Gardeners filled the ballroom at the Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk Riverfront on Tuesday to listen to floral designer and author John Grady Burns talk about his most recent book “Collections: Sharing the Passion” and see a live demonstration.

“I’m here to share some knowledge with you all,” Burns said.

Burns spoke to the crowd about how the book was written as they traveled around the country staging and photographing collections of vases, baskets, silver and other materials.

“We realized just how passionate some people are about their collections,” Burns said. “A simple display can be enough, and you don’t have to go over the top. A simple grouping of items can make a statement.”

While the book focuses on collections of any season, Burns wanted to focus on making a collection a focal point for fall and winter.

“We want you to show how to use your collections and how to switch them up for the seasons,” Burns said.

His biggest advice to those in the audience was to appreciate the length of fall and not to feel so rushed to redecorate for Christmas.

“The thing I want to get across is that fall is a long season, and you don’t need to decorate for winter immediately,” Burns said. “You are investing time, energy and money. You should take the time to enjoy the season even more.”

He spent the remainder of his presentation showing those that attended how to decorate a collection of vases, pots and other containers with flowers that can be found right outside their door.

He started by adding fall colored flowers with pops of color from hydrangeas. The collection was finished off with pumpkins and other small fall trinkets, but he quickly showed the audience how to change the collection for the winter holiday.

“I hope this inspires you to see what this can do your collections of brass, silver or even baskets,” Burns said. “Find the things that speak to you.”