Flowers for Christmas: A Bumper Guide

Making flowers and plants part of your Christmas decorations and celebrations is a clever move. They’re usually more eco-friendly than plastic alternatives, they bring the best of nature indoors (ideal when we all need a boost in the cold, grey months), they can smell wonderful, and they’re pretty effortless –  after all, you don’t need to untangle a poinsettia!

So, Christmas flowers – where do you start? Well that’s what this guide is here for. In it we’ll cover the best flowers for Christmas (including which are traditional Christmas flowers), the different ways to use them in your decorating, and some care tips for making sure they’re happy through the festivities.

Decide your decorating style before you choose blooms

If your choosing blooms for your home first have a think about what kind of style your going for this season. Chic and minimal? Classic traditional? Scandi minimalism? If you have a theme to work from it’ll really help guide your decisions. Likewise, if you’re buying for someone else have a think about their style or how their home is decorated or if they have any favourite colours and then let that guide what you choose for them.

Popular flower types Christmas

Seasonal Christmas flowers

Winter is nature’s time of scarcity, so finding flowers that bloom in the cold winter months can be a tricky task. The rich red flowers we’re used to, and most iconic winter plants, will be grown intensively in greenhouses or imported. But if you’d like to keep the carbon footprint of your Christmas decorations low and opt for more sustainable Christmas flowers then you do have a few options. Beautiful snowdrops pop out in winter and will last a few days in a vase, as will winter-flowering clematis, and Christmas roses (aka hellebores). Our florists always try to use seasonal flowers, but if you want to guarantee sustainable Christmas flowers your best bet is to get growing yourself.

Popular plants for Christmas

Ways to use flowers and plants in Christmas decorations

Christmas wreaths

We are absolutely unbiased of course, but we don’t think it’s Christmas without a fresh flower and foliage wreath. Whether they’re bringing joy to the street on the front door, or making your feel merry indoors somewhere, they’re an iconic symbol of winter. The shape symbolises eternity, the continuing of life – a reminder we all need in the stark chill of winter.

If you’re making a wreath yourself, check out our guide and be sure to use a moss or natural base to be kinder to the plant. And of course if you’d rather leave it to an expert, our florists can craft all sorts of gorgeousness to hang on the door.

Christmas centrepieces

Christmas dinner is definitely the star of the Christmas table, but we want the setting to do it justice. Simple and subtle is the motto for Christmas table flower decorations, as you don’t want it to be too crowded with all the delicious food. With this in mind, try wrapping delicate flowers around the necks of wine glasses and drop a few sprigs of fresh holly and rose petals here and there. If you want to go bolder, create a floral centrepiece that complements your tree and the rest of your decorations. Red roses are always a Christmas classic, while white amaryllis and azaleas can help to uplift the room. You can also arrange the blooms around beautiful candles in a ring design – just be sure no one is reaching over them to get to the roasties!

Christmas garlands

A garland is really just a very long, windy wreath! We love them on a mantelpiece or wound around the stairs. And while plastic might be more convenient, it can’t match the fresh scent and beauty of a real garland (nor it’s sustainability. The classic poinsettia was born to take centre stage in garlands, while hints of crisp white azaleas create perfect snowy accents. If you fancy something a little different, rose garlands entwined with eucalyptus leaves make for modern, minimal choice.

Want to get stuck into making your own? Check out our guide to making a Christmas garland.

Christmas flower baubles

For stunning, natural Christmas tree flower decorations, curl seasonal leaves and foliage into clear glass baubles, dappled with delicate white gypsophila to create contained miniature winter wonderlands. Or pack them with striking red rose heads to accent the green of the tree needles. You can also use dried flowers on your tree (just keep them away from any hot lights). Check out our guide to drying flowers for the basics on flower drying.

Christmas flower gift tags    If you’d like to take your festive wrapping to the next level, floral gift tags tags are your answer. Grab your glue gun (or some Mod Podge), springs of dried foliage and flowers, and some little kraft tags and get sticking. Or avoid the glue altogether and use wire or string to tie sprigs to your parcels. Simple but effective, floral gift tags take prezzies to the next level.

Christmas bouquets

Looking for a more subtle, elegant route than shedloads of garlands and twinkling lights? Christmas bouquets might be your answer. Depending on whether you’re looking for something more traditional or modern, each bouquet can be created to suit individual rooms or perhaps a running interior theme. Deep reds and greens are the go-to colours for a classic festive feel, with amaryllis brightening up any winter bouquet, surrounded by complementary holly berries, fir, and fern. For something a little more delicate, try placing draping vases of wisteria or a stunning display of dried gypsophila, thistles, and wildflowers. If you get stuck, our florists can always help