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Harvest tabletops

Bring the outdoors in. You can amp up your table and room decor with these ideas from nature's bounty, some of it from your own back yard.

October 14, 2008 at 10:16PM

A variation on the traditional horn of plenty. We used a naturally shed steer horn and filled it with hypericum berries and the ultimate low-cost material: feathery seed heads from a volunteer gourd growing next to the garage in the alley. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

GROUP THINK

Mass unusual seed pods for impact, and use them to display nuts or other items.

Another idea: Encircle a glass vase with a discarded round of birch bark and fill the glass with a fistful of cattails.

Resource: "Elf Hat" seedpods, 95 cents each, Stonecrop, 13728 83rd Way N., Maple Grove, 763-416-4035. You can find rosehips at the florist's, but if you got behind on deadheading your roses this fall, you'll have a ready-made supply.

AU NATUREL

A variation on the traditional horn of plenty. We used a naturally shed steer horn and filled it with hypericum berries and the ultimate low-cost material: feathery seed heads from a volunteer gourd growing next to the garage in the alley.

Another idea: Stuff several short, leafless branches into a vase and place one dramatic flower in the center.

Resource: Steer horn, $15. Color, size vary slightly. Luehmann, 5005 Bryant Av. S., Minneapolis, 612-285-8467.

GO LOW

Fill a small garden urn with chartreuse reindeer moss to hold a single pear or pomegranate for a simple centerpiece low enough to be talked over at the dinner table.

Another idea: Go even lower. Scatter pressed autumn leaves down the center of your table and at each place setting for a colorful, inexpensive look.

Resource: Cast-iron urn, $35.95. The Nest, 8 1st Av. S., Buffalo, Minn., 763-682-7773; moss, $25.50 for 11-oz. bag. Twiggs, 4753 Chicago Av. S., Minneapolis, 612-823-8944.

DOUBLE DUTY

We used hobnailed mercury glass votive holders as vases, filling them with chocolate cosmos from the florist's and pom-poms from the grocer's.

Another idea: Mix it up, using containers of different sizes but in the same shape; let a single type of flower unify the look.

Resource: Votives, $6.95 each in varying shades of gold and salmon. Patina, several metro locations; see www.patinastores.com.

REPEAT PATTERN

Seed pods with an opening will hold a colorful sprig of dried rosehips. Line up several down the middle of the table for a minimal, modern centerpiece.

Another idea: Tuck a quail or small pheasant feather inside for a more sculptural presentation.

Resource: "Porcupine" seedpods, 95 cents each, Stonecrop, 13728 83rd Way N., Maple Grove, 763-416-4035.

BIG STATEMENT

A tall vase with stately bittersweet or curly willow makes a dramatic presentation for your mantel or sideboard.

Another idea: A single bunch of curly willow makes a sweeping centerpiece. Or use maple or oak branches from your own trees.

(The leaves don't stay fresh as long, but are ablaze with color for a short while.)

Resource: Your back yard or florist for the bittersweet. Find 4- to 5-foot branches of orange and green curly willow, not pictured, $1.95 each. Laurie's Trunk occasional store, www.lauriestrunk.com. 9066 Lyndale Av. S., Bloomington, 612-558-2886. Next sale dates: Nov. 14-16.