Pretty Thanksgiving Centerpieces

Add a pop of color to your fall table with these vegetable and flower displays. Cut three bell peppers lengthwise an inch from the top to make an opening, without cutting the top completely off. Hollow out each pepper and stuff with different types of flowers, color coordinating if you'd like. Setting the peppers on small brown plates completes the look.

For a seasonal vase, cut off the top of a butternut squash (about 1/4 of the squash height) and scoop out the flesh. Add water and arrange dahlias, sunflowers, zinnias, or other autumnal flowers in the vase. For a Thanksgiving table, line several squash vases along the center of the table, setting some on footed plates for height variations.

Though this sample may be too tall for a dining table, this arrangement will definitely impress your guests. Place it on an entryway table or sideboard, or make a shorter version for a centerpiece. Hollow out the top of a white pumpkin, then nestle in a vase filled with soaked florist's foam. Stems of leaves and berry branches are inserted into the foam that holds everything in place.

Dried ears of corn and shocks of wheat pay homage to Thanksgiving's rustic roots -- but can be artfully arranged to suit the modern table. Here, dried wheat shocks are inserted into the sides of a cylindrical piece of florist's foam and topped with colorful dried ears of corn. The arrangement is placed on a footed compote for elegant elevation.

Here's a no-fuss table arrangement that's simple and appropriate for many occasions. Rocks and bits of moss nestle around small candles in tiny flowerpots. And best of all -- no flowers to keep fresh!

An arrangement of flowers in a singular color can be striking -- and orange is a seasonally versatile color. Dress up an orange bouquet for fall by arranging blooms in brown-and-white pitchers. Display in a shallow wicker basket on your Thanksgiving table. The hints of rustic brown secure the fall theme.

Purchase small grapevine rings to use as a base, or make your own by bending a piece of coat hanger into a circle. Next, wire on small stems of berries, leaves, and flowers using thin wire wound tightly around the base. Use fresh flowers for a one-time-use decoration. Or find pretty silk blooms for a longer-lasting design.

Take a step away from traditional fall colors and try a metallic palette. For a shiny silver centerpiece, arrange mercury glass candlesticks on a silver serving tray. Spray-paint small pumpkins and gourds with metallic silver paint and place on top of the candlesticks. To add candles, hollow-out the center of each pumpkin just wide enough to securely hold the candle upright.

Give your flower vase a holiday and showcase blooms another way -- in perfect harvest form. A florist's foam ball is covered with real flowers to resemble a pumpkin. The porous foam absorbs water to help keep the blossoms fresh.

Luscious orange roses add an elegant touch to the traditional vegetables and gourds in a classic Thanksgiving cornucopia.

When creating a floral centerpiece, look for colors and textures to fit with the season. Roses and calla lilies are mixed with coffee berries and red mums in this stunning arrangement perfect for a Thanksgiving table.

Create a table runner using camel-color wool flannel or felt, cutting to size with a pair of pinking shears. Lay coordinating ribbons along the center of the runner and secure with double-stick tape or a dab of fabric glue, if necessary. Set a compote or cake stand in the center and scatter leaves, mini pumpkins, and pears down the runner.

With a straw wreath for a base, this pomegranate and prairie grass ring makes a pretty frame for a field of candlesticks dancing center stage.

What better way to celebrate the Thanksgiving harvest feast than by creating a centerpiece using gorgeous green vegetables. To make the asparagus- and green bean-wrapped candles, stretch two sturdy rubber bands around a white pillar candle, then insert vegetable stalks underneath the band. Cover the bands with a circle of satin ribbon and decorate the platter with a few white mums and coffee berry sprigs.

Another view of the previous centerpiece shows the place settings, white tablecloth, and pewter cups filled with tiny white mums. Your guests will be enthralled!

This centerpiece lives large with relatively few flowers. Create a base of evergreens, such as cedar and noble fir, then fill in with large flowers (such as hydrangeas and mums).

An assortment of flowers in vivid autumn colors creates sparks in this antique sugar bowl.

With one pillar candle elevated, others remain on the tabletop near glass votive holders, creating a glow of light for a Thanksgiving dinner. Airy stems fill twin pots embellished with tangerines and nuts for color.

Elevated cranberry spheres create a colorful arrangement. Cut toothpicks in half. Skewer one cranberry onto the end of each toothpick (without sticking it all the way through). Poke cranberry-laden toothpicks into a crafts foam ball. Cover each foam ball completely with cranberries. Place the balls on glass, silver, or mercury glass candlesticks. Add more fall panache by weaving curly grape vines through the arrangement of cranberry topiaries, or sprinkle acorns around the bases.

Editor's Tip: Adapt this look for Christmas by arranging evergreen sprigs around the bases of the candlesticks.

Spikes of purple salvia intensify the peach and blush-pink zinnias and miniature roses in this cottage bouquet. This color combination works well because purple is a close relative to blue, which is the complementary color to orange on the color wheel. Intensify the primary hue of a bouquet by pairing it with its complementary color or a close relative.

SOURCES Photographer: Greg Scheidemann. Floral designers: Breaca Lozier and Libby Becker.

A collection of amber glass sparked the idea for this centerpiece. Bits of fresh greens, acorns, leaves, and berries are wired to a form or simply set around the base of the glass hurricane. For a long-lasting decoration, look for a silk candle ring or tiny wreath.

A clear glass vase is perfect for showcasing the twist in these flower stems. Red roses, sprigs of grass, and seeded eucalyptus star in this arrangement.

SOURCES Photographer: Ed Gohlich. Floral designer: Rene Van Rems.

This bouquet grows out rather than up to create a low, graceful arrangement. Clusters of roses, orchids, hydrangeas, and dahlias give it a relaxed feel.

SOURCES Photographer: John Reed Forsman. Floral designer: Tangi Schaapveld.