25 Outdoor Fall Decor Ideas to Showcase Through Thanksgiving

From outdoor pumpkin decor to autumn flowers, we have 25 gorgeous ideas to add to your front porch or yard. Welcome the season with color and style!

wire pumpkin with fall gourds and decor
Photo: Adam Albright

The best fall decorations can stay on display from harvest to Halloween. Add to the natural beauty of your backyard with stylish outdoor pumpkin decor and seasonal window boxes filled with hardy flowers. Our versatile fall decorating ideas span the season from September through Thanksgiving—plus, many displays can be brought indoors and used as fall centerpieces during seasonal entertaining.

01 of 25

Rustic Potted Plants

mum and kale arrangements in galvanized buckets near door
Bob Stefko

Galvanized planters ($8, Kohl's) add a rustic touch to any outdoor fall decor. Fill each one with plenty of seasonal plants, like mums, flowering kale, and pansies, then showcase them on your front steps. We love this fall container garden's mix of colors and varieties.

02 of 25

Harvest Stairway

mini pumpkin greenery table setting
Panichgul Studios, Inc

Gather galvanized buckets to host combinations of pumpkins, cabbage plants, and Japanese lanterns. Fill the containers partway with soil; this will help anchor the cabbages and give the pumpkins a boost. Guide visitors through your harvest entryway by trimming your porch railing with a homemade garland crafted from hemp-wrapped coiled wire, baby gourds, and seeded eucalyptus leaves.

03 of 25

Jumbo Jack-o'-Lantern

wire pumpkin with fall gourds and decor
Adam Albright

Create supersized pumpkins from two wire baskets filled with gourds. To make this harvest display:

  • Fill baskets with gourds; top one with a thin board.
  • Hold the board in place while flipping the basket to sit on top of its mate.
  • Slide the board out and bind the baskets with wire.
  • Use driftwood or a piece of a thick branch for the pumpkin stem.
  • Add a felt face with hot glue for Halloween, then remove it to transition fall decor into the holidays.
04 of 25

Crow's Nest

Black pumpkins with gold stencils on front porch
Adam Albright

Glam up your outdoor pumpkin decor by making it shimmer with liquid gold leaf ($11, Amazon).

To make the gold leaf fall pumpkins:

  • Tape off the pumpkins' stems using painters tape.
  • Paint the pumpkins black. Let dry.
  • Place a crow stencil on one pumpkin and trace it with a white pencil. Paint the crow with liquid gold leaf.

Decorate the other two pumpkins with a random arrangement of feather tattoos.

05 of 25

Pumpkin Candle Holders

Table with candles, pumpkins
Werner Straube

Light the way to your front door with a fall candle display. All it takes to make this modern twist on a jack-o'-lantern is a pumpkin or stout gourd, a glass chimney (we found ours in the lighting section at a hardware store), a candle, and hemp-covered coiled wire from a crafts store. Carve a shallow hole for the pillar candle, place the glass on the tip, then use U-pins to make holes to hold the wire.

06 of 25

Pumpkins with Personality

Four pumpkins with face on lawn
Jason Donnelly

Welcome visitors with a friendly family of cheerful squash in your yard. Cast-off hardware, such as drawer pulls and spigot handles, and a few workbench extras, such as a grinding brush and expired fuses, bring the season's harvest to life. Secure the hardware with nails, or use a hot glue gun ($7, Walmart) as a backup.

07 of 25

DIY Pumpkin Planter

pumpkin planter with fall mums
Jacob Fox

Spruce up your outdoor pumpkin decor with a chic vase blossoming with fall florals. The DIY decoration thrives with a combination of autumn flowers, ornamental grasses, and sweet-smelling herbs. This outdoor planter is perfect for your Halloween porch or can be used as subtle backyard decor throughout the fall season.

08 of 25

Seeded Eucalyptus Wreath

seeded eucalyptus wreath fall porch display
Jacob Fox

Create a layered Halloween display with hay bales, colorful pumpkins, tall ornamental grass, and a stunning fall wreath. The outdoor pumpkin decorations accentuate the simple DIY fall decor built from refreshing eucalyptus and threaded with berries and mini pine cones. Arrange the wreath in the center of your door and hang with a large ribbon.

09 of 25

Vintage Silverware Pumpkin

Pumpkin with "Fall" spelled with silverware
Werner Straube

Welcome autumn with this eye-catching outdoor pumpkin decor idea. Head out to your local vintage store and pick up some small silverware. Then, arrange them to spell "fall," attach them to your pumpkin with wire or floral pins, and your creation is complete.

10 of 25

Welcoming Fall Chalkboard Sign

Chalkboard sign on door that says "Welcome, Fall"
Carson Downing

This easy fall welcome sign requires just a small chalkboard, a little paint, and a pretty checkered ribbon. Change your message to welcome guests to your autumn celebrations or wish trick-or-treaters a Happy Halloween.

11 of 25

Outdoor Pumpkin Decor

pumpkin planter porch decor
Bob Stefko

Pumpkins in various colors and sizes make beautiful outdoor fall decor when piled in a planter and placed near your porch or in the backyard. If your planter is too big for your pumpkins, use a block of florists foam to balance the gourds at the top of the display.

