How To Create A Potted Floral Centerpiece For The Holidays

Floral arrangements are a great way to bring beauty to your holiday dinner table, but they fade after a week or two.

Learn how to created a stunning living floral centerpiece made with potted plants and flowers instead of cut flowers.

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Here’s What You’ll Need

• Decorative Compote Bowl
• Pebbles / Stones
• Potting Soil
• Poinsettias or potted flowers of choice
• Amaryllis Bulbs, or paperwhite bulbs
• Mini Evergreen tree, vining plants, and mini fern
• Sheet moss
• Pinecones, dried stalks, etc.

Selecting the Right Decorative Bowl or Container

A potted centerpiece needs an open mouth vessel with at least 4-inches of depth. Instead of using a vase, look for a decorative compote bowl (which is essentially a bowl with a pedestal base). Whatever your choice of vessel, look for something sophisticated that will make a statement.

An antique shop is a great place to find incredible decorative bowls for flower arrangements. But I did find some beauties online as well.

Here are a few stunning bowl options sourced online:

1. Set of 3 Terrain Antique Iron Bowls
2. Ballard Designs Vase
3. Amazon Brass Pedestal Bowl
4. Wayfair Decorative Pedestal Bowl

Video How-To

Seeing the process can be inspiring and helpful, but there are also additional tips listed in the steps below that couldn’t make it into this YouTube Short. So hang around and get more details after watching!

Start With Stones & Potting Soil

Place some rocks in the bottom of the container for drainage and aeration, then add some sterilized indoor potting soil.

Choosing the Perfect Flowers for Your Floral Centerpiece

I’m going with a Poinsettia as my star flower for this arrangement, but you can choose other favorite seasonal blooms in the color that suits you. Just be sure to choose flowers that can tolerate shade, which is basically what your indoors are.

Include some holiday bulbs, like Amaryllis or Paperwhites that will bloom later and make the arrangement look even better with time!

Incorporating Foliage and Greenery

Next you’ll layer in mini evergreens line baby pine or spruce trees. Also consider adding vining plants and baby ferns. Give them a little space around each other for room to grow in.

The vining plants will look stunning spilling out of the bowl as they grow in over time.

Creating Height and Balance in Your Arrangement

Make sure the height of the chosen flowers will work for your floral arrangement. You want the flowers to sit around the middle of the arrangement and stand taller than all the other plants.

Dried floral stalks and berry stems are also a great way to bring height into your arrangement.

Adding Unexpected Elements for a Unique Touch

Because you are leaving space for the vining plants to grow in, you’ll have bare spaces that need to be filled. This is the perfect opportunity to add unique natural elements for visual interest!

Place sheet moss on any bits of soil showing, then place pieces like pinecones, nuts, and other natural elements.

Caring For Your Arrangement

Care instructions for your garden-styled arrangement will be very similar to care for a houseplant.

Place your arrangement where it will get lots of bright indirect light. Be careful not to overwater it since you don’t have holes for the water to drain out. And let the top 2-inches of soil dry out between waterings.

Periodically add a liquid fertilizer to your watering regime. The frequency depends on the fertilizer (just follow directions). Enjoy it indoors until the plants need more space, then transplant each into their own containers, a bigger container, or even in your outdoor spaces!

Your stunning planted floral arrangement will make for a beautiful table centerpiece, or look amazing added to a holiday vignette. Living floral centerpieces are also perfect for weddings, dinner parties, and other events because they can be made in advance of your event. They also make wonderful gifts!

The best part? While typical flower centerpieces die off quickly, you can create this arrangement at the beginning of the season, and enjoy it for months to come!