What Makes a Christmas Flower Arrangement Elegant
An elegant Christmas flower arrangement comes down to restraint: two or three colors, one focal flower that leads, fresh evergreens for structure and scent, and a single note of texture such as berries. Classic Christmas flowers include amaryllis, white roses, ranunculus, hellebores and paperwhites, with magnolia, cedar and boxwood among the greens, and the poinsettia remains the season's signature plant. At The Flower Bar, our designers in Larchmont build holiday arrangements on exactly those principles for homes and tables across Westchester.
“Christmas is a month long celebration,” says Nancy White, owner of The Flower Bar, “and what we like to do is we create a lot of arrangements and decor items to help celebrate the holidays throughout the whole season.” Below, Nancy shares the flowers and greens she reaches for and how to keep a holiday arrangement fresh, followed by nine design tips and the real story behind the poinsettia.
What Nancy Loves Making for the Holidays
Holiday decor is a big part of December in the studio, but asked what she loves most, Nancy is clear: “What I really love, without question, is actually creating arrangements. You know, it's a fun break from doing everything with winter greens.”
That includes the occasions that don't pause for the holidays. “We love it when people are ordering for birthdays, anniversaries and they don't want it to be so floral and so holiday,” she says. Centerpieces for house parties and, in her words, “unique arrangements for your holiday celebration” fill the rest of the season. If a December birthday is coming up, our birthday flowers for delivery in Larchmont are designed in the studio year-round.
The Christmas Flowers and Greens Nancy Reaches For
Winter is a generous season for flowers. These are the blooms and greens that read as Christmas the moment you see them, and they pair well with one another.
Amaryllis
“I love using amaryllis in arrangements as well as berries,” Nancy says. “They're just so beautiful when they open and they are really long lasting. They're really what we call a form flower because they have a wonderful shape.” That shape is a welcome change from “the rounded flowers like the traditional roses and ranunculus and anemone, although we love those flowers too.” Deep red is the classic choice, while white and blush varieties feel quieter and more modern.
White roses, ranunculus, hellebores and paperwhites
White flowers feel like a first snowfall. Roses bring familiar elegance, ranunculus adds layered, paper-thin petals, and the hellebore, often called the Christmas rose, gives a winter design soft, nodding blooms in white, blush and deep plum. Paperwhites, a fragrant narcissus, are lovely in a bowl on their own, though their scent suits an entryway better than a dinner table.
Magnolia, cedar and boxwood
“My favorite greens are magnolia, cedar and boxwood,” Nancy says. Magnolia: “I love it for its beautiful two-toned, shiny green [leaf] on one side and the soft brown, fuzzy underside.” Cedar: “I love cedar for the fragrance and it has just a beautiful drape.” And boxwood, which she loves “for the fullness. And actually boxwood has a slight little scent too.” Berries, pinecones and dried stems finish the look without crowding the flowers.
How to Keep a Holiday Arrangement Fresh
“Our most popular is a wintergreen arrangement, which is a beautiful vessel filled with holiday greens,” Nancy says. “We can add baubles and natural accents like cinnamon sticks and citrus slices. And then you can add flowers to the arrangement.” It suits a single evening of entertaining or the whole run-up to Christmas, and Nancy plans one for her own kitchen “just so I have that wonderful holiday scent around my home.”
Caring for one is straightforward. “The most important thing to do is always keep adding water every day just like your Christmas tree,” she says. “The greens will drink that water and you just need to keep that water in there as well as ideally giving it a fresh spritz with water from … a spray bottle.” Our guide to caring for cut flowers covers the flowers you add.
Poinsettia Meaning: Why It Became the Christmas Flower
The poinsettia is the plant most people picture at Christmas, and its story is older and more interesting than the supermarket display suggests. According to a horticultural history by researchers at Purdue University and colleagues, the plant (Euphorbia pulcherrima) originated in southern Mexico and northern Guatemala, where it grows as a winter-flowering shrub more than three meters tall. The Aztecs used its colorful parts to dye cloth and its milky sap in medicine.
