11 Charming Fall Outdoor Decorating Ideas

Looking for ways to spruce up your outdoor living spaces for fall? Wait until you see these effortless fall outdoor decorating ideas.

Can you believe it’s that time of the year again? The leaves are turning shades of amber and crimson, and there’s a chill in the air that calls for pumpkin-spiced everything.

It’s officially fall, and that means it’s time to spruce up your outdoor space with some fabulous fall decor.

Whether you’re a seasoned decorator or just looking for a few easy tweaks to embrace the season, wait until you see these creative and charming fall outdoor decorating ideas!

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11 Outdoor Decorating Ideas for Fall

Living in New Jersey, we get to experience the beauty of all seasons. We watch our landscapes green up and bloom.

Enjoy our outdoor living spaces in the warmer months. And get to see the foliage change before winter arrives.

Since I live in the northeast, it gets cold here pretty quickly in October. So I want to enjoy our outdoor living spaces as much as possible before we go indoors for the winter.

So how do you decorate an outdoor living space for fall?

• Add some cozy pillows and throw blankets
• Include mood lighting with twinkle lights, candles and lanterns,
• Make or buy a beautiful rustic wreath for the front door
• Plant fall garden flowers that include pansies, chrysanthemums, celosia, snapdragons, ornamental kale and more!
• Tuck in pumpkins and gourds
• Decorate with fall decor
• Add a seasonal doormat
• Make some cool fall DIY projects.
• Create a fire pit area where you can cozy up with friends and family
• Add some autumnal scents to your porches or other outdoor living spaces with cozy scented candles or potpourri
• Create cozy seating nooks

Choose a beautiful autumn color palette and tuck in some plaids to make it feel even more festive and cozy.

When Should I Decorate for Fall Outdoors?

While you can start as early as August or September, I prefer to let nature dictate the best time. Which for me, the best time to start outdoor fall decorating is when the temperatures cool down a little bit.

And the reason for that is pumpkins, gourds, and garden mums won’t last long in hot, sticky temperatures. So why bother doing them that early!

Therefore, I typically decorate inside first, and then slowly transition my outdoor living spaces as we move more into fall.

Since I enjoy decorating my outdoor planters for fall, I hold off planting them until nurseries get their autumn stock out for sale and I won’t need to care for them as I do in the summer.

Because summer container garden care can be a lot of work with the heat!

Outdoor Fall Decorating Ideas on a Budget

But what if you want to decorate your home for fall on a budget? I got you. There are lots of easy ways to spruce up your home for fall on a dime.

Nature’s Bounty

• Foliage: Take a leisurely walk in your garden, neighbors garden, local park or woods to gather fallen leaves, pinecones, acorns, and branches. These can be used for various DIY decorations.
• Wildflowers: Pick wildflowers or weeds with interesting shapes and colors to create a charming, rustic bouquet. But please be careful what you use. Some weeds and wildflowers are invasive and if you bring them home, birds will help spread those seeds around.

Repurpose and Recycle

• Mason Jar Lanterns: Collect empty glass jars and paint them with fall colors or cover them in colorful tissue paper. Place tea lights inside for a warm glow.
• Old Furniture: If you have unused wooden crates, an old ladder, or wooden pallets, repurpose them as seating, plant stands, shelves, or displays for your fall decor.

Dollar Store Finds

Many dollar stores offer inexpensive fall decorations like faux pumpkins, wreaths, and candles. These can be transformed with a little DIY creativity and craft supplies.

DIY Wreaths

Create your own fall wreath using old wreath forms you have laying around and forage around for things to add from your home like flowers, foliage, pinecones, or acorns for a rustic touch.

Secondhand Shopping

Check out thrift stores, flea markets, garage sales, or online marketplaces for affordable outdoor decor items, such as vintage lanterns, vases, or weathered pots.

Painted Rocks

Collect smooth rocks and paint them with fall-themed designs like pumpkins, leaves, or cute animals. Arrange them in your garden or along your walkway.

Window Decor

Hang up an old window frame or wooden pallet and use it as a backdrop for your fall wreaths, garlands, or faux flower arrangements.

