'Tis the season to trim the tree and deck the halls to set a festive mood for the holidays. While there may not be a ton of fresh-flower options available during the wintertime, there are still some beautiful decoration options for Christmas flowers, including vibrant greenery, berry branches and colorful wintertime blooms. Decorating your home for the holidays with traditional Christmas flowers and plants doesn't have to be extremely time- or labor-intensive. In fact, our best advice is to choose just one or two areas in your home as focal points and spend your time and energy on making those spots shine. In this post, we discuss 13 Christmas flower, greenery and plant options to consider when dressing up your home for the holidays. We also provide a step-by-step guide to making your own holiday garlands. Let the holiday decorating commence!
For many of us, Christmas is a time filled with traditions. From heading out to find the perfect Christmas tree to hanging stockings from the mantel to roasting a turkey for Christmas Eve dinner, time-honored traditions help us feel connected to our ancestors, family and culture. No matter what types of activities and decor make up your most beloved traditions, there’s always room for fresh Christmas flower arrangements. Add any of these traditional Christmas flower and plant decorations to your home for a touch of the natural world that befits the season’s wonder and joy.
Many of us at Minted have wondered "What is the name of the red Christmas flower?" or "What flower represents Christmas?” We’re total nerds, so we looked it up: poinsettias! You'll see these brightly colored blooms everywhere during the holiday season, such as for sale at the grocery store, decorating hotel lobbies and lining stairways or porches. Poinsettias have long been synonymous with Christmas, and it's not hard to see why. Their deep-red color is the perfect complement to your holiday decorations and Christmas tree. While classic red is the most traditional and widely available variety, poinsettias also come in several other colors, including white and cream, pinks, oranges, and beautiful variegated tones.
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Photo: Better Homes & Gardens
Painted Poinsettia designed by Alethea and Ruth
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Holiday Explosion designed by Chris Griffith
Decorating with fresh berry branches is a quick and easy way to make your home look merry and festive for the holidays. In December, there are a wide variety of berry branches available, including:
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Amaryllises are another popular Christmas flower as well as a common holiday plant. Known for their tall, graceful stems and showy, trumpet-like blooms, amaryllises make a beautiful addition to any holiday home decor and Christmas dinner table setting. The flowers are available in classic holiday colors like red, peppermint stripe and crisp white, as well as varying shades of pink, yellow, green, burgundy and variegated hues. If you're stumped for holiday gifts this year and wondering what Christmas plant makes for a popular present, amaryllis bulbs make a wonderful choice. The bulb is ready to bloom on its own, and all your gift recipients will need to do is place the bulb in water or soil, then watch it grow.
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Decorating with wintry evergreen boughs is a beautiful (and affordable) way to spruce up your space for the holidays. Here are a few favorite varieties and types of Christmas greenery to consider:
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If you're in the market for colorful Christmas plants this winter, consider the Christmas cactus. These hardy plants have flat, glossy-green branches with flowers that bloom right in time for the holidays. The flowers come in many vibrant colors, including holiday red, as well as magenta, orange, coral pink, fuchsia, orange and yellow.
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Poinsettia Pretty in Pink wrapping paper designed by Erika Firm
Paperwhites are another of the popular Christmas flowers and plants known for their perfume-like fragrance and delicate white blossoms. Similar to amaryllis plants, paperwhites are also grown from bulbs and are a popular plant to grow indoors during the wintertime. Paperwhite plants also make a wonderful holiday gift idea! Wrap the blooming plant in kraft paper and tie it with ribbon. Or you could gift a paperwhite-growing kit that includes paperwhite bulbs, small river rocks, and a decorative vase.
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Every holiday season, couples hang sprigs of mistletoe and kiss beneath it to celebrate their love. But have you ever wondered how the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe began? Historians are a little fuzzy on the origin story, but some believe the connection between kissing and mistletoe comes from ancient Norse mythology. Legend has it that the god Baldur was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe. His mother wept on the arrow and her tears turned into white berries, which she placed on Baldur's wound, healing him and bringing him back to life. Amazed and overjoyed, his mother blessed the mistletoe plant and vowed a kiss to everyone who passed beneath it. Fast-forward several centuries and the tradition of kissing underneath mistletoe has become ubiquitous with Christmas cheer. Learn more about unique Christmas traditions practiced around the world.
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Merry Christmas designed by Anupama
Decorating with pine cones is an easy and affordable way to bring nature indoors this holiday season. Collect a variety of pine cones on a winter walk, then recycle them throughout your home with our Christmas flower arrangement ideas in various locales. You could also purchase pine cones from your local craft store or flower shop.
