Antique Flower Garden 255-0255

When it comes to the holidays, decorating the house is more than Christmas trees, wreaths and Chanukah bushes. Flowers add beauty, fragrance and a touch of elegance.
Here is what some of the experts say.
Claire's Flowers: "You have to think 'What's the occasion?' Tell me about the style and decor of your home," Claire Cullen Middleton said. People who use flowers have a love of their home, Claire said. All white Calla Lilies in a vase filled with crystals is a beautiful choice.

Charmaine's Bouquet Canyon Florist: When it comes to holiday colors, homeowners are thinking outside the box, said Charmaine Wojciechowski. "People are using lime green with red instead of the traditional kelly green in all sorts of decorations," she said.

Centerpieces on the dining room table and garland on the hearth are decorations most come to expect during the holidays. "Try using flowers in every room in the home," she said. "When you get up in the morning, it feels like Christmas as soon as you get out of bed."

Antique Flower Garden: "Our customers generally go for the unique look of natural decorating," said Sean Dowd. "We see a lot of requests for grapevine, curly willow, pepper berry, eucalyptus and so on." Dowd said the most popular colors requested this year in his shop are combinations of reds and golds, red and white, and red and silver. "Depending on the occasion, we often add ornaments, pinecones, ribbon and glitter to our fresh flower arrangements." Candles are also a big hit whether it's placed in centerpieces for the dining table or inside a cylinder style cup. And you can never have too many poinsettias. "Most like the red, but some prefer the salmon color," Dowd said.

Orchid Gift Emporium: "An orchid in
your home will add elegance and flair," said Manager Stacie Allegra. Orchids make a great hostess gift, last longer than cut flowers and are virtually maintenance-free. "You can put an orchid on a table and it makes such a great statement," Allegra said.

To see other beautiful holiday centerpieces, please visit our Entertaining at Home section located on page 48.