Harvest Centerpiece

Create a stunning yet budget-friendly centerpiece for the dining table outdoors using a large bowl or basket filled with apples, gourds, or mini pumpkins. Add a few candles for extra ambiance.

Paper Crafts

Craft paper leaves and acorns and string them together to make garlands. You can also use colored paper to cut out silhouettes of fall animals or seasonal shapes.

Curb Appeal

Enhance your curb appeal by repainting your front door with a warm fall color. This simple update can make a big difference.

Outdoor Pillow Covers

Instead of buying new pillows, look for inexpensive fall-themed pillow covers that you can slip over your existing outdoor cushions.

Pinecone Decor

Pinecones are free and abundant. Place them in baskets or add them to fall planters for an organic textured look.

Herb Garden

If you have some sunny outdoor spaces, you can plant herbs like rosemary, thyme, or sage in small pots. They not only add greenery but can also be used in your fall recipes.

Outdoor Fall Decorating Ideas for the Deck

In our former home, one of my favorite backyard living spaces to hang out was our deck. We called it the outdoor oasis.

And I love how I used to decorate the deck for fall.

To cozy up the space with an autumnal vibe, I started by tossing tired summer flowering annuals so I could add more fall garden flowers and plants, pumpkins, and fall decor.

Outdoor Planters and Fall Garden Flowers

Because the season doesn’t last long here in my zone 6a garden before winter temperatures arrive, I spruced up some planters that were tired and not looking good anymore with the garden mums, pansies, and millet and tucked in a few pumpkins.

Since we covered the dining area on our deck with a gazebo like this, I used faux plants and pumpkins for the centerpiece.

I didn’t want to risk real pumpkins rotting on my farmhouse table, so I opted for faux everything here to keep it simple and looking good all season long without the fuss.

And the best part?

I don’t have to care for it at all. It is set-and-forget.

Outdoor Area Rug

One of the things I get asked about all the time is this outdoor area rug.

I bought several years ago and loved it so much I bought a second one for the lower deck too! It has a vintage vibe, has held up really well outdoors, and anchors the outdoor dining space.

If you wanted, you could even add an outdoor area rug with fall colors to ramp up an autumn color palette. But I opted to stay neutral and go with with the outdoor area rug I was using all season.

Outdoor Living Space Furniture

I also get asked about the table and chairs a lot too.

This table was a thrift store find that I found on Facebook Marketplace. I’m sure it was someone’s dining table at some point, but for $50, I was able to get a rustic farmhouse style look on the deck for a song.

And because we have the gazebo covering the table, it lasted for years in the elements. I did protect it a little by lightly sanding it down and then doing a coat of clear outdoor stain on the top and white stain on the legs.

Can we we all just appreciate the chairs for a moment? I love these. I bought them from Pier 1 years when they still had a storefront and have not been able to find something similar since.

These chairs are super comfortable because they have a nice wide flat back with a comfortable give.

The cushions like these are an off white outdoor chair cushion that I hesitated to buy because they are white and would stain easily. I’ve had them for a few years now, clean them regularly, and they’ve remained in pretty shape.

Houseplants for the Win

I keep all of my houseplants out here until close to the first frost. They love the warmer months spent outdoors and thrive from the extra light.

Because late September/early October can get cold pretty quickly, I keep an eye on the weather to watch for thirty-degree temps.

When the nights start dipping to the mid-upper thirties, I start moving my houseplants back inside for the winter.

If you’ve got houseplants that you keep indoors year round, bring them outside for a few months. The time outdoors helps them tremendously during those long winter months.

Tuck in More Outdoor Fall Decorating Ideas

In addition to the deck, have you seen the outdoor fall decor on my front porch? I love how that turned out too.

It’s mostly plants and flowers, but once you add those pumpkins and gourds, it truly has the fall feels.

And while repotting my houseplants, I added a few pumpkins, garden mums, and pansies to my potting bench. As an aside, my husband made this bench for me for Mother’s Day from wood pallet and scrap wood we had laying around.

I use it all the time to pot up my plants, but I also enjoy decorating it for the season.

Fall Garden – What to Plant?

Before it gets really cold here, I will plant all of the pansies in the borders because you can get two seasons out of them.

Pansies are not fans of the heat. So if you plant them in fall they will overwinter and bounce back in spring.

