Tips For Making Free, Beautiful Flower Arrangements This Winter

A fresh bouquet of flowers can breathe fresh life into even the dreariest spaces. Various floral arrangements are a great way to change the mood of a room and add elegance to your home. It’s easy to make free arrangements in the summer months, when flowers grow in abundance in your yard. Finding ways to create free arrangements in the coldest days of winter, however, can prove more challenging. 

Several plants maintain their beautiful colors in the winter and look great in arrangements, including various holly species, pussy willows, and branches of evergreen trees. Add pine cones to arrangements to increase volume, and consider using bare branches to create a minimalist look. Dry your fresh flowers in the fall to enjoy dried bouquets throughout the winter, or use a mixture of real and artificial plants to make your winter centerpieces.

Foraging for items to add to flower arrangements is more challenging in the winter, as very few plants bloom during this time. The good news is, while it’s hard, it’s still possible. Keep reading to find creative ways to make beautiful arrangements in your home this winter without having to spend your hard-earned money.

14 Tips For Making Beautiful And Free Winter Floral Arrangements 

1. Mixed Evergreen Branches

One of the most effective ways to celebrate the winter is with a mixed evergreen arrangement. By combining birch, cedar, pine, fir, and other plants that stay lush and green in the winter, you can create a dynamic bouquet uniquely suited to this season.

Clip branches at various heights, and ensure each branch is healthy before adding it to a vase. Cut the branches at a 45-degree angle, and change the water regularly to help the arrangement last longer.

2. Dried Flowers

Instead of buying expensive flowers at the market in the winter, consider spending time this fall drying some of your favorite blossoms from the garden. Dried flowers can last for several years when properly dried and maintained. 

While you can display them at any time of the year, they are particularly well-suited for autumn and winter, when fresh flowers are harder to come by. When you dry flowers yourself, there is no cost, and you can keep them for a long time, making dry flower bouquets the perfect option if you're on a tight budget.

3. Incorporate Holly 

There aren’t many plants that grow and exhibit color in the coldest months of the year. Holly, however, is one beautiful exception. There are many types of holly bushes you can grow, but if you have at least one type of this plant in your yard, it can provide you with complementary arrangements throughout the winter.

Find long stems of holly and display them in your favorite vase. Alternatively, you can fold these stems into any evergreen or dried branch arrangement, as holly adds refreshing green and red color to any bouquet.

4. Winterberry Stems

Winterberry is a type of holly known for its clusters of round, red berries. These long red stalks are the perfect addition to any winter arrangement, as they pair nicely with evergreens and brown branches alike. 

If you can’t grow this plant, you can find fresh stems at most flower shops in the winter, or life-like artificial stems at your local home goods store.

5. Dried Branch Arrangements

No matter where you live, it shouldn’t be hard to find some ornate bare branches. While bare branches on a tree might look boring compared to when they are dressed with colorful foliage, in a glass vase, these stems can have a hypnotic, minimalist effect.

You can dry branches first, or place fresh branches in a vase with water. Regardless of which method you use, ensure you choose branches with volume and unique growing patterns to help create the most dynamic branch arrangement.

6. Pussy Willows

Pussy willows are another beautiful plant that comes to life as the weather gets cold. These long, pointed stalks with their fuzzy blossoms are emblematic of the winter months, making them ideal for creating long-lasting flower arrangements.

Pussy willows can root in water and grow hydroponically. Therefore, you can potentially keep the same pussy willow stalks alive for the entire winter and then plant them in your garden in the spring.

7. Rosemary And Other Herb Bouquets

While many species die in the winter, there are some plants you can bring inside and keep alive throughout the winter. You can store several live herbs indoors during the cold months if you place them near a light source.

Rosemary is a great herb to use in bouquets. This herb has a lovely pine smell and stays alive for weeks when kept in water. You can add other herbs, such as lavender, mint, and sage, to create a diverse and aromatic bouquet that will look great in the kitchen or on your dining table.

8. Use Pinecones To Add Volume And Structure

Pinecones are another winter item you can forage for and use in arrangements and in various winter decorations. Use pine cones to add volume in bouquets, especially in evergreen arrangements.

You can also use pinecones in other typical winter decorations, including holiday wreaths and various centerpieces. They are one of the best free objects you can collect and use in your DIY holiday decorations.

9. Incorporate Fragrant Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a cold-hardy and long-lasting plant that is perfect for those looking to save money on winter arrangements. Fresh eucalyptus stems last for upwards of three weeks. Dried eucalyptus will last the entire winter and potentially for several years if stored properly.

Eucalyptus adds height, a silvery-green color, and a lovely fragrance, and pairs nicely with nearly any arrangement.

10. Miniature Christmas Trees

If you are seeking a winter centerpiece that will last the entire season, consider a miniature Christmas tree. You can decorate these plants with ornaments before Christmas, and enjoy their color and fragrance until spring arrives. 

These small evergreens might cost you around $20 to start, but they will last for months. You can even plant them in your yard after the ground thaws.

11. Combine Natural And Artificial Elements

If you insist on having various colors in your winter arrangements, consider adding a few artificial stems to your otherwise living bouquet. By adding just a few lifelike plastic blossoms among fragrant evergreens, you can create a long-lasting bouquet that looks and smells real. 

12. Add Paint And Glitter To Make Things Festive

To make a pine or other evergreen bouquet more exciting, grab your paintbrush. Adding white, silver, gold, and glitter paint to pine needles and bare branches to create a mystical and enchanting effect. 

Paint resilient plants like pine branches or pussy willows, as these varieties are hardy, allowing you to have a work of art that will last throughout the holiday season.

13. Get Creative With The Vase

Instead of focusing on making what’s inside your vase exciting, try focusing on the vase itself. If you have a colorful and elegant vase, you don’t need to find plants with color. Find affordable festive holiday vases at thrift stores or online marketplaces, or create one as a fun DIY craft project.

You can even use ornate objects, like ice skates or gift-wrapped boxes, as a vessel for simple, evergreen arrangements. 

14. Ribbons And Bows Make Great Filler

If you’re trying to find ways to use up all your leftover ribbons and bows from your holiday gift wrap pile, try incorporating them into your winter arrangements. Colorful bows tied to pine branches make green arrangements more exciting. They can also be a very effective (and free) holiday decoration.

Final Notes On How To Make Free Arrangements This Winter

Fresh flowers cost a pretty penny in the winter. While you won’t find any flowers in your yard when it’s frozen and covered in snow, there are still ways to create beautiful arrangements in the winter. 

Use various evergreen plants, such as birch, pine, and cedar branches, to make arrangements. Pussy willows and holly are two plants that thrive in the winter and offer color and height to winter bouquets. Use dried flowers, fresh herbs, pine cones, and eucalyptus to fill your arrangements. Consider using some artificial flowers to add additional color, or use leftover holiday ribbons to achieve a similar effect.

Related Guides:

• 11 Low-Maintenance Plants That Are Great Filler In Flower Arrangements
• 10 Ways To Help A Bouquet Of Flowers Last Longer
• 13 Beautiful Outdoor Plants That Stay Lush And Green All Winter