5 Beautiful Organics To Help You Transition From Summer To Early Fall

Here are 5 beautiful organics to bring into your home to transition from summer to fall decor.

I love transitions when it comes to seasons and decorating. I’m sure this stems from my years of teaching elementary school, especially first grade. Our classroom rode the calendar wave that pushed us along from one season and holiday to the next.

This has served me well as a decorator and blogger too. I’m always looking ahead to that transition point. In the world of decor transition, now is a great time to think about transitioning our decor from summer to fall.

You might like to read The Smart Girl’s Guide to Easy Fall Decorating. This post has so many savvy ideas for easing your home into fall.

When Late Summer Meets Early Fall

I like to transition slowly and enjoy the process of taking summer things down and putting them away, and adding items associated with early fall. I don’t take down summer decor and put up fall decor in a day or two. At least, I didn’t do that before blogging. Transitioning to me is a purposeful and enjoyable process.

I love the way late summer and early fall coexist for a few weeks in our area. The mornings get cooler, and so do the evenings, but the days are still warm. My annuals are almost spent having battled the brutal heat of July and August. And it’s time to replace them with lettuce to be harvested in the fall and color-saturated marigolds. And the hydrangeas are begging to be picked and brought inside.

Early fall is not the time for pumpkins or mums or heavy throw blankets. At least, not in my area. But it is time for a change.

How about you? Are you ready to think about transitioning from summer to early fall? So when you are ready, you can embrace the harbingers of a glorious new season?

Here are 5 beautiful early fall organics that will look beautiful in your home.

Apples

Apples are quintessential September. They represent back-to-school and early fall all in one. There are so many varieties of colors and tastes! And make beautiful arrangements! A win/win/win in my decorating book!

The easiest and most obvious way to use apples is to fill a bowl with them, making a simple arrangement. One of my favorite and sweetest arrangements is to put the remains of some of my summer flowers in Mason jars and put them on a tray with apples.

So simple and perfect for early fall!

Another thing to do for early fall is to set up a simple early fall coffee. And when I say simple, that is exactly what I mean. Nothing fru fru or complicated.

I like to set up an early fall coffee station in late August and feature apples. Make sure you check out my Early Fall Coffee Bar.

Even more than thinking about transitioning to a new season, cooking seasonal recipes is total immersion for me!

We pick apples, make applesauce, dry apples, and cook with apples in early fall! My very favorite recipe this time of year is Raw Apple Cake. It’s such an easy and delicious recipe that takes me back to my first year of teaching. And just as it did all those decades ago, it fills my home with such lovely warm spicy notes, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, and of course, apples.

Pears

I think pears get almost forgotten as a fall fruit. Because apples steal the show. However, pears are such an elegant and beautiful fruit with a sweet, perfumey taste they deserve to be celebrated! I’ve never met a pear I have not loved!

Pears can be added to centerpieces. And although they don’t last as long as apples, they are just so attractive. A large shallow bowl that holds a half dozen perfect pairs is a work of art!

Pears come in so many shapes, sizes, and fall-inspired colors. From tiny, chubby seckel pears to earthy-colored Bosc pears, these fruits are one of the pleasures of early fall!

Grill pears, use pears in salads (my favorite) and make pear desserts. Here is a beautiful Pear Tart that shows off the shape and flavor of pears.

Hydrangeas

In our area, late summer and early fall are when our hydrangeas are at the height of their bloom and are ready to pick for arrangements. There is something so magical about bringing an armload of hydrangeas into the house. And by mid-September, they are perfect for picking and bringing in to dry.

From now until October, our home is decorated with fresh and drying hydrangeas.

You might like to read Everything You Need To Know About Hydrangea Care and How to Care For Cut Hydrangeas, and How To Dry Hydrangeas The Easy Way.

Look for a post in September about making a dried hydrangea wreath.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are another flower that is a late summer gift. And they look beautiful through fall. Grouped en mass in a vase along with other flowers, sunflowers are big happy flowers that we can celebrate in early fall.

You might like to read Decorating With Sunflowers. This post gives you ideas for how to decorate with sunflowers, keep them fresher longer, and how to dry their seed heads.

And speaking of seed heads…

These dried sunflower heads look beautiful and textural in a fall arrangement or even grouped together on a table.

They also can be strung as a garland or fashioned on a wreath.

Birdhouse Gourds

One of the things you will find in many Amish gardens here in Lancaster Co. is birdhouse gourds. They are funny-looking plants, and when they are dried, the Amish primarily use them to make birdhouses for birds called Martins.

I like to use them when they have been dried as part of my early Fall Decor. You can see one HERE. I also use smaller spinning gourds in arrangements. You can see them HERE.

To say I’m a huge fan of the transitioning time between summer and fall is a big understatement. And we can use the bounty of this time of year to create simple beauty in our homes. I hope you will use these organics in your home soon!