How to Make an Easy Indian Corn Vase Flower Arrangement for Thanksgiving

Add a harvest note to your Thanksgiving or seasonal fall décor with an Indian corn vase and centerpiece. This easy to make vase is the perfect vessel for a floral arrangement or centerpiece for your Thanksgiving or fall table.

Happy Monday!

It’s one of my favorite days of the month when I join my

Monday Morning Blooms’ friends to share some flower therapy!

We’re excited to welcome Shannon at Belle Bleu Interiors, joining us as a Guest ‘Bloomer’ today!

You can find my flower friends’ links to their floral inspiration at the bottom of this post.

Thanksgiving is a couple of weeks away and our common theme for this week’s edition

of Monday Morning Blooms was ‘Giving Thanks’.

Indian corn is symbol of harvest season and one I associate with Thanksgiving.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.

According to History.com:

 Indian corn or Flint corn is one of the oldest varieties of corn, a type that Native Americans taught the early colonists how to cultivate. The kernels come in a range of colors and have “hard as flint” shells, giving this type of corn its name. Flint corn kernels contain a small amount of soft starch surrounded completely by a larger amount of hard starch, which means the kernels shrink uniformly when drying and are dent-free.

I like to use Indian corn in my seasonal fall harvest and Thanksgiving décor.

I used throw it out at the end of the season for the critters to nibble on

but noticed it would sit there uneaten for weeks.

Apparently, the squirrels, raccoons and other wildlife found the hard kernels unappetizing

in comparison to the fresh sunflower seed, available in the birdfeeders. :)

I started storing ears of Indian corn in a plastic bin, to use from one year to the next, as

 the low moisture and sugar content of the kernels gives it a long shelf life.

I’ve seen Indian corn vases on Pinterest and this project

has been on my ‘to do’ list for several years.

I’m happy to say it was surprisingly easy!

Here are the easy steps if you’d like to make one to add a harvest note

to your table or Thanksgiving décor.

Start with a glass cylinder vase and ears of Indian corn.

How many you’ll need will depend on the size of your ears of corn and your vase.

The vase I used was 8-inches tall by 6-inches wide.

Remove the husks from the ears of corn by snapping them off.

Mine snapped off pretty evenly and cleanly except for one or two ears that were a little more stubborn.

My grocery store usually sells Indian corn in 3-ear bundles up though Thanksgiving.

It took 5 bundles (15 ears) for my 6 x 8-inch vase.

To secure the ears of corn against the side of the vase, you’ll need some large rubber bands.

You can a variety or large rubber bands on Amazon.

I couldn’t find any rubber bands large enough locally when I was ready to make my vase

and didn’t want to wait for delivery.

Necessity is the mother of invention, as so scoured the aisles at Dollar Tree

and picked up some elastic headwraps. I’m happy to say they worked great!

Wrap your vase with your elastic or rubber band and tuck your ear of corn against side of the vase.

Continue to add your ears until your vase is concealed.

After adding several ears of corn, I decided it would be easier to work on a Lazy Susan Turntable

so the ears didn’t shift as I continued to work my way around the sides of the vase.

Ta da. . .finished in under 5 minutes!

Some of my ears were slightly shorter than the height of my vase

but the height difference would be concealed by my floral material.

I transferred my vase to a round bark tray I found at HomeGoods several years ago.

There is a similar one on Amazon.

Brown satin wire-edge ribbon found at Hobby Lobby

was tied around the Indian corn to conceal the elastic band.

Ready to fill with flowers!

I started with a favorite tool, chicken wire, to support the flower stems for easy arranging.

Chicken wire is an eco-friendly alternative to wet flower foam as it is reusable.

Cut your chicken wire at least 4 inches wider than the opening of your container,

so you have some excess wire to bend and hold against the walls of your container.

I cut some small branches of fall leaves to provide the framework of the arrangement.

When using foliage or flowers with woody stems, remove 3 – 4 inches of the outer wood

with a vegetable peeler to helps the stems ‘drink’ and stay fresh longer.

Dollar Tree is a great spot to pick up an extra vegetable peeler dedicated to

 flower arranging so your kitchen vegetable peeler won’t be dulled by woody stems.

Next I add some mums from the grocery store, along with some foraged fall grasses.

Then I added sunflowers, alstroemeria, a few more grasses

and sprinkled in some more maple leaves.

I can’t say enough good things about Floralife Clear Crowning Glory Solution!

It’s an anti-transpirant spray that seals in moisture and prolongs the life of your flowers and arrangement!

It dries clear and is safe to use on all flower types.

I’ve had flowers last as long as two weeks and it helps extend the life and vibrant color

of those fall leaves that would typically fall off a day or so after cutting.

Crowning Glory will dry within 30 minutes to an hour, depending the temperature and humidity.

Note: Wait to spray roses after they are open with Crowning Glory

as it will prohibit them from opening further.

Here are few tips to help extend the life of your flowers in your arrangement:

Cut your flower stems at a 45 degree angle for maximum water uptake and

remove any leaves below the water line.

 Always add floral preservative packets to your vase water.

 If you don’t have any floral preservative, you can make your own with this easy formula.

 Check your water level to top it off as needed and change your water

every other day if possible, to reduce bacteria and extend the vase life.

I placed my finished harvest arrangement and

Indian corn vase centerpiece on the porch. . .

Along with a fringed plaid throw and sunflower and pumpkin pillow.

Coming soon as a centerpiece for a Thanksgiving table. . .

Here’s a teaser. . .

“The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for

 we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.”

– Douglas Wood

Visit my talented blogging friends to see their floral inspiration this week:

Pam at Everyday Living

 Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse

Shannon at Belle Bleu Interiors

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