Skip to Content

Expert Christmas flower arranging tips

Marks & Spencer's resident flower expert Simon Richards shares a few tips to help you create a stunning seasonal bouquet for Christmas.
By Grace Allen
Dishware, Interior design, Flowerpot, Serveware, Glass, Candle, Flower Arranging, Centrepiece, Still life photography, Wax,
1

Christmas in a vase

Flower, Serveware, Petal, Glass, Flowering plant, Still life photography, Easter egg, Flower Arranging, Cut flowers, Easter,

Be economical: cut the pine from the bottom of your Christmas tree and create an arrangement with it. Add oranges, candles or whatever seasonal touches you like.

Like this? You'll love:
Countdown to Christmas: gifts for every budget
Christmas table decoration ideas for festive dining
More Christmas decorating inspiration 
 

2

Keep flowers fresh

Petal, Bouquet, Flower, Cut flowers, Pink, Centrepiece, Floristry, Flower Arranging, Glass, Flowering plant,

So the flowers in your vase absorb water more easily, cut the stems on a slant and to make sure your vase really shines, try rubbing it with newspaper.

Like this? You'll love:
Countdown to Christmas: gifts for every budget
Christmas table decoration ideas for festive dining
More Christmas decorating inspiration 

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
3

Creative displays

Petal, Flower, Cut flowers, Toy, Beige, Artificial flower, Flowering plant, Animal figure, Working animal, Figurine,

Create a display by filling jam jars, glasses or even these cute reindeers with different flower heads - roses, holly, carnations, berries, etc. These can be arranged down the middle of your Christmas table for a really festive effect.

Like this? You'll love:
Countdown to Christmas: gifts for every budget
Christmas table decoration ideas for festive dining
More Christmas decorating inspiration 

4

Gain from the garden

Flower, Red, Petal, Flowering plant, Cut flowers, Floristry, Still life photography, Floral design, Flower Arranging, Artificial flower,

If you want to forage from your garden, add sprigs of holly, berries, twigs and pine to instantly spruce up an existing arrangement.

Like this? You'll love:
Countdown to Christmas: gifts for every budget
Christmas table decoration ideas for festive dining
More Christmas decorating inspiration 

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
5

Festive arrangement

Dishware, Interior design, Flowerpot, Serveware, Glass, Candle, Flower Arranging, Centrepiece, Still life photography, Wax,

Create a place setting for each person at your Christmas table - one idea is to take a sprig of rosehips, a single rose, gypsophilia and then tie a ribbon around it.


Like this? You'll love:
Countdown to Christmas: gifts for every budget
Christmas table decoration ideas for festive dining
More Christmas decorating inspiration 

Watch Next 
Dishware, Interior design, Flowerpot, Serveware, Glass, Candle, Flower Arranging, Centrepiece, Still life photography, Wax,
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Lifestyle

the_crown_s6_ep2_130123_0497.arw

Agatha Christie’s sleuth duo gets a fresh TV twist

*** free for editorial use ***actress celia imrie unveils unveils netflix’ the thursday murder club: unearth the plot immersive experience at rhs garden wisley. visitors nationwide will enjoy a week of murderously good fun, with themed floral billboards, murder mystery trails and ‘joyce’s tearoom’ at wisley. picture date: thursday august 22, 2025. pinpep

Celia Imrie wears royal dress to film-themed garden

new york, new york february 13: meghann fahy attends the michael kors a/w 2024 fashion show during new york fashion week in chelsea on february 13, 2024 in new york city. (photo by taylor hill/wireimage)

Sky's The Good Daughter won't fail to thrill

mixed plants in a front garden in august. annuals such as rudbeckia, petunia, cosmos and lobelia with foliage plants such as hakonechloa.

6 flowering plants for late summer

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
london, england august 21: pierce brosnan attends the thursday murder club uk premiere at leicester square gardens on august 21, 2025 in london, england. (photo by karwai tang/wireimage)

Pierce Brosnan joins son & granddaughter at afterparty

palm royale

Palm Royale is back for a "bigger" series 2

airbnb italy

19 best Italian Airbnbs to book now

expedition cruises

6 of the best expedition cruise lines

pictured: top row (l r) kate, david, dan h, aimee, zoran, rebecca, bottom row (l r) tommy, james, dan a, joanne, stacey and marissa., centre frame, defendant sophie

The Jury: Murder Trial returns with new case

adapted from the best selling novel by andrea mara, "all her fault" opens on a terrifying situation that eventually unearths the deep secrets of a community. marissa irvine (sarah snook, "succession") arrives at 14 arthur avenue, expecting to pick up her young son milo from his first playdate with a boy at his new school. but the woman who answers the door isn’t a mother she recognizes. she isn’t the nanny. she doesn’t have milo. and so begins every parent’s worst nightmare. also stars emmy nominee jake lacy ("the white lotus"), dakota fanning ("the perfect couple") and michael peña ("unstoppable").

All Her Fault is every parent's worst nightmare

the iris affair is a tense and cinematic chase thriller that pits two brilliant minds against each other in a deadly game of hide and seek across italy. when enigmatic genius iris nixon (algar) cracks a string of complex online puzzles, she’s led to a piazza in florence where she meets charismatic entrepreneur cameron beck (hollander). he invites her to come and work for him to unlock a powerful and top secret piece of technology. her curiosity piqued, she accepts. but when iris discovers its dangerous potential, she steals the journal containing the device’s activation sequence—and vanishes. what follows is a relentless pursuit, from a remote cabin in sardinia through the bustling streets of rome, as cameron races to find iris in a high stakes game where trust is dangerous and failure could be catastrophic.

Escape with Italy-set thriller The Iris Affair

rivals

Rivals is back... with two major cast updates!

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below