Thanksgiving Fruit Centerpieces

Prep this easy centerpiece and check it off your Thanksgiving to-do list before the big feast. Arrange pears, nuts, fresh or preserved leaves, and a few shocks of wheat in a tightly woven wire bowl for an update on the classic cornucopia.

A blend of elements brings together the best fall has to offer. To make this centerpiece, gather a bunch of acorns (with and without caps), and hot-glue them to a basic basket. Line the basket with plastic or foil, and place florist's foam inside. Start the arrangement with five or six not-too-ripe pears. Poke skewers into the bottoms of the fruits and stick into the florist's foam. Fill the basket with dahlia blooms, sprigs of crabapple, bittersweet, mountain ash berries, and other seasonal foliage.

Editor's Tip: If you don't live near acorn-dropping oak trees, use unshelled mixed nuts to decorate the basket.

Pair perennial favorites, such as pears, apples, and kumquats with radishes, limes, and brussels sprouts. Peel off part of the lime rinds in a spiral shape. Brush with lemon juice to prevent browning. To make the florets, cut the top third of the brussels sprouts, soak in water in the refrigerator for several hours, then peel back the leaves to make the petals. Arrange your mixed fruits and veggies with sprigs of nonedible juniper in a harvest-hue footed bowl to place on your Thanksgiving table.

Editor's Tip: Rub a thin layer of vegetable oil on the radishes and limes to prevent them from drying out.

Orange slices set the tone for this cheerful arrangement of roses, gerbera daisies, stock, chrysanthemums, and tulips. Lemons, limes, and oranges make colorful embellishments in clear vases. Cut the fruit in slices or wedges, or leave them whole.

Candles easily mix with greenery, fruit, and pinecones for a centerpiece that can be put together quickly. Garnish with a few smaller items such as nuts, acorns, or kumquats.

Fresh produce -- grapes, pears, apples, and kumquats -- circle around a center pineapple placed on a footed cake stand. Notice the colors stay within an autumnal range of reds and golds. Tiny berry sprigs add a different texture.

Fill a low platter or bowl with a pile of autumn fruit for a quick and simple centerpiece. Here, a bed of nuts keeps the fruit from rolling around. A few fall leaves (real or artificial) and pretty berries give the centerpiece a casual air.

Pops of rich reds and hints of dark green make a fall palette even more vibrant. Arrange pears and apples in a footed bowl and add bunches of red grapes and large green leaves.

Celebrate the season by adding an elegant touch to your table. Green apples mix with gorgeous roses in this centerpiece. Sturdy wooden picks hold the apples in place in the florist's foam along with the flowers.

Editor's Tip: Insert flowers at the last minute since ripening fruit speeds flower maturity.

Three white miniature pumpkins, slender pinecones, nuts, and white berry sprigs create this simple yet stunning display.

Grab a pretty urn filled with moist oasis and you can create any number of gorgeous floral centerpieces. Here we've combined kumquat clippings around the rim with several large red mums in the center. Make certain to insert the fruit stems firmly into the florist's foam, since the weight of the fruit might otherwise dislodge it from the arrangement.

This simple centerpiece starts with artificial pears and is finished with sprays of rye. With its low profile, Thanksgiving dinner guests won't have to dodge a lofty centerpiece to talk across the table.

Gather branches to use in an autumnal centerpiece. Look for both curved and straight branches with acorns or leaves attached. Arrange your finds in a glass vase partially filled with water. Float small citrus fruits (such as clementines) in the vase for a pop of color.

Multicolored fall apples lend themselves well to an easy centerpiece for a relaxed Thanksgiving dinner. Partially fill a large glass bowl with the fruit. Place a chunky pillar candle in the center on top of the apples. Add extra apples to fill the bowl and to support the candle.

Clear compotes make great bases for fall arrangements. We filled ours with mini pumpkins, red apples, glistening cranberries, and one large spider mum. Nestle seasonal items, such as leaves and gourds, around the dishes.

Update the classic cornucopia by filling a simple wire basket with a bounty of autumn naturals.

We used damp cone-shape florist's foam and filled it with tiny orange kumquats and roses. Lady apples and mums also would work for this project.

Go natural with this basket of moss, greenery, and a selection of beige and tan gourds. For a more formal look, dress it up by spray-painting the gourds silver or gold and placing them in a crystal bowl.

Create this centerpiece from three sizes of trays or plates elevated by six clear glasses filled with berries or fruit. Leaves, pinecones, and ribbons finish this tiered decoration.

Try something different with a pumpkin by carving it into a handled basket. Fit a bowl inside to hold oasis and a variety of fall flowers and leaves.