By Elizabeth Wulfhorst
As the halls are being decked, don’t neglect one of the focal points of the holiday: the dinner table. While you are making your home a bit merrier and brighter with Christmas trees, lights, menorahs and garland, remember that gathering for a family and friends’ meal can be the highlight of the season. And the table should be dressed accordingly.
Tiscia Bonanno, owner of Flower Spot NJ, likes to embrace the season and go green with centerpieces. She suggests holly, juniper and cedar to start an arrangement off right for the holidays. “You can even go in your own backyard and get some pine branches,” she said.
Once the greens are selected – Bonanno recommends a few different styles – it’s time to pick a focal flower. Roses are good options this time of year, as are mums which come in a multitude of colors to match your holiday décor. And don’t forget fillers, which really round out the arrangement. Trends include satin or velvet ribbon which can be tied into a bow around a stick and added to the centerpiece. Or consider other adornments: “You could buy Christmas balls, put them on a stick, or some stars,” anything to add a little sparkle to the season, Bonanno said.
Traditional is fine, but she likes to bring in different holiday colors as well. “I like pink, you know, and really the key is to put something fun in there that’s holiday,” she said. “I always have fun on my cart – you’ll find silver, you’ll find glitter.”
While Flower Spot NJ is finished for the season at its pop-up spot in The Grove at Shrewsbury, thanks to dropping temperatures, Bonanno does pop-up events around the area, like an upcoming Wine + Design afternoon at Albariño restaurant in sangria-sipping and centerpiece-making. For $75, guests will get a flight of sangria to taste and everything needed to put together a stunning holiday arrangement: a gold cylinder vase and plenty of greens and flowers, plus guidance from the experts. Register at albarinorestaurant.com.
If you are putting together your own centerpiece, though, Bonanno reminds you to consider proportions when designing. Overall the arrangement should be “no more than one-and-a-half times the width and the height of your vase,” she said, which gives a good starting point for trimming stems. While not very eco-friendly, Bonanno arrangement in place within the vase, an easier option for most beginners than chicken wire.
For the focal elements -i.e. flowers – remember your shapes. “You should kind of make it in a triangle,” Bonanno said. “One flower in the middle and then the other two should go on the side in a triangular pattern. And then you just work your way around, turning the vessel as you go” to make sure it looks great from all angles.
Make your centerpiece last by checking and changing the water often and consider storing the arrangement in a cool spot when it’s not being displayed. “If you put it under a light or put it in a room where the sunlight is coming in, your flowers aren’t going to last as long,” she said. “Keep it in a darker, cooler room like the garage or the basement and then bring it up for right before the holiday and you’ll enjoy it longer.”
Not feeling talented enough to make your own centerpiece? Bonanno is here to help. She has premade and made-to-order arrangements available for purchase through her website (or feel free to message her on Instagram @flowerspot_nj).
The article originally appeared in the December 1 – 7, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
