A tablescape on a budget!

You will need:

• Flowers and foliage (I used white Tulips and Alstroemerias, Eucalyptus and Ivy)

• Bud vases or condiment bottles

• Candle holders (I used very inexpensive candle holders from Ikea - the tealight candle holders were 50p each!)

• Taper candles and tealight candles

I am not a fan of supermarket flowers, mostly because of the environmental impact of importing the flowers when there are beautiful seasonal British flowers in abundance during the spring and summer months. During the winter months, I tend to forage for foliage and use what is available in my garden. However, I wanted to create a simple tablescape for New Year’s Eve, on a budget, so I decided to use a small amount of supermarket flowers with some foraged finds. I spent £14 on white Tulips and Alstroemerias. I used some Eucalyptus from the garden and foraged some Ivy.

Alstromerias come in a range of colours and are very long-lasting. They look like a miniature Lilly. Tulips are very receptive to sunlight. They continue to grow towards the sunlight bending and drooping as they grow.

Supermarket flowers

Foraged finds

Eucalyptus from my garden

Step 1:

Prepare the bud vases. I used these beautiful and delicate bud vases from Petersham Nurseries. These are quite expensive (a Christmas present), but you can use condiment bottles, diffuser bottles and perfume bottles. Make sure you vary the sizes of your containers. It is best to use containers with narrow necks so that you don’t need too many flowers.

A mixture of condiment bottles and perfume bottles

Bud vases from Petersham Nurseries

Step 2:

Prepare your flowers and foliage. I always condition my flowers first (see previous post on conditioning flowers). Fill the bud vases with water and start by inserting the foliage to create a structure.

Start by inserting the foliage

Step 3:

Next, arrange the Tulips first as they have thicker stems. Once you have added the Tulips to the bud vases add the Alstroemerias and any last few stems of foliage, if needed. Make sure you vary the height by cutting the flowers at different heights and using different sizes of bus vases.

Step 4:

Dress the table. I wanted to go for a crisp white and green theme with a bit of gold for Hogmany! I used a white tablecloth and napkins. I arranged the candles first and then the bud vases. Make sure the flowers do not obstruct the view of your guests across the table. I added some apple geranium to the napkins - even in the winter months it smells amazing.

If you want a more rustic look, another inexpensive idea is to use small antique terracotta pots as candle holders.

I purchased the ones below for a few pounds each from a local antique shop in Settle, North Yorkshire. I added moss to the pots, plastic candle holders with spikes (which I will reuse), small white candles (purchased for £4 from a local shop) and a mixture of foraged finds (Ivy, Connifer and Bracken) and some dried Limonium, Pussy Willow and Pampas Grass that I found in my workshop. I cut the foliage at an angle and inserted it into the moss. The moss holds the foliage in place and keeps the foliage moist.

Very simple and inexpensive and they look great dotted down a table!