Refreshing & Festive
Fresh and dried pineapples, apples, oranges, lemons and pears are versatile elements used to create vibrant displays, from centerpieces and wreaths to swags and topiaries. The fruits’ textures and rich colors complement Colonial furnishings and offer the timeless reminder of the beauty found in nature’s bounty, especially at Christmastime. Here are a few ways decorator Bethany Mickel adds fruit to her holiday decorating:
Purely ornamental.
Use a floral foam cone as the base for a fruit topiary. If you can’t find a cone in the appropriate size, wet a rectangular piece of floral foam and use a butter knife to shape it.
Fit the cone into a bowl or planter. Glue wooden picks to artificial apples or pears. Insert the picks into the cone to create a tree shape, and then fill in the spaces between the fruits with sprigs of greenery. Crown the topiary with a faux pineapple.
In the round.
A simple circlet of evergreens is easily transformed with the addition of artificial fruit wired to the branches. Put together a balanced arrangement of sizes and colors, and group smaller fruits in clusters to give them more impact. Consider adding a focal fruit, such as a small pineapple, to the center of the wreath.
Regal roping.
Customize an artificial garland by first wrapping it with strings of lights. Then, attach artificial fruit in a repeating pattern with floral wire. Fill in spaces with some fresh greens or magnolia leaves to make the garland more lush and camouflage the wires.
To see more of Bethany’s beautiful Colonial Christmas home, turn to “Treasured Yuletide” on pages 82–94.