Inspiration and tips on how how to bring the outdoors in, this festive season.
I like to immerse myself in all the glorious scents, and textures that natural Christmas decorations offer, they provide a sense of tradition and calm that I feel we need more than ever this year.
And now that Boris Johnson has given us the go ahead to celebrate with family, (all be it with caution) we can begin to dress our homes, and welcome in the festive cheer.
Garlands
You can create a small swag type decoration, to dress a mirror, or side table. Through to something of a real statement piece, adorning your fire place, or winding up the stairs.
Using floristry wire, or twine, make bundles of foliage, and tie them together, adding in bundles, and tying as you go.
For a fireplace, you can layer up on the mantle, starting with the larger branches at either end, working towards the centre, as you use smaller pieces.
I personally love to include the element of dried fruit and pine cones into my garlands. You can’t beat the smell of dried orange slices, as you string them up, or tie them into the foliage. And you can dry them your self. Simply cut them up, lay on grease proof paper, and bake in the oven on a very low heat. It takes a while, but it is a lovely thing to get you in the festive spirit.
The Table
Candles and foliage on the table is a classic combination. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just laying stems of foliage and branches of fir tree, with some tall candles in the middle will look stunning for a special meal.
One of my fondest childhood Christmas memories, is helping my mom make foliage centrepieces for the table. Back then, we used floral foam, and a shallow dish. But nowadays we know that floral foam is bad for the environment, so I don’t use it. Instead I can recommend using moss, and wire in a shallow bowl to create table centrepieces.
The Door Wreath
There are all sorts of wreaths available to purchase, from garden centres, through to independent florists, like myself. You can also have a go at making your own, have a look at last years blog post :
Foliage in Vases
Why not keep it super simple, and stylish. Choose one large vase, or a selection of small vases, bottles, or jam jars and fill with lush green foliage, berries, or rose hips. You could create more of a feature with this idea, by adding some small fairy lights, and pine cones around the vases, or include bundles of cinnamon sticks, which will add another layer to the festive scents.
The Tree
Having a real tree is both environmentally friendly, and one of our favourite Christmas traditions. That moment when you bring it into your home, remove the netting, and all the branches burst out into your living room!
A top tip for keeping your real tree happy and fresh is to give it a supply of water at the base, if you can. And to spray it with a mist of fresh water, about every 5 days. Take care around your lights though, I use lights that are suitable for indoors as well as outdoors, so a gentle mist won’t do any harm.
What To Use
Eucalyptus
Berried Ivy
Pittosporum
Holly
Conifer
Spruce
Dried oranges
Pine Cones
If you have got a garden, the chances are there may well be some beautiful foliage in it that you can use, so pop out with a pair of shears and get snipping.
You can also buy bundles of winter foliage from me, if you are in the E17 or E10 post code, I will deliver the bundle to your home, ready for you to get creative with.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!