Bring the festive season to life this year with your very own living Christmas centrepiece!
As sustainable living becomes increasingly important to families around the country, many of us want to reduce single use plastics such as bags, packaging and decorations. Living centrepieces are a sustainable way to decorate this Christmas and are a unique way to make spaces come alive, while adding a personal touch to your table for your festive feast!
To help unleash your creativity, we have put together the ultimate guide to creating a gorgeous Christmas living centrepiece:
What you’ll need:
How to make your Christmas Centrepiece
1. Pick the perfect plant container
You’ll first need to choose the right container for your Christmas centrepiece. You can choose to upcycle an old bowl or buy a container to match your Christmas colours. Anything from a shallow metallic bowl, a colourful pot or even a glass salad bowl will be perfect of the job. You don’t need to have a hole in the bottom of your container for drainage – place a layer of river pebbles and horticultural charcoal to help water drain from the soil.
2. Prepare your plant container
Place river pebbles at the base of your container to assist with drainage, making sure you leave enough room for the potting mix. Then, add a layer of horticultural charcoal which acts like a filter, preventing the plants from rotting.
3. Choose the perfect potting mix
Give your Christmas centrepiece the best chance of survival right from the get-go by investing in the right potting mix that will allow the garden to thrive. We recommend Scotts Osmocote Premium Indoor Potting Mix. Our indoor potting mix doesn’t contain compost or pine bark which is known to shelter fungus gnats. Let’s face it, no one is going to enjoy Christmas lunch with little black flies everywhere!
4. Purchase the correct plants
Picking the right indoor plants is critical for a long-lasting garden. Ferns and vines like English Ivy and other hardy indoor plant varieties that don’t require a lot of light are perfect for the base of your centrepiece. For an added splash of colour, try choosing plants that have a red leaf. Some of our favourites are the Hypoestes phyllostachya or Freckle Face which come in a variety of colours. Peace Lilies and Red Poinsettia are also easy to look after and will really set the festive tone for your table. We recommend purchasing your plants from Australian Plants Online.
5. Plant placement is key
Once you have the perfect plants and soil, getting the placement of your plants are the next step. When constructing a centrepiece, it is all about balance. Remember to have an even amount of greenery with the added touch of colour. Be sure to include plants of varying heights and textures to create an interesting arrangement.
6. Unleash your creativity
Placing a large candle in the middle of the centrepiece is an easy and affordable way to spruce up the middle of your centrepiece. Place some coloured pebbles around your plants to cover exposed soil and give your centrepiece an extra burst of colour. To give your plant some festive cheer, don’t forget to place some smaller Christmas baubles or small decorations around the foliage and tie some jolly ribbon around the pot to finish.
7. Keep the plants thriving
Congratulations on your beautiful living centrepiece! It’s now time to keep it thriving. Keep your centrepiece out of harsh, direct sunlight and if you’ve chosen indoor plants that are easy to care for, they should be forgiving if you forget to water them every now and then. To keep your centrepiece thriving well after the festive season, use Scotts Osmocote Pour+Feed for Indoor Plants, which is a simple to use liquid fertiliser that has the perfect balance of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus to keep your centrepiece healthy.