They are not fans of scorching summer temps, so they’ll get leggy and finish up next summer. Thus, I always plant them in the fall so I can enjoy them in both fall and spring.

Have you tried this in your own garden yet?

And you might be thinking, why don’t you plant the garden mums too?

I don’t go out of my way to plant them because they don’t always come back, so it’s not worth the effort to me.

Instead, I include chrysanthemums when I actually start fall outdoor decorating. And my intention is not to incorporate them into my borders where they’ll take up extra space and potentially not come back. I’ve done it too many times and it’s just not worth it. I’ve had like a 50% success rate with it so why bother.

I’d rather plant these plants that are high performers, easy-care, look gorgeous and give you more bang for your buck.

Thanks so much for stopping by my home today!

More About Fall Decor Ideas for Outside

Did you start decorating for fall outdoors yet? Do you have any outdoor fall decorating ideas you’d like to share? I would love to know more in the comments below.

And don’t miss joining my Gardening DIY and Decorating Community on Facebook for more chatter. And follow along there and on Instagram as well. There are behind-the-scenes daily things that I share on Instagram that don’t make it to the blog. Would love to see you there too!

If you prefer to binge-watch Bricks ’n Blooms on TV, we go more in-depth with tours and posts on my YouTube channel. Would love to hang out with you there!

And… If you’re catching up on blog posts you may have missed, be sure to sign-up to get my newest posts via email to stay up to date with everything that’s happening here on the blog and more.

More Outdoor Decorating Ideas for Fall

Looking for more fall decorating ideas for outside? Check out these posts.

• 5 Designer Fall Decorating Ideas for Less
• Rustic Farmhouse Fall Home Tour 2020
• Rustic Farmhouse Fall Home Tour 2021
• How to Set a Cozy Fall Harvest Table
• Easy Fall Table Decor Ideas
• The Best Fall Table Decor and Thanksgiving Food Ideas
• 5 Easy Fall Decorating Ideas
• 9 Simple Fall Porch Decor Ideas
• 7 Easy Ways to Spruce Up Your Home for Fall
• Home Decorating Trends for 2022
• Container Garden for Fall
• 17 Simple Fall Home and Garden Ideas

Garden Supplies I Use

I’m often asked about the garden supplies and tools that I use most. From pruners to deer repellents, here are some of my favorites in no particular order.

• I like to use a good-quality, potting soil, garden soil, compost, and perlite when planting.
• I have used this deer repellent with great success. But now, I’m all about this deer repellent that is systemic instead of topical. This means the plant takes it in as opposed to it just smelling bad.
• Hands down this is my favorite hand-weeding tool. You can use it to get underneath roots, and loosen soil, and it cuts down on the weeding time because you work much faster.
• But I also love this long, stand-up weeding tool to really get around roses from afar.
• I like to use THIS ORGANIC FERTILIZER for roses because the blooms are more prolific and it’s organic.
• You’ll need a sharp set of pruners when working with plants and flowers. I buy a few so I can stash them around.
• I use these garden snips to deadhead and cut flowers from my gardens.
• Where pest and disease problems are concerned, if I need to, I generally use this insecticidal soap or neem oil to help control infestations depending on the issue. When using, only apply when pollinators are less active.
• This is my favorite set-and-forget slow-release fertilizer for houseplants, annuals, and container gardens.
• Whenever I stake my peonies or other plants, I generally use these grow through garden supports because they work really well and keep the blooms upright.

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Thanks to my good friend Cecilia at My Thrift Store Addiction for hosting the World of Octobers Outdoor Fall Tour where I’m joining 10 talented home decor bloggers to share some outdoor fall decorating ideas and inspiration.

So be sure to check out all the outdoor decorating ideas for fall inspiration at the end of this post!

And if you stopped by from my good friend Coco from The Crowned Goat welcome to my home and garden. Isn’t her home amazing? I love all of her DIYs!

Outdoor Fall Decorating Ideas Blog Tour

I am really excited to team up with my talented friends to bring you more outdoor decorating ideas for fall.

Check out their beautiful homes below to see more outdoor fall decor inspiration.

Be sure and stop by my good friend Kelly’s at The Tattered Pew who is the next stop on the World of Octobers Tour!