Want to go all out this Christmas? Florist Susie Babington shows us how to create a super-stylish (yet simple to make!) centrepiece that’ll last for the whole season.

Christmas is the perfect time to flex your creative muscle and make your own festive decorations. The whole family can be involved in this project. Foraging for the greenery is one of my children’s favourite pastimes and poking bits of foliage into foam is surprisingly fun. Here, I’ll show you how to create a table centre that can be watered and therefore kept fresh throughout the whole festive season.

 

 

You will need:

• Enough Oasis foam blocks to cover the length of approximately three-fifths of your table

• An Oasis tray to hold the wet foam

• Floristry wire

• A mat or mirror to protect your table

• Enough greenery and accessories to cover the foam – try using fir, eucalyptus and holly for greenery; pine cones, dried fruit, berries and thistles as accessories

• Miniature potted plants – I have used cyclamen

• Candles

 

Instructions:

1. Soak the Oasis foam in cold water for 10 minutes.

2. Cut the greenery into equal lengths (approximately 10-15cm) and remove any leaves from the bottom inch of each piece, leaving a bare stem. This is the part you will poke into the foam. 

3. Next, wire your dried pine cones, fruit etc. Wrap the wire around the belly of the pine cone, like a belt, and then pull the wire horizontally down, away from the cone, to create a spike. You will use this spike to fix the cone into the foam. If wiring dried fruit, push the wire through the centre of the fruit and bend it in half to create a spike.

4. Place your potted plants, evenly spaced, into the Oasis tray and surround with the wet Oasis foam. 

5. Create a ‘skirt’ of greenery around the bottom of the foam, covering the tray, using alternate foliage to mix up the colours. Cover the foam from the bottom up and start including the accessories. Continue until all of the foam is covered and there are no holes. 

6. Place the centrepiece on your table (don’t forget to put the matt or mirror underneath to protect your table) and surround with candles. I added miniature olive trees to give height, finished off with fairy lights. Use the remaining foliage to decorate your place settings. 

7. Pour a little water into the tray every three to four days.

8. Alternatively, just order your decorations, sit back and relax!

www.susiebabingtongardens.co.uk

For further inspiration and Christmas preparation hacks, read here!