What does the poinsettia symbolize?
In Mexico the poinsettia is known as the flor de Nochebuena, the Christmas Eve flower. The Library of Congress notes that in Mexican popular culture, a poinsettia given as a gift is believed to bring good luck and prosperity. In French it was named étoile d'amour, the star of love. Today it stands for celebration, warmth and the joy of the season.
Why is the poinsettia the Christmas flower?
Two reasons, one cultural and one botanical. Culturally, Franciscan friars in 17th-century Mexico used the plant to decorate altars and nativity scenes, as the Library of Congress describes. A well-known Mexican legend tells of a girl who brought a humble bouquet of weeds to honor the Christ child, which were transformed into red flowers, a story recounted by the University of Dayton's Marian Library. Botanically, the poinsettia is a short-day plant: it begins to flower when nights grow long, which is why it naturally puts on its color in December.
Where do poinsettias come from?
The plant reached the United States through Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first American minister to Mexico. Specimens reached the United States in 1828, and by June 1829 the plant was on display at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's first flower show in Philadelphia. The popular story that Poinsett found it beside a road in Taxco has, the Purdue history notes, almost no evidence behind it. December 12 is observed as National Poinsettia Day, marking the anniversary of Poinsett's death in 1851.
The red is not the flower
The colorful "petals" are bracts, which are modified leaves. The true flowers are the small yellow clusters in the center. Wild poinsettias are red, and breeders have since added white, pink, purple, orange and yellow, according to the University of Florida IFAS Extension. Nancy's advice: “Think beyond the traditional red and try a white or pink poinsettia to elevate your home for the holidays.”
Are poinsettias poisonous to pets?
Their deadly reputation is a myth, one Nancy calls “an old wives' tale,” but that does not make them safe to chew. As she puts it, “Obviously if they eat a leaf or flower, … they're probably going to get sick.” The ASPCA lists poinsettias as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, describing the sap as irritating to the mouth and stomach and sometimes causing vomiting, and the plant as "generally over-rated in toxicity." Keep poinsettias where pets can't reach them, and call your veterinarian if one does take a bite.
If you bring one home, NC State Extension recommends bright, indirect light, a room between 65 and 70°F during the day, protection from hot or cold drafts, and watering when the top inch of soil feels dry. Remove decorative foil or poke holes in it so water can drain.
Amaryllis Plants: A Holiday Favorite
“Amaryllis is one of my favorites,” Nancy says. “They're so long lasting and it takes … pretty much the whole month for them to bloom.” She grows them at home, too: “I'll pot three to place around my home … in my kitchen, my living room and family room. It's so rewarding to watch them grow and flower.” She adds, “We carry double amaryllis so your plant will keep blooming through the season.” Double amaryllis are not available to order online, so call the studio at (914) 834-4900 to ask about them.
Holiday Wreaths, Garlands and Decor
December is also the season for decorating homes, which Nancy calls “so much fun”: “making custom wreaths and elevating your garlands around your door, on your porch, inside.” For custom decor that has to look right for weeks, she explains, “We prefer to use artificials so that they last the season. … And we use very high quality artificials so you really can't tell that they're fake.” We source the artificials to order for each custom piece, and the team layers in extra greens, berries, dried materials, baubles and eucalyptus, which “will dry nicely and again give a very pretty and natural look.”
Our holiday wreaths and evergreen garlands include fresh magnolia and cedar wreaths and fresh cedar and fir roping. For a full installation, indoors or out, call (914) 834-4900 to arrange a consultation and quote.
9 Tips for Creating Elegant Christmas Flower Arrangements
Whether you are arranging for your own table or choosing a gift, these are the principles our designers return to every December.
- Choose two or three colors and stop there. Red and white, white and silver-green, or deep red with blush. A tight palette is what makes a holiday arrangement feel intentional rather than busy.
- Let one focal flower lead. Amaryllis, a garden rose or a cluster of white ranunculus. Everything else supports it.
