderful statement on the floor beside a bench, while a smaller bucket may be easier to move between a kitchen counter, table centerpiece, or porch. Remember, the arrangement can grow much larger than the vessel itself with tall branches, grasses, and generous stems.
• Choose colors and patinas you love. Weathered wood, natural wicker, aged metal, and colorful painted finishes each bring something different to a fall arrangement. Consider the colors and materials already in your home and the look you’d like to create.
• Look for a shape that supports the arrangement. A wide opening gives you room for an abundant, loose arrangement, while a narrower vessel can help hold taller stems upright. Think about how large you’d like your bouquet to become as the season progresses.
• Choose a vessel that works for drying. We won’t be adding water to this arrangement. Instead, we’ll allow the gathered materials to dry naturally as the season progresses. A sturdy bucket, basket, tin, or crate can all work, and a smaller container tucked inside can help support the stems if needed.
• Consider how you’ll move and display it. If you plan to carry your arrangement indoors and outdoors, choose something manageable as it grows. A sturdy handle can be helpful, especially when the bouquet becomes large and full of branches.

Vintage Vessel Ideas to Try

Old ice cream buckets, New England sap buckets, galvanized tins, wooden crates, French market baskets, apple-gathering baskets, and other vintage containers all bring something different to a foraged fall arrangement. Some are colorful, some are beautifully weathered, and others offer a natural texture that lets the flowers and foliage take center stage.

For this project, I’m starting with my blue bucket and letting the arrangement develop naturally. As it grows, I’ll experiment with styling it in different places around our home and porch. That’s part of the fun—there’s no need to have the entire arrangement planned before the first walk.

Explore more vintage vessel ideas:

Foraging Through Vermont’s Fall Foliage Season

Fall is my favorite time to get out and explore Vermont, whether we’re walking with Ella, driving the back roads, or heading off on an RV antiquing trip. The foliage changes so quickly, and I’m always finding something new to bring home—goldenrod, grasses, colorful branches, or whatever happens to be growing along the way. Below, I’m keeping a running journal of our outings, the places we visit, and how I add each new gathering to our blue bucket, with simple ideas you can use to create your own arrangement as the season goes on.

The First Forage: Starting Our Fall Arrangement

It’s Labor Day, and Ella and I head up to Stratton Mountain Pond, one of our favorite nearby walks, where the first hints of fall are just beginning to show. Around the pond, I gather goldenrod, asters, Queen Anne’s lace, and grasses for our first small bundle while kayakers, swimmers—brrr!—and plenty of dogs enjoy the beautiful September morning. We stop at a Vermont country store for sandwiches on the way home, then head back to the porch with the first gathering for our blue bucket.

Equinox Pond: Adding the First Hints of Purple

With our first cool 65-degree day, Ella and I head over to Equinox Pond, tucked behind the historic Equinox Resort at the base of Equinox Mountain. Vermont is still surprisingly green, and there isn’t a lot of new color to gather just yet, but I find some beautiful whites and dusty amethyst blooms that add a whole new layer to our arrangement. It’s still looking wonderfully wild and a little muted, but we’re still early—the real fall color is yet to come!

Follow Along as Our Fall Arrangement Grows

I can’t wait to see this arrangement grow as we make our way through Vermont’s fall foliage season, with a few New England antiquing adventures and Vintage Market Days along the way! I’ll keep sharing the new additions, how I’m styling them, and the little things I’ve learned from making these arrangements over the years. I hope you’ll create one alongside me, share your photos, and check back as we build something big and beautiful to enjoy through winter.

Follow Along with Dabbling & Decorating

I’ll be sharing updates from our fall arrangement, New England antiquing adventures, and more vintage decorating ideas in my Saturday emails. Sign up to follow along and see what we’re creating next.

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