Skip The Fall Wreath: Frame Your Front Door With Cornstalks Instead

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It's that time of year when everyone is out front, setting up their best fall porch decorations. You've already climbed into the attic and hauled down your favorite wreath. But when you hang it on your front door, it feels a bit ... lacking. If you need creative ideas to decorate your front door, we have a fun DIY you might want to try: frame your door with cornstalk bundles.

This is the ultimate low-effort, high-impact way to decorate for fall that's better-looking than a basic wreath. Dried cornstalks are everywhere during this season. You've probably already seen them as part of fall displays alongside scarecrows and pumpkins. You can add them to your own porch decor by securing a bundle on each side of your front doorway for a simple way to make a big statement.

Dried cornstalks are usually sold by the bundle and are fairly easy to find. You can purchase them from a garden center, a local home decor store, or a home improvement store. Of course, if you have access to a farm, whether it's your own or a close connection, you can always cut and dry the stalks yourself, then bundle them for your decorations. In addition to the actual cornstalks, you'll also need exterior adhesive hooks and zip ties or other strong string. Some decorative, though optional, supplies include wide ribbon and large garden planters.

If you're ready to elevate your front porch this fall, let's grab some cornstalks and get started. A good cornstalk bundle will have five to 10 dried cornstalks in it. If your pre-made bundles are too skimpy, you can purchase three and split the third between the other two to bulk them up. To do that, or to create your own bundles, gather your cornstalks and tie them together at the top, in the middle, and toward the bottom with twine or another strong rope, like jute.

To secure your cornstalk bundles to your house, place an outdoor adhesive hook on either side of your front door. This is what will hold your stalks in place. To ensure the stalks do not block any part of the entryway, lean them where you want them to go before attaching them. Mark the exterior where you want to attach the hooks. If you have a brick exterior, you might want to opt for brick clips, as they attach more securely to that surface. Once your hooks are in place, loop your string through the clip, then around your cornstalk bundle. Alternatively, you can use zip ties for an extra secure attachment.

To cover up the ties and jazz it up a bit, you can use a wide decorative ribbon to wrap around the cornstalks. Tie a simple bow in front and tuck in a few fall floral picks. If you don't want to secure the cornstalks to your house, you can get two large planters and place a bundle of cornstalks in each on either side of the door.