- Use the 3-5-8 ratio as a starting point. Three focal stems, five pieces of greenery and eight secondary or filler stems create a balanced design. Once it looks right, trust your eye over the numbers.
- Build the base with evergreens. Magnolia, cedar and boxwood give structure, scent and that unmistakable holiday depth.
- Add one layer of texture. Berries, pinecones or a few dried stems. One texture reads as considered; four reads as clutter.
- Keep centerpieces low. Guests should be able to see and talk across the table.
- Prepare the stems properly. Start with a clean vase, cut stems at an angle and remove any leaves that would sit below the water line.
- Keep arrangements away from heat. Radiators, fireplaces and heating vents shorten the life of fresh flowers and greens, so place them somewhere cool and out of direct sun.
- Pair cut flowers with a living plant. An amaryllis, a poinsettia or a phalaenopsis orchid beside a vase arrangement extends the display well past the holidays.
Christmas Flowers Delivered in Larchmont and Westchester
For many of our customers, Christmas flowers are a gift: a thank-you to a host, a note of love to family who live nearby, or a centerpiece that arrives ready for the table. Our team designs every arrangement in our Larchmont studio and delivers across Westchester County, including Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Rye and Scarsdale, as well as lower Fairfield County and New York City.
We sell by size, not price, so the right choice depends on what you want to say. Our arrangement size guide helps you choose, and our delivery details cover same-day timing. Holiday-week schedules fill quickly, so we recommend ordering ahead for Christmas Eve and the days before Christmas.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the traditional Christmas flowers?
The most traditional Christmas flowers are amaryllis, white roses, hellebores (often called the Christmas rose), paperwhites and the poinsettia, paired with evergreens such as magnolia, cedar, boxwood and pine. Red, white and deep green are the classic palette.
What does the poinsettia mean?
In Mexico the poinsettia is called the flor de Nochebuena, the Christmas Eve flower, and in Mexican popular culture it is believed to bring good luck and prosperity when given as a gift. Today it symbolizes celebration and the joy of the holiday season.
Why is the poinsettia the Christmas flower?
Franciscan friars in 17th-century Mexico used the poinsettia to decorate altars and nativity scenes, and the plant naturally colors in December because it flowers when nights are long. It reached the United States in 1828 through Joel Roberts Poinsett.
Where do poinsettias come from?
Poinsettias are native to southern Mexico and northern Guatemala. They are named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first American minister to Mexico, and were first exhibited in the United States in Philadelphia in 1829.
Are poinsettias poisonous to cats and dogs?
Poinsettias are mildly toxic, not deadly. The ASPCA lists them as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, but notes the sap irritates the mouth and stomach, sometimes causing vomiting, and that the plant's toxicity is generally over-rated. For people, the University of Florida IFAS Extension cites a study of 22,793 reported exposures with no fatalities. Keep plants out of reach of pets and small children.
How do you keep a Christmas greens arrangement fresh?
Add water every day, just as you would for a Christmas tree. Holiday greens drink steadily, so keep the vessel topped up and, ideally, give the arrangement a fresh spritz from a spray bottle. Keep it away from radiators, fireplaces and heating vents.
Can I order Christmas flowers for delivery in Westchester?
Yes. The Flower Bar delivers across Westchester County, lower Fairfield County and New York City, with same-day delivery for orders placed before 3 PM, Monday through Saturday. The Flower Bar at 11 Addison Street, Larchmont is open Monday through Saturday, 9 AM to 5 PM. Call (914) 834-4900.
Finding Christmas Flowers in Larchmont and Westchester
The most elegant Christmas flowers are simple at heart: a short palette, one flower that leads, evergreens for depth and a single layer of texture. Whether you are arranging your own centerpiece or sending Christmas Day flowers to someone you love, The Flower Bar's designers in Larchmont are here to help, with delivery throughout Westchester and beyond.
When you are ready, browse our best-selling arrangements or our plants and succulents for a gift that lasts well into the new year.
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