How did the cornucopia become symbolic of Thanksgiving? “Cornucopia” comes from the Latin “cornu,” meaning horn, and “copiae,” meaning plenty. A cornucopia is a decorative, horn-shaped wicker basket commonly used as a table decoration at Thanksgiving, symbolizing abundance and nourishment.
Create your own beautiful cornucopia for your fall table by including some of the following flowers: yellow roses, sunflowers, orange lilies, and bronze chrysanthemums (mums are said to represent the official flower of fall). Dried lavender makes a gorgeous addition, adding fragrance as well as color to your arrangement. You can even add some dried wheat and cinnamon sticks to “spice up” your Thanksgiving Cornucopia!
What do these flowers represent?
Yellow roses symbolize friendship and joy. They are also used to represent those feelings that are associated with friendship such as warmth, delight, gladness, caring, and affection. The yellow rose favors moist conditions, but it can tolerate moderate drought. Provide more water for them when they are flowering. After blooming, only water when soil is basically dry to the touch. Be sure and plant these about six weeks before the first predicted autumn frost!
Sunflowers symbolize loyalty. Sunflowers are “happy” flowers because of their association with the sun. Sunflowers are native to North America, and since they are heat tolerant, they can adapt to almost all conditions. Plant when temperatures reach 50 degrees; they do need six to eight hours of direct sun a day, and don’t forget, you can harvest and eat the seeds! They are certainly beautiful in the garden, but smaller varieties can be grown in containers. Some smaller varieties include Teddy Bear, Lemon Queen, Sunbuzz, and Sunfinity. Sunflowers are great for cut flowers!
Orange lily flowers symbolize confidence, pride, and worthiness. These lilies can grow up to three to four feet tall with stems that bear medium-green leaves, Orange lilies like full sun or part shade. Keep them well-drained and moist. These lilies can be planted on our Gulf Coast from mid-to-late October through November.
Chrysanthemums symbolize youth, loyalty, love, passion, and friendship. These flowers can make new plants by taking cuttings from the old. They bloom from September through November, which means they provide nectar to bees and butterflies late in the year. Since mums are deer resistant, you can have cut flowers throughout the fall. They do like sun and well-drained soil. Chrysanthemums can be planted after the last frost in spring time.
Lavender flowers symbolize purity, serenity, grace, and calmness. Lavender enjoys growing in very sunny spots. Lavender plants will tolerate many growing conditions, but they grow best in warm, well-draining soil and full sun. In the garden, lavender makes an excellent companion plant for almost any type of plant. Lavender grows best in heat, so if you are using real lavender in your arrangement, you will need to plant it eight weeks before first autumn frost.
Whatever flowers you choose to represent your bounty, be sure and add some interesting squash and gourds in gorgeous colors to embellish your fall cornucopia arrangement!
Happy Thanksgiving, and happy gardening!
Gaye Winter, Ph.D., teaches English at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and is a member of Biloxi Garden Club. Reach her at gaye.winter@mgccc.edu.
