Simple Late Summer & Fall Hydrangea Centerpiece Ideas

Simple, but beautiful hydrangea centerpiece ideas that transition easily from late summer to early fall displays.

I can’t believe it’s late August already. Where did the summer go?

The cicadas are singing in the afternoons and evenings, the birds are beginning to head south, and there’s a bit of coolness to the morning air– just enough to whisper that fall is quietly approaching.

This month’s Pinterest Challenge, hosted by Cindy from County Road 407, is about creating beautiful glass jar decor.

I’m not quite ready to get out all my fall decorations yet, so I decided to create a late-summer glass jar centerpiece that can easily transition into fall. It’s kind of like a two-for-one deal!

If you’re stopping by from The Ponds Farmhouse, I absolutely know you loved Rachel’s decorating ideas with old bottles and jars. She never fails to amaze me with her gorgeous creations!

For this challenge, several different bloggers took the same inspiration photo and designed something that works with their own personal style. I love seeing all of the creative ideas that spring from the same photo!

Our inspiration photo this month comes from Kelly at Live, Laugh, Rowe.

I love its beautiful simplicity. It’s the perfect design to highlight the fact that your seasonal home decor does not have to be fancy or time-consuming.

For my own glass jar centerpieces, I knew I wanted to create flower arrangments using hydrangeas.

My Little Lime Hydrangeas are filled with bold blooms right now.  They are in that gorgeous phase where the green hydrangea flower heads are huge, and just beginning to take on a little bit of pink around the edges.  So pretty!

Create a Stylish Floral Statement

I created my hydrangea centerpieces in just a few easy steps:

1. I clipped a few hydrangea stems from my bushes, and then removed all of the leaves.

2. I began with a large glass vase and tucked a smaller clear vase inside of it.  Any clear or opaque containers will work, as long as they can be nested inside of each other.

3. The inspiration photo used a pillar candle, but that wouldn’t work with my beautiful hydrangea arrangement, so I opted to use my favorite fairy lights instead. I tucked them inside the large jar, loosely circling the smaller inside vase. The battery pack can be hidden in the back.

4.  Next, I gently placed several river rocks in the bottom of the large vase, filling in the empty spots around the bottom of the smaller vase.  This helps anchor it in place.

5.  I filled the small vase about 3/4 full of fresh water.  This provides water for the floral arrangement without getting the fairy lights wet.

6.  I arranged the flowers in the water of the small vase.  The stems can be cut as needed so that the hydrangea heads sit right above the top of the vase.

Simple Late Summer Hydrangea Centerpiece Ideas

Once I had my beautiful flower arrangement made, it was time to create my first centerpiece.  

I placed my hydrangea-filled vase on a pretty, rustic wooden tray.  Then, for a late summer look, I finished off the display with a bowl of artificial sunflowers, and a trio of summer-scented candles for an easy, but timeless look. 

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The fairy lights are on a timer, so they automatically come on in the evening.  Their subtle, warm glow creates a truly enchanting look.

​Easy Transtion to a Fall Display

As summer ends, it’s so easy to quickly change this display into a fall centerpiece.  

I swapped out the sunflowers for a bowl of beautiful cream and white faux pumpkins.  I tucked a couple of pumpkin picks from Hobby Lobby into the flower arrangement.  Switch out the candles for your favorite fall-scented ones, and you’re done!

A Few More Tips

• I used Little Lime Hydrangeas, but different colors would also look lovely!  White hydrangeas are classic and work with any color scheme, but shades of pink and blue hydrangeas are beautiful for a summer centerpiece.
• If you don’t have hydrangeas growing in your yard, you can buy them at nearly any grocery store.  I often see them at Trader Joe’s and Costco even!
• There is absolutely nothing wrong with using faux flowers.  Many artificial flowers are so realistic looking!  These faux hydrangeas on Amazon will totally fool anyone!
• Every year, I dry a few stems of my fresh hydrangeas so I can enjoy them well into the fall.  You can see my easy method for drying hydrangeas HERE.  Dried hydrangeas make lovely arrangements, too!

• How To Dry Hydrangeas the Easy Way
• Dried Hydrangea Fall Arrangement

Any of these simple arrangements would be the perfect accent for a dining room table, kitchen island, or coffee table. They are an easy way to add a touch of elegance to your room.

Next, I hope you’ll pop over to visit Marty at A Stroll Thru Life to see her gorgeous entryway table decor. Marty’s home is always so classically beautiful and I love seeing what she’s been up to.

Plus, scroll down to see all of the beautiful Pinterest Challenge designs for this month linked up below!

Let’s stay in touch!

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