Faux Pumpkins, Wreaths, Garland and Florals: The Fall Decor I Reuse Every Year
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I stopped buying real pumpkins for anything except the front steps. Not because I do not love them, but because I was spending money every single October on things that went soft by Thanksgiving, and the faux ones have gotten genuinely good. The velvet ones in my living room are on their fifth year.
This is everything in one place: pumpkins by type, wreaths for the door and inside, garland for the mantel and the stair rail, and the stems that fill every vase in the house. My rule for all of it is the same. If I cannot use it for at least three more falls, I am not buying it.
My Top Picks at a Glance
Best pumpkins overall: wicker rattan pumpkins in three sizes. Shop it here
Best value: twelve mini velvet pumpkins. Shop it here
Best front door wreath: lifelike eucalyptus wreath. Shop it here
Best garland: pumpkin and maple garland with wood beads. Shop it here
Best stems: faux fall eucalyptus, six per pack. Shop it here
Pumpkins, By Type
There are really four kinds worth owning and they do different jobs. Rattan and wicker for texture, velvet for softness and color, flocked or resin for a little polish, and large rustic ones for the floor and the front steps. You do not need all four, but knowing which is which stops you buying the same thing twice.
Wicker Rattan Pumpkins, 3 Sizes
Three pumpkins in three sizes, woven texture, completely neutral. These are the ones I leave out from late September until the day after Thanksgiving because nothing about them says October specifically.
Mini Velvet Pumpkins, 12 Pack
Twelve for the price of one nice ceramic one. Scatter them across a dining table, a console, a bathroom counter, the kids' bookshelf. The best dollar-per-impact purchase in the whole post.
Velvet Pumpkin Set of 3
Brown rustic velvet with real-looking stems. Bigger than the minis and much nicer in the hand, which matters for anything sitting at eye level.
Large Rustic Stackable Pumpkins
Three large blonde pumpkins that stack. These go on the hearth or flanking the front door, and they are the reason I no longer buy real ones for the porch.
Shop the large stackable pumpkins
Flocked Pumpkin Decor
Flocking gives you a soft matte finish that photographs like the real thing. Good on a coffee table where people will actually look closely.
Gold Resin Pumpkins, Set of 2
The dressy pair. These live on the Thanksgiving table and nowhere else, and they are worth it for that one day.
Wreaths: Front Door Versus Inside
A front door wreath needs to be big, at least twenty four inches, or it looks lost against a standard door. Inside, smaller is better, because an interior wreath is competing with art and furniture rather than a whole house facade.
Lifelike Eucalyptus Wreath, 24 Inch
Real-touch eucalyptus in dark fall tones. This is the one I recommend most because it works from September through Thanksgiving and does not read as a holiday-specific purchase.
Large Fern Leaf Fall Wreath, 26 Inch
Twenty six inches of orange-toned fern. This is the full commitment to autumn, and on a white or dark door it is beautiful.
Fall Boxwood Wreath, 26 Inch
Boxwood in fall color. Denser than the fern, so it holds its shape better in wind, which matters if your door is exposed.
Decorative Fall Front Door Wreath
A mixed wreath with more color variation, for a porch that needs the decor to do the work because there is not much else out there.
Brown Gingham Wreath Bows, 2 Pack
The cheapest way to make a wreath you already own look new. Two bows, swap them seasonally, done.
Eucalyptus Topiary Trees for the Porch, 2 Pack
Not a wreath, but they solve the same problem. A pair flanking the door finishes an entry faster than anything else.
Garland for the Mantel and the Stair Rail
Measure before you buy. A standard mantel needs six to seven feet to drape properly with a little spill on each end, and a staircase needs roughly one and a half times the length of the rail. Buying short is the most common mistake here.
Pumpkin and Maple Garland With Wood Beads
Just under seven feet. The wood beads break up the leaves and keep it from looking like a craft store garland, which is the whole battle with fall greenery.
Maple Leaf Vine Garland, 2 Pack
Two six and a half foot pieces. Double them for a full mantel or split them between the mantel and the stair rail. The budget pick and honestly hard to beat.
Stems and Dried Florals
This is the category people skip and it is the one that does the most work. Every vase in the house gets filled, and suddenly the whole place looks seasonal without a single pumpkin in sight.
Faux Fall Eucalyptus Stems, 6 Pack
Twenty seven inches, six per pack, muted green going to rust. Bendable, so you can shape the spray instead of accepting whatever shape came out of the box.
Faux Berry Stems, 43 Inch
Tall dusty plum nandina berry stems. Forty three inches is dramatic, and in a floor vase or a tall pitcher they are the best height-for-money in the post.
Faux Branches for a Vase, 6 Pack
Bare-ish branches with sparse leaves. Mix two of these into any arrangement and it stops looking like a bouquet and starts looking styled.
Artificial Ficus Leaf Spray, 43 Inch
Big green leaves for the arrangements that need volume rather than color. These carry from fall straight through the rest of the year.
Two Rules That Save You Money
Buy neutral first, color second. Rattan, cream velvet and green eucalyptus work every year. The bright orange maple is the piece you will be tired of by year three, so let that be the cheap one.
Fluff everything the day it arrives, not the day you decorate. Faux greenery ships compressed and it takes twenty minutes of bending branches to make it look real. Doing that while you are already frustrated is how things go back to Amazon that did not need to.
Faux Fall Decor FAQ
What is the most realistic faux pumpkin?
Velvet and flocked read best up close because the finish is matte. Rattan and wicker read best from a distance because the texture is real even though the shape is not.
How big should a front door wreath be?
At least twenty four inches for a standard thirty six inch door. Twenty six to thirty if your door is oversized or set back under a deep porch.
How much garland do I need for a mantel?
Six to seven feet for a standard mantel. For a staircase, measure the rail and add half again.
Can you leave faux fall decor up through Thanksgiving?
Yes, and that is the argument for buying neutral. Rattan pumpkins, eucalyptus and berry stems all carry to the end of November. Swap only the bright maple pieces out.
How do you store faux wreaths and garland?
Hang wreaths on a hook rather than boxing them, and coil garland loosely in a bin instead of folding it. Crushed greenery never fully recovers.
More Fall Decorating
How to Style a Fall Mantel Shop it here
The Best Fall Decor on Amazon Shop it here
Where to Find Realistic Faux Stems and Greenery Shop it here
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