For those of us in the United States, the Thanksgiving holiday is upon us! This is a wonderful time of the year to celebrate the harvest, give thanks with family and friends, and reflect on our blessings. For gardeners, Thanksgiving may have a special resonance—it’s a celebration of both the growing season and the transition into quiet months for many gardens and growing spaces. It’s a great time to reflect, celebrate, and plan for the season ahead. It’s also a fun time for decorating, and many of those decorations can be made in or at least inspired by the garden! While your own creativity and ideas are always most important, we’ll give you some suggestions for inspiration as you put together your own Thanksgiving decorations!
Let’s start with the classics: pumpkins and gourds are classic fall decorations, and especially important for Thanksgiving. For many years, winter squash were a pantry staple during the colder parts of the year; they kept well, held plenty of vitamins and minerals for nutrition, and were tasty. They also make for fun interior decor—their bright oranges and yellows bring some color into the house during what is for many places a drab time. Whether you use produce from your own garden or you buy some from a local producer, pumpkins, gourds, and other fall veggies are a great way to decorate for the season.
While we’re on the subject: Thanksgiving traditions tend to be influenced by the agriculture and foodways of New England, but those of you in the rest of the country can take the holiday and make it your own. Decorating with your local produce is a great way to celebrate the season, no matter what that produce happens to be. Whether your grapevines are producing or you’re still harvesting bumper crops of peppers, you can incorporate them into your Thanksgiving décor. Some of these decorations could even be edible—just make sure that your guests and family know which is which and be careful around pets and small children!
Garden vegetables aren’t the only possible Thanksgiving décor from the garden. Many gardens around the country are still producing flowers that may be wonderful and lively decorations indoors. Again, you can use whatever is growing locally to you and as a reminder you’re not limited by the traditional orange/yellow/brown color palate! This is your holiday and your celebration, so celebrate with whatever colors your garden or the wild plants around you are offering at this time of the year! Some regular readers may have preserved their own flowers, and dried flowers are always a welcome piece fo decoration for any event.
When we’re talking about flowering plants in autumn and winter, we should always mention the joys of witch-hazel. This plant is fascinating and useful in so many ways, but it’s perhaps best known for its brightly colored flowers and intoxicating aroma. As a winter-blooming plant, witch-hazel provides a wonderful, multi-sensory decoration both indoors and out at this time of the year. Maybe you have some in your landscaping, or maybe you need to buy some from a local producer. Either way, some witch-hazel in the house can make for a stunning piece of Thanksgiving decoration.
Speaking of colorful natural decorations, let’s not forget the basics: autumn leaves can be used in all sorts of creative leaves. Select clean, dry, undamaged leaves in the colors you like best and then get creative—make a collage with your kids, spread them tastefully around a serving table, or scatter them joyously across whatever surface you think needs some Thanksgiving flair. While we always recommend leaving the leaves when possible in order to help wildlife, using some for décor won’t hurt and is a wonderful zero-waste way to decorate for the holidays. Like so many ideas on this list, they can just go into your compost heap when you’re done!
No matter what 2024 brought us, there’s still so much to be grateful for. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this month, let’s also celebrate our gardens, the natural world around us, and the knowledge that spring is coming soon. From all of us at Gardzen—happy Thanksgiving to you!
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