About the only time I have people sit down for a full dinner at a dining table at my house is Christmas and I need a knock-out centerpiece. It must have a low silhouette so people can converse across it and also have a small footprint so it doesn’t take up a lot of room. Long and narrow are my requirements, as well as lots of color and texture. For how-to on my Thanksgiving arrangement, go to my post here.

Step By Step

Fresh cut poinsettias are excellent accents for arrangements. In fact, I usually buy a poinsettia just to pull it apart and use the flowers in arrangements. Flaming the ends with a torch or match takes care of the white sap that runs out of the cut ends. The poinsettias can last for almost 2 weeks like this!

Starting with a base of greens, you can go in any direction that you choose. I have used this same base centerpiece for Thanksgiving using small pumpkins and gourds, instead of apples and oranges for Christmas. You could even make a spring arrangement using  pears and lemons and different greens, such as ferns.

Agra-Wool Instead of Oasis

I tried a new alternative to regular floral oasis for the base of my arrangement –  Agra-Wool. Agra wool is a sustainable substitute for the traditional oasis that doesn’t decompose readily. Agra-Wool is reusable and biodegradable, and this new eco-friendly floral design product is non-toxic and made from 97% basalt mineral rock fibers. Powdered basalt rock is spun into fibers and bound with a patented, sugar-based binding agent. Agra-Wool is very versatile and can be used for fresh, dry, and silk flowers. 

You can reuse Agra-Wool and I have reused it several times over the past 6 weeks, but it tends to fall apart the more you use it. I still prefer the standard oasis and until they come up with an improved version of Agra-Wool, I will continue to use oasis.

Dried Oranges

Dried oranges are simple to make with a dehydrator. I simply slice the oranges 1/4 Inch thick and stack them in trays to dry and 24 hours later they are dry. You can also use lemons, limes, and grapefruit for a change of color and size.

Other Ideas for Centerpieces