The Poinsettia Bowl

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Lynn Means

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A finished holiday poinsettia bowl makes a great hostess gift!

Try something new with your Christmas decorating this year with a fun, easy and inexpensive project. I call this masterpiece my “Poinsettia Bowl.” It makes a wonderful centerpiece for your dining room table, or you can place several around your home for a truly festive feel. And for those plant lovers on your shopping list, the poinsettia bowl makes a great gift!

Start with a large to medium bowl. The wide, low ones work the best: 10-18 inches in diameter and 2-4 inches or more deep. (Fruit bowls or potpourri dishes are great examples.) If you don’t have one around your home, head to your local craft store – there’s usually lots to choose from there.

Now it’s time to get inspired. Walk around your winter landscape looking for plants and other natural items with texture – like pinecones or big seedpods. The weirder and more unique, the better. Take a close look at your shrubs and perennials – anything that’s evergreen or has interesting foliage or fruit is fair game. Use your pruning shears to cut long strands of ivy and short (6-8 inches) branches from any variety of holly, camellia, boxwood or Indian hawthorne. Take cuttings from anything with dense, leafy tips to give your poinsettia bowl a nice, full look.

Also take about half as many cuttings of a different variety of evergreen for interest, contrast and texture. You’ll use these as accents to your creation, so think outside of the bowl. Consider the bright foliage of juniper and cedar, or find some eleagnus for pizzazz. There are no rules or limits for your poinsettia bowls, so get a little crazy. Whatever you choose, the end result is sure to look amazing.

Tips

Keeping your arrangement fresh is easy: Just add a little water to the bowl every week to replenish any moisture that’s evaporated. If necessary, replace any droopy or dried stems with fresh ones – or add something new.
This is a great project for the kids. They can make a bowl for their teacher or grandparents.

Facts

Caring for your poinsettia bowl is the same as caring for your live poinsettia. It needs about six hours of indirect light a day and consistent temperature – which means avoiding locations near actively used fireplaces and heat vents. (If you’re comfortable, so is your plant.)

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