A festive arrangement with spiky delphinium and eucalyptus looks even fuller thanks to aramanthus cascading down the sides. Berries and dahlias add even more color to his casual bouquet.

Gather armful of vivid leaves and berries from the garden before the snow gets them. Ordinary chrysanthemums can look stiff when arranged on their own. But nestled in a fountain of red winterberry, burning bush, and purple beauty-Berry, they are dramatic and unexpected. You can get the ceramic shagreen base at globaltable.com

Yellow beech leaves bring an otherwise summery group of pale-pink and white dahlias and gold spider mums into the next season. Set a couple of mums in a shallow bowl as a side note.

Cut the stems of a typical bouquet of late dahlias and mums from a farmers' market or corner florist, and mix the flowers with foraged crabapples and orange winterberry. Divide them among three small water glasses. The short arrangements are the ideal height for lining the center of a dinner table

This arrangement has the feel of a wild late-season meadow and is made with items that cost very little or can be found in the yard. For a low profile that encourages dinner conversation, a block of floral foam was set into a shallow pewter dish and a dome of sedum flowers created, filling in the spaces with purple Queen Anne's lace, mauve hydrangeas, round star scabiosa, fuzzy foxtail grass, and spiked sea holly.

In late fall, natures shapes become stark and geometric. Highlight plants that may be overlooked outdoors by placing a few stems of one or two types in their own eclectic vases. From left: black - leaf millet grass, snowberry, dusty Miller with spider mums, bayberry and ivy berries. Candlesticks in satin silver finish and egg vase in white with bisque exterior and glazed interior by Ted Muehling, see erbutler.com

Birds' castoff plumage can add interest( and a shot of fall color) to an arrangement- or make one all on their own. The striking graphic patterns on this collection got us thinking about new ways to use a bell jar. " feathers are beautiful when presented in a modern way, and they're so underutilized in decor," says Kevin Sharkey. Stand them up in a little vase, and add a few acorns. Another easy fall combo to display under a dome: a bird's nest and some dried oak leaves.

A thanksgiving table demands a feast for the eyes with all the trimmings. But bear in mind that well-mannered centerpieces should never block guests' views of one another. A low container is just what's needed, leaving room for lavish helpings of pomegranates, red viburnum berries, tulips, roses, and ranunculus served up with a bronzy-green magnolia-leaf wreath

Let long stems arch out of a trumpet vase for an ethereal arrangement. Flower stems naturally follow the shape of this vase; they reach up and out, and the result is delicate and light. Choose flowers with graceful stems, such as this crocosmia, for the most pleasing look. Shorter cuttings of maiden hair fern float beneath the blooms. Echo the idea with smaller vessels- parfait glasses work perfectly - holding just a few stems.

In this arrangement, one color is the star, the other is the costar. Gerbera daisies are top-heavy, so Kevin Sharkey used floral tape to make a grid across the top of the vase to keep them in place. Each opening holds a few stems.

It's hard to top flowers but the airy textures of hydrangea, cotton balls and cardoon pods come close. Added bonus: the natural components wont wilt before the season's end.