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How to create a Christmas floral display

Chris Price, a designer with Interflora - an international association of more than 58,000 florists worldwide, gives his top tips for making a home-made Christmas table decoration

Choosing your flowers

• Ensure that your arrangement is eye-catching by using some fun alternatives to traditional Christmas flowers and foliage. Red phormium and chamaerop leaves are great sculptural foliage which will shape your arrangement whilst maintaining the Christmassy feel.
• Glittery gysophila, chrysanthemums and red roses are all flowers which will look striking within a festive arrangement, especially when surrounded by the traditional elements of conifer, mini cycleman and ivy.
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• Add colour and sparkle to your arrangement by incorporating coloured pine cones, festive red ribbons or glossy red baubles.

Colour harmony

• Arranged flowers always look their best when they are all the same colour or shade. A combination of perhaps two or three colours also works well. A mishmash of different colour blooms often cheapens the look of a display.
• Always try to buy blooms which have the same vase life, ie that last about the same amount of time. Nothing is worse that having a beautiful display in your house with half of the arrangement dying before the rest. Your florist will be able to advise you when you purchase the flowers.

Positioning of floral arrangements

• Never position your blooms in full sunlight or draughty positions. Glass can amplify the sun's rays and leave your flowers looking scorched and dry. Draughts can be just as damaging to flowers as the sun, leaving the tips of petals and foliage looking burnt.
• The best position for an arrangement is a central position within the room - this will also enable the blooms to be admired more by all.

Creating floral arrangements

• If you fancy having a dabble at creating a floral arrangement with a foam 'oasis', which holds water and serves as a base for the flowers, always let the block sink below the water level at its own speed. Never force the flowers through as this will seal the pores of the oasis leaving the centre dry.
• Cover the oasis with foliage first before placing any flowers in the foam. This reduces the volume of flowers that you have to use and also hides a multitude of sins.
• Always cut the flowers at sharp angles ensuring the easier insertion of flowers.

To find an Interflora florist near you or to order flowers online with same-day delivery or next-day delivery, visit www.interflora.co.uk/.

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