Hydrangeas Are Out – Shea McGee’s Christmas Tree Is Dripping in This Much More Dramatic Flower for 2026
Shea McGee has traded last year’s cottagecore hydrangeas for cascading burgundy amaranthus. Her $24 faux picks make the extravagant switch a breeze
Flowers for… winter? In a gleefully groundbreaking decision, Shea McGee says yes. ‘I decorated a tree with dried hydrangeas last year, and we’re continuing to build on that idea,’ she tells Homes & Gardens of her top Christmas trends for 2026.
But in her new ‘Holiday Grandeur’ Christmas Tree for McGee & Co., she’s trading last year’s comparatively cottagecore, dainty clusters for cascades of amaranthus: this year’s decidedly more editorial flower. Eagle-eyed aesthetes might recognize the lavish look from designer Marco Zamora, who helped popularize it on Instagram last year. It was a messy affair then (half the flowers might end up on your floor before they made it onto the tree), but Shea’s convenient $24 faux picks slide right into the branches and are dead ringers for the real thing.
‘Instead of keeping wreaths, garlands, and trees simple, we’re layering in florals for more fullness, texture, and color,’ she continues. Her Holiday Grandeur Christmas Tree pairs the spilling blooms with mercury-glass crescents, draped red velvet bows, burnished silver bells, and swanky-hotel-style tassels. But the beauty of amaranthus, or any holiday floral for that matter, is that you hardly need all those bells and whistles for a completely showstopping spruce. ‘Just tucking a few dried flowers or floral stems into a plain garland can really amp it up.’
For Shea’s Holiday Grandeur look, more is more. She recommends 100 to 200 ornaments for a 7-foot tree, 200 to 300 for a 9-footer, and for the grand 10-foot spruce pictured here? A casual 300 to 400.
And without the worry of shedding or spoiling after a season, faux amaranthus is that much easier to place anywhere and everywhere. Which might explain why Shea’s tree isn’t the only thing dripping in burgundy plumes this Christmas.
Also offering an avant-garde touch are her amaranthus garlands trailing from the mantel and rich, saturated wreaths for the wall above. Too much? Shea styled them all in the same room, and the answer is no. Apparently, one can never have too much amaranthus.
Whether you’re looking to recreate the luxuriously layered drama to a T, are inspired by the idea of an off-season floral, or simply want to steal a few statement-making details for yourself, here’s everything you need to give your Christmas tree a little of Shea’s grandeur.
At a time when we’re layering bows, pearls, yards of tulle, and even swapping stars for peacocks, there are certainly zanier things than flowers for winter. But Shea has another trick up her sleeve this season. Her take on a Ralph Lauren Christmas is already live at Target, with most pieces delivering the heritage-holiday look for under $40.
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