Using carnations to evoke a snow-covered tree, this centerpiece transforms the tabletop into a fanciful winter garden. Moistened floral foam supplies hidden support for fluffy white blossoms, their stems cut short so they form an uninterrupted mass of petals.
The white porcelain-urn "planter" and a scattering of miniature gold and green Christmas balls complete the picture. Just like the big evergreen in your living room, this mini Tannenbaum will stay fresh long enough to greet the New Year.
Tools and Materials
One block of floral foam or one block for the "tree" cone and another for the base
Floral adhesive
Serrated knife
Cachepot or urn
Basin or tub
Florist's cutters
Carnations
Small Christmas balls with wire hangers
Topiary How-To
It is simplest to carve the entire tree form out of a single block of floral foam, commonly 4 by 9 inches. If you cannot find a large enough block, glue a smaller block and cylinder together with floral adhesive. Because our tree is 13 1/2 inches tall, including a 4 1/2-inch "trunk," we added a second block at the base.
1. With a serrated knife, carve a foam base that will fit snugly into the cachepot or urn. Set base into pot before shaping the rest of the foam.
2. Carve from top to bottom in long strokes, sloping outward until you produce a symmetrical cone. This cone should be several inches thinner than you want finished tree to be, since carnations will thicken it considerably.
Fill a large basin or tub with water, remove foam from pot, and float it on the water. Do not submerge foam; once it has absorbed enough liquid, it will sink by itself. Remove foam from water after 20 to 30 minutes (or when bubbles stop rising), and replace it in pot.
3. Using florist's cutters, trim carnation stems so that they are just long enough (about 1 inch) to insert securely into the foam. The few stems that will be positioned atop the arrangement may need to be even shorter, so that they don't push one another out of the foam.
4. Keep adding carnations until all of the foam is hidden. Intersperse flowers with Christmas balls by sticking their wire hangers into foam.
Yuletide Topiary
Russell's Friday Dinner Centerpiece
Beautiful and Lovely!
Mine took 71 large carnations. I used a 9" cone + about 2" from the base I added. You would need more for the size they list on this craft.
To keep costs down, I think you could substitute carnations made out of crepe paper for real carnations and use a styrofoam base.
How long does this last? It seems really expensive to make, and not sure it would last very long, unless the flowers dry in an attractive manner. I wish the instructions mentioned that..
About how many carnation stems would this take?
This design will cost more than $10. To make an inexpensive table top design with a Christmas theme, try using greenery from your yard, such as pine, or cedar with Christmas balls. Using a small bowl, add wet floral foam attached with florist tape. Insert your greenery and Christmas balls until you have a small tree shape. You are basically making a mini tree from fresh greenery. Use a ribbon to make the tree topper. This will look great and cost under $10 each. Hope this helps.
How much would it cost to make one of these? I am trying to find a table decoration for $10 and under for the holiday. I need to do 25 tables for a holiday party. Any ideas?