Cathy at Rambling in the Garden has created another vase that defies the season, by giving us more beautiful rose buds, while I am embracing Christmas.I have been looking at YouTube for some different ideas for Christmas arrangements. I can tell you there are thousands of videos out there some with fantastic ideas, others not so much!
Last year I covered the whole of my sideboard with foliage arrangements with candles and while I loved the exuberant effect it did mean that there was no-where to actually put anything except for the table. I wanted to create something eye catching and exciting but that I could still put boxes of chocolates, fruit and other things I didn’t actually want on the table underneath the arrangement without detracting from it too much.
I had originally thought that I might fill the vase with fir cones but when I saw the long, berry-covered stems of Cotoneaster I thought that would look more elegant and interesting inside the vase.
In a vase on Monday
The vase is a tall cylinder (about 90 cm) recently purchased from Ikea. I uses my pebbles in the base and placed a stem each of Cotoneaster and Cyprus into the vase.
A low sided glass dish was taped to the top of the vase
In this image you can see the glass dish I taped to the top of the vase. It was then filled with Oasis.
I used cones from Cyprus, Umbrella pine and Christmas tree
I found the Christmas tree cones in a garden where for many years the Christmas trees had been planted out after the festivities; They are now full grown trees. Very ugly but producing beautiful cones.
I used Cyprus, Santolina and Arbutus foliage
I attached Cotoneaster berries using wire.
As you can see the sun has been shining today
No one guessed that I had used Melia berries sprayed silver in the Advent crown last week.
Are you getting into the mood for Christmas by making decorations?
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
That’s a lovely sideboard arrangement and what a lovely idea…might have to press my long pasta glass container into action.
Yes, a pasta jar would be ideal.
Lovely
Thank you.
Oh that is brilliant Christina – such a good use for that tall vase. The cotoneaster berries are wonderful in there and using the glass dish on the top is inspired – the overall effect is great and I might look at my vases and see if I can borrow some of this idea, if ypu don’t mind that is! Thanks for sharing Christina – your house must be beginning to look quite festive now!
Of course I won’t mind if you use my idea. Ideas are always for sharing. You’ll adapt the idea anyway and make it you own.
Christina no one noticed that there were Melia berries sprayed with silver spray on the Cornona last week? It was so wonderful that it does not seem strange to me. Today’s arrangement is sublime. The vase full of long stems filled with Cotoneaster berries is divine. The top part with pineapples, cones, different types of conifers, Santolina, Arbutus. The Cotoneaster berries and a white candle culminating the arrangement. It’s fantastic and I love it: very Christmas! I am thinking of recovering a large Bethlehem that I have assembled and kept in a box: we will have to put new paper as sky and new small lights behind the paper to make stars; Remove all the dust, new trees that I made with sticks and box leaves and other leaves like weeping willows. About 12 years ago or more I do not put it. It’s time to take it out. Have a very good week. And let the sun continue. Greetings from Margarita.
I hope you do bring out your nativity scene. Please show us on your blog if you do.
I will Christina. Thank you very much for your request. You are a friend Take care. Greetings from Margarita.
Christina here you have the blog with the Bethlehem. https://margaritaexam141.wordpress.com/2018/12/16/the-bethlehem/ I feel that the pictures of the Nativity scene are very bad: the ceiling lamp was damaged and there was almost no light. When I published the blog it occurred to me that I could have put the flexo of my table focusing on the Bethlehem. I’m stupid, you’re going to do it. If you do not write any more blogs, I wish you a Merry Christmas and family and a Happy New Year 2019 full of love, health and peace, where all your wishes are fulfilled. Merry Christmas! Greetings from Margarita.
What a beautiful idea, Christina– you’ve created an elegant and sophisticated holiday arrangement. My decorating has been limited this year by our crazy kitty. I worry that everything I bring in might end up making her sick (or worse). So far she has been pretty good, but arrangements are so tempting for her, I try not to overdo it.
Have you made any of the outside decorations like last year, Eliza.. they were so creative and a wonderful welcome to your home.
Thank you, Christina. My brother gave us a decorated wreath this year, but I satisfied my creative urge by making one with jingle bells (!) for my neighbor. I’ve also filled the woodshed windowbox (which has already been raided by something eating the winterberries) and the box and basket on the front porch. I used to do a lot more, but I’m happy with the reduced decorations. Less to clean up after the holidays. 😉
Inspired – I love it!
It’s amazing how inspiring You Tube can be.
What a good idea!
I do find it get’s very silly at Christmas, you can’t move for trees, decorations and parcels and then when they are unwrapped it gets even worse. This is very elegant and won’t take up too much space. Ingenious ideas and lovely greenery and berries.
I don’t mind all the Christmas decorations, especially if they are predominantly natural evergreens from the garden and around. I really enjoy trying new ideas and playing with what is possible.
Beautifully done, Christina! I really have to try filling a glass container with living material as you’ve done sometime soon. My Christmas tree is up and finally decorated, but I haven’t created any floral/foliage arrangements specifically for the holiday, at least not yet.
My tree is still waiting for me to decorate it. I don’t know why I am so busy.
Superb!
Thank you.
A very clever and beautiful arrangement!
Thank you Donna.
Just lovely and well done..I have a similar vase, you many see something Floridized I love the idea. I like to use all natural greenery – which means decorating at the last minute.
I’m hoping that because the vase is sealed the water won’t disappear and so the stems inside the vase will remain fresh. Those in the Oasis should be ok.
Christina, this is beautiful. Very smart to use a vertical design to give you more table room. I like the way you’ve been using materials inside the vase (it’s very effective and I’d intended to copy you on it by now!). Do you find the oasis is working well? For certain things I find it is so much easier than other holders.
I think when you want to have lots of material Oasis is the only way. I don’t usually like to use it because it can only be used once and it doesn’t break down to compost.
Ah, and will you look at that first shot! Didn’t I tell you you can do it 🙂 Beautiful arrangements and pics, Christina, we’ve just had the first frost this morning and the leaves will probably fall now. Off to wreath-making this week which usually gets me into xmas mood.
We had our first frost too. Ah! You noticed, I’m using the DSL’s Nikon for my vase pictures. I actually find it really hard to use, but you can get a very good fuzzy background 😂😂😂
How beautiful and what a great idea. I’m all for an arrangement which doesn’t take up too much room.
So festive and creative . Love the live cones💐
Great idea. The berries and cyprus look stunning together in the vase.
The berries are a lovely warm orange rather than red which is rather attractive.
That is an elegant and unusual arrangement , I have these tall vases, fear that small people may overturn them , I have made a wreath for my door, and hope to deck my mantelpiece with evergreens. I love the warm colours in your vase
Our mantle is a bit low for fresh greenery = it tends to shrivel! I might make some smaller vases like this large one but with just a candle on top of the vase.
That’s a lovely tall arrangement – a good idea to fill the vase with foliage and berries. Also nice to see different fir cones tomours. I will refresh my greenery today and have been lighting candles and tealights every evening. 🙂