Just because the nights have drawn in, the weather is colder and summer is a distant memory doesn’t mean you can’t still make the most of the festive season and celebrate with beautifully vibrant flowers and plants. Despite the second lockdown, we’ve been busy crafting our new Christmas collection behind closed doors, as well as creating a completely free Christmas Wreath Making lesson!
Here we summarise our personal Christmas favourites; our go-to flowers and foliage for Christmas wreaths, table centrepieces and bouquets.
Catkin Christmas favourites
Amaryllis – this South African flowering bulb has large trumpet flowers on top of thick stalks and is ideal for indoor Christmas arrangements. The most popular colour at Christmas is red, but the Amaryllis flower also comes in white, pink, and two-colour variations.
Cyclamen – these petite but strikingly attractive plants will flower heartily for you throughout the winter months indoors and are a welcome addition to festive floral decorations.
Hellebores – producing large, bright white flowers with a crown of prominent yellow stamens, the most popular Christmas variation is more commonly known as Christmas Carol.
Top picks for Christmas wreaths and table centrepieces
Eucalyptus baby blue – stems of blue-grey rounded leaves have adorned many a household vase in recent months as Eucalyptus has become a key interior trend. We love the baby blue variety for its high scent and longevity.
Juniper – robust stems with soft evergreen needles make the Juniper a popular Christmas choice in arrangements. The Juniper tree also holds special symbolism and meaning in cultures around the world.
Mimosa – these beautifully vibrant yellow pompom flowers add a welcome pop of colour amongst a festive collection of traditional reds and greens. They flower briefly and we just love the dusky mauve and teal tones and pretty textures of the foliage. This year our supplier has stayed on-trend by dipping the foliage stems in red dye, making it a great feature in many of our Catkin Christmas arrangements.
Popular berries – adding an assortment of berries into Christmas wreaths and table centrepieces is an easy way to add extra colour, texture, and interest. The most popular is the Holly berry for its vibrant red.
Rose hips – typically red or orange in colour, Rose hips form after the pollination of rose flowers and have an assortment of uses alongside Christmas floral wreaths.
Skimmia – beautiful fragrant blooms in spring that transition into red or white berries on female plants over winter. Small plants populate window boxes and hanging baskets well.
Viburnum – offers structure and autumn colour with a mixture of foliage, flowers and even fruit. The Chinese native Viburnum produces white flowers from December through to April. We also love using the mesmerising oily viburnum steel berries in our Christmas Eve collections.
Hot stems for celebratory Christmas bouquets
Amaryllis – tall and linear, these large, voluptuous flowers create a striking but elegant display.
Hellebores – a hardy bloom that comes to life during the winter months, it is also sometimes referred to as the ‘Christmas rose’. Hellebores come in varies of cool to strong shades of whites, greens, mauves and maroons.
Coffee break garden rose – there is a rose for every occasion throughout the year and this elegant coffee break variety offers a floral arrangement of cup-shaped petals in soft terracotta, brown and orange tones.
Wax flowers – given their name for the slight waxy feel of the petals, the sweet fragrance of these beautiful, often pink flowers, make a wonderful textural addition to Christmas bouquets as well as gardens.
Thistles – commonly associated with Scotland and a symbol of protection and pride. There are several thistle varieties each differing in appearance and size. The distinctive blue colour and spiky leaves add a unique edge to any Christmas bouquet.
Anemones – poppy-like with black-eyed centres, thin petals in an assortment of colours, and thick green stems makes the anemone a popular winter flower and beautiful in Christmas bouquets.
For more ideas and tips about how to create a beautiful Christmas wreath, check out our Christmas Wreath Making video with the very talented Jessie! The Christmas Wreath Kit is available to purchase so you can follow along. And don’t forget to check out our 2020 Christmas Collection too!