Last month we asked our caterers to share their favourite Christmas item from their menus, and this time, two of our florists have given us some great ideas of how to decorate your home this festive season.
Lavender Green have created these beautiful fruit garlands that look great hanging from the fireplace and will fill any room with the fragrance of Christmas.
To re-create the fruit garlands in your own home, simply follow these instructions:
Start by drying a selection of dried fruits, (including orange slices, whole limes) as well as some whole chillies and bay leaves. You will roughly need 6 whole fruits, 18 bay leaves and a 16 fruit slices.
Tie a knot in a long bit of string, and using a strong wire or heavy gauge darning needle, thread the fruit slices, whole fruit and bay leaves and chillies in a pattern of your choice. Ensure the different fruits are evenly distributed along the length of string.
Finish by tying a loop in the end and decorate with pretty ribbon.
Top tip: to keep the white rind on the fruit, slice them at an angle like a ‘V’ and peel the skin away slowly (be careful not to cut too deep).
Gardenia have put together a step-by-step guide to making a table centre piece for the many times we’ll be sitting around a table this festive period!
You will need:
• A tray, dish, pot or other container
• Floral foam
• Florists wire
• Florists tape or electrical tape
• A candle
• Seasonal foliage like pine, fir, holly, ivy, rosemary and privet
• Decorations and accents of colour, such as dried fruit, cinnamon sticks, fresh roses, pine cones, red berries – be creative!
Prepare your ingredients. Soak the floral foam in water for at least 2 minutes before placing it in your chosen container and taping it down securely. Raid the garden for some evergreen foliage or cut a few sprigs of fir from your Christmas tree, then strip any leaves or needles from the bottom 2.5cm of each stem. Wire your decorations by threading them onto a piece of florists wire and twisting the ends together as shown.
Build up the base. Fix the candle into the floral foam then begin to cover the base with layers of foliage, pushing the stripped stems well into the foam to create a basic shape. Start with more robust stems of fir or pine, then create interest with sprigs of holly and loops of ivy. Don’t worry about being too neat, we’re going for a homemade look!
Add in some colour. Time to get creative. Use colourful dried fruit, holly berries, cinnamon sticks and other decorations to give your centrepiece a personal touch. We’ve stuck to dry decorations in this example, but don’t be afraid to use fresh flowers – red and white roses are stunning at Christmas.
Ta-daa! Your centrepiece is ready to take pride of place on your Christmas table. If you have used a plastic tray you may want to camouflage it with a few sprigs of greenery around the bottom.
Your table centrepiece will last a good few weeks if you keep the container topped up with water every few days. For New Year’s Eve try swapping the decorations for flowers, or add a bit of sparkle with silver and gold accents.
We’d love to see pictures of your creations over the holidays, so why not tweet us your photos @ParksteadHouse.
Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year.
The Events Team