12 of 25

Fall Natural Terrarium

fall pumpkin outdoor terrarium
Andy Lyons

A bell jar and a shallow terra-cotta bulb dish easily create a fall-inspired terrarium perfect for spotlighting your favorite natural elements. We recommend starting your fall centerpiece with Spanish moss, small pumpkin decorations, and bright leaves.

13 of 25

Cornucopia Centerpiece

fall cornucopia centerpiece with fall produce
Marty Baldwin

Transform a traditional cornucopia into an outdoor table centerpiece that's wow-worthy for fall. Shop the supermarket for squash, shallots, onions, nuts, and pears. Pile the Thanksgiving decorations in a woven basket that's treated to withstand autumn weather, along with a few dried naturals from a crafts store, and place the display on any outdoor surface or use it as gorgeous fall home decor.

Editor's Tip

For a sweet-smelling fall centerpiece, add potpourri of your choice.

14 of 25

Pumpkin and Milkweed Outdoor Decoration

pumpkin milkweed outdoor fall decoration
Peter Krumhardt

Let nature set the table with this rustic fall centerpiece. Fill a woven tray with small gourds, mini pumpkin decorations, and a glass vase filled with downy milkweed seeds. Accent the backyard decor with calming shades of brown, gold, and orange.

15 of 25

Outdoor Window Box

window box fall display mums and white pumpkins
Miki Duisterhof

Transform a forgotten space into a fall window box filled with the season's best blooms. Here's how to build a windowbox to decorate with your favorite autumn florals.

16 of 25

Fall Squash and Foilage

fall squash foliage mantel
Michael Partenio

Pair bright orange squash with earthy pottery for an outdoor autumn decoration that will impress any guest. Fill the vase with beautiful crab apple branches full of ripe fruits and lush leaves, and place it on a small table near your front door.

17 of 25

Decorative Fall Urn

decorative fall dark colored porch urn
Scott Little

Guests will ooh and aah over this gorgeous DIY autumn porch decor. To make the fall decoration, cut a square of florists foam and place it inside a plastic urn. Cover with Spanish moss (available at crafts stores), keeping the moss in place with green pins. Add a collar of burlap around the urn, and build your arrangement with artificial leaves, berries, Chinese lanterns, dried lotus pods, and other fall favorites.

18 of 25

Harvest Pumpkin Basket

harvest pumpkin squash basket
Cameron Sadeghpour

Fall home decor is primarily associated with the brightly-hued harvest. Fill a wicker or woven basket with your favorite outdoor pumpkin decor, colorful squash, and other bright gourds. This display can be placed on your doorstep or backyard porch or used as a bountiful fall centerpiece.

19 of 25

Outdoor Maple Leaf Pumpkin

carved gourd fall display
Peter Krumhardt

Get creative with your outdoor pumpkin decor ideas: Dress up your doorstep with a design that fits any sophisticated Halloween or Thanksgiving theme. Trace a maple leaf onto the pumpkin, then use a ribbon tool to scrape out the design of the leaf. Be careful not to cut entirely through the pumpkin to keep your design fresh.

20 of 25

Backyard Holiday Getaway

backyard patio area with outside furniture
Bob Stefko

Decorate your back patio in a mix of warm hues and bright fall colors—this effortless backyard decor theme will last from Halloween through Thanksgiving. Buy fall mums and other seasonal plants that fit your color scheme, but don't stop there! Make your patio furniture and pillows match your plants and pots for a seasonal look that's both fun and cohesive.

21 of 25

Halloween Outdoor Decor

front porch with spider webs and pumpkins
Carson Downing

Get ready for your most gorgeous front door display yet. These Halloween decorations and pumpkin pairings will upgrade any front porch from drab to dynamic. Giant spiderwebs and lots of jack-o'-lanterns make this seasonal display bold and fun.

22 of 25

Gourd Candleholders

gourd candleholder tray with hedge apples
Marty Baldwin

Gourds easily transform into candleholders by simply cutting off the tops and hollowing out the centers. Set the decorative gourds alongside other natural fall elements, like hedge apples, in a tray for a beautiful outdoor fall centerpiece.

23 of 25

Autumn Raffia Wreath

autumn-raffia-wreath-7aca75de

Take the simple approach to fall outdoor decorating with our autumn-inspired wreath. All you need are orange-color raffia, thin-gauge wire, and an unadorned twig wreath for this easy, eye-catching decoration.

Bundle strands of raffia and pinch in the middle. Twist wire around the pinched center and attach it to the wreath. Continue all the way around the wreath, being sure to fluff both sides of the raffia bundles so they flow in the same direction as the twigs.

24 of 25

Fall Backyard Porch Decor

porch deck furniture with fall decor and flowers
Marty Baldwin

Decorative lights aren't just for Christmas anymore. Add a string of outdoor lights to porch railings to illuminate your backyard landscaping and decorations on any crisp fall night. This decorative backyard look is just as stunning for fall front yard decorations.

25 of 25

Pumpkin Wheelbarrow

welcome friends fall pumpkin porch display
Michael Partenio

A wooden wheelbarrow filled with gourds, dried leaves, and berry sprigs makes beautiful outdoor pumpkin decor. Work with various pumpkin shapes and colors to achieve a vibrant display that captures the essence of fall. Paint a "welcome friends" message on two large pumpkins and place them on top of the wheelbarrow. Weave artificial berry vines around the wheelbarrow for a splash of stunning red.

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