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Photo: Victoria Pearson
Citrus fruits are juicy and plentiful this time of the year, which makes them an unexpected yet festive way to brighten your home this winter season — not to mention they smell absolutely wonderful! Make your own Christmas flower arrangements that stand out from the usual with these tips for including citrus.
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Photo: Lindsay Salazar Photography
Sometimes called "Christmas roses," hellebores are a popular winter-blooming flower that features delicate cup-shaped petals. Despite their nickname, hellebores are not related to roses. They belong to the buttercup family and make gorgeous cut flowers for Christmas. The blooms come in a wide array of colors, from whites, creams and pinks, to lavender, green and nearly jet-black.
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These are the real deal — AKA Rosa hybrid, the universal symbol of modern love. Although you might not count red roses among the most traditional Christmas flowers and plants, their deep red color and velvety texture is rivaled only by the noble poinsettia for perfectly complementing the holiday season.
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These eye-catching blooms bring an exotic touch to your Christmas floral arrangement ideas. Native to the Himalayan mountains, they’re only in bloom during the North American winter. That makes them easier for florists to find and use in common floral arrangements for Christmas. Plus they have a lifespan of up to four weeks, making them the ideal cut flowers for Christmas.
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This member of the rhododendron family features glossy dark green leaves and small clusters of blooms in a variety of hues. Potted azaleas make excellent Christmas flower decorations because they thrive in slightly cooler, humid indoor areas. The red and white varietals are most popular as common floral arrangements for Christmas, especially when paired with textural types of Christmas greenery, like holly leaves or berry branches.
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There's nothing more festive than decking the halls of your home with lush and fragrant Christmas garlands. Whether you decide to hang the greenery garlands over your front door, from the mantel or wrapped around the staircase banister, decorating with different types of Christmas greenery has endless possibilities. Not sure how to pull it off? We've got answers to all of your questions about Christmas greenery floral arrangements.
If you're making a garland yourself, it's best to work with what you've got and forage greenery from your own property. Or, you could purchase bundles of winter greenery from your local flower shop. Ask for cedar, pine or fir to create garlands with that perfect holiday look.
Turning freshly cut greenery into a lush Christmas garland is easy. Follow these step-by-step instructions to create a lush and fragrant decoration for your dining table or fireplace mantel.
Photo: Anna Williams
Follow these tips to ensure that your Christmas garland is the perfect size and scale for your holiday decorations.
If you prefer to purchase your holiday garlands, you can order them in any length you'd like from your local flower shop. You might be able to buy them from big-box stores, although these purveyors may only have options in pre-made lengths. You can also check with local Christmas tree farms and nurseries, which usually have plenty of garlands available in a variety of greenery types and lengths.
Once your garland is set in place, personalize the greenery with some creative embellishments:
Love the look of Christmas garlands but not sure where to place them? Here are our favorite spots in the home to spruce up and adorn with fresh greenery. Be creative — the decorating possibilities are endless!
If you're lucky enough to have a fireplace in your home, make it the focal point of your living room. Drape a lush garland over the mantel or ledge. For a more traditional look, have the ends drape down in a symmetrical fashion. Or, for a more modern look, have the garland cascade down on just one side. Add pine cones for texture and candles (or LED candles) for extra glow. Want even more ideas? We have a full post dedicated to Christmas mantel ideas.
Photo: Erin Francois
For your holiday dinner table, place a garland of fresh evergreens down the center of the table. Accent the greenery with candles at varying heights. Make sure you don’t take your eye off the candles, as combining an open flame close to Christmas greenery can quickly turn disastrous. You could also opt to substitute in electric candles.
Photo: Lauren McBride
Welcome visitors with a festive and inviting entrance. Hang a stylish wreath from your front door using a brass hook. Accent the entry with large, oversize modern urns overflowing with fresh evergreen boughs, branches and pine cones.
Photo: Donna Griffith
Make your staircase banister a major focal point by adorning the entire railing with lush garland swags of cedar and eucalyptus. Add in complementary elements such as pine cones, satin ribbon and bows.
Photo: Donna Griffith
Hang a grouping of simple, miniature greenery wreaths at varying heights to create a beautiful window display.
Photo: Johnny Miller
Frame the doorway to the living room by affixing garlands overhead to create a festive and inviting entrance.
Photo: New Darlings