1. Use jars and vases with warm tones. My go-to at this time of year is old pickling or cider jars.
2. Think outside the box when looking at your garden. You're not going to find an abundance of colourful flowers in October but seed pods, dried hydrangeas and season foliage are perfect - the burnt oranges and deep reds work beautifully together.
3. Pop some fruit, gourds or pumpkins around the arrangement. Don't feel like you have to use orange all the time, the above is a good example of mixing the tones up by using golden pears and white 'Lumina' pumpkins.
4. Place the vase on a tray to give it more of a centrepiece feel. A vintage tray, serving dish, platter or even an old mirror will do the trick.
5. Consider where you're going to put the arrangement from the get go. On the kitchen table you'll want it a little lower so people can still see each other and natter from across the table, if it's going in a window, you can make it higher and front facing.
Sustainability tip: Use a ball of chicken wire to hold the stems in place as opposed to floristry foam as it can be use over and over again...