It’s Not Too Late to Grow Your Own Festive Floral Centerpiece – 7 Blooms You Can Grow Indoors in just Six Weeks

A beautiful festive floral centerpiece really sets the scene at Christmas. When the days are short and there's little to enjoy outside in the garden adding plants, flowers and greenery indoors introduces an uplifting natural touch that you can enjoy right through the holiday season. Even better if some of your choices are fragrant too.

One of the best ways to use Christmas plants is in a festive floral centerpiece that adds some real wow to your interior space. And there is still time to grow one now with flowering indoor plants or a selection of fragrant bulbs that have been tricked into flowering early.

We've chosen some old favorites that we think are a must at Christmas (the spotlight is always on amaryllis), plus a couple of more unusual ideas that we hadn't thought of before. Choose one of these ideas or all of them, as they will work together beautifully if you want a more maximalist look.

7 of the best plants to grow now for festive decorations

The good news is there is it's not too late to grow you own festive floral centerpiece if you start now.

Choose from our mix of the best indoor flowering plants and forced bulbs for Christmas then add your own creative styling for a standout display.

1. Poinsettia

A collection of potted poinsettia plants can be grouped together to form a stunning festive floral centerpiece. Also known as the Christmas star, the poinsettia has spectacular red-colored leaves – a new take on Christmas foliage ideas – that feel perfect for seasonal displays.

You can also break with tradition by using softer pink and cream varieties for a more contemporary feel. Find red poinsettias at Costa Farms and pink poinsettias at Amazon.

Widely available from garden centers at this time of year it's easy to pick up a selection of these beauties then get creative with your tablescaping display. They look good paired with metallic silver or gold planters, combined with candles in complementary colors.

Keeping your poinsettias looking good is easy. Water them sparingly only when the compost feels dry. Mist the plant every few days to keep the leaves in good condition, as this will increase humidity.

Ensure leaves are dust-free by wiping them with a soft cloth regularly so the plant can photosynthesise.

2. Hellebore

Beautiful hellebores with their gorgeous blooms are stars in the winter garden during the festive season. For this reason the varieties that bloom in early winter are also known as Christmas roses, available here from Amazon.

But did you know you can grow them indoors too? The trick is to plant up a selection of hellebores in pots then bring them indoors for the celebrations.

They will need to experience a period of cold temperatures outside in order to bloom indoors, so once potted up leave them in your porch or other cool place until you need them.

Give your plants a period of time to adjust indoors before using them for your centerpiece. It's a good idea to put them in a cold room near a north-facing window, and keep the soil moderately moist.

Try pressing a layer of moss in each pot as a soil topper, and adding baubles or other decorations for a Christmassy touch. After blooming, simply trim off the spent flower stems and transfer your plants outside to the garden again.

3. Amaryllis

The gorgeous blooms of amaryllis are one of the most eye-catching to use when creating a festive floral centerpiece. Also known as hippeastrum, amaryllis bulbs are readily available here from Amazon, and they're so easy to pot up and grow.

Perfect for styling up tables and other spaces with that Christmas feel, they come in velvety shades of traditional dark red as well as crisp white tones if you like something that feels more contemporary.

If you choose the largest bulbs you may even get several flower spikes so you can enjoy your display for longer.

Pre-soak the bulbs for a couple of hours. Use a pot slightly larger than the bulb and fill it with compost. Ensure that the top two-thirds of the bulb are above the surface of the compost. Drench with water and leave to drain.

Stand the pot in a bright, warm place, but not near a radiator. Water sparingly until the new leaves develop, then more often once they do. After the plant has flowered, move it somewhere cooler, as this encourages the bulb to go dormant and hopefully it will flower again next Christmas.

4. Narcissus paperwhite

With their crisp white flowers and wonderful scent, it's no surprise that paperwhites are one of the most popular flowers to use when creating a modern festive floral centerpiece.

They work well potted up as an indoor plant. It's a good idea to nestle the bulbs closely together to get a densely planted look like this design. Find the Ziva cultivar of paperwhite narcissus at Amazon.

Part-fill a pot with multipurpose compost, water well, then arrange the bulbs evenly on the surface with the pointed tips facing upwards. Add more compost until the bulbs are completely covered, including the growing tips.

Then transfer the pot to a cool, dark place. Monitor for the next 4-6 weeks, moving them to a warmer area as they begin to grow. As soon as the flowers emerge, water regularly so that the soil stays evenly moist.

5. Cyclamen

If you're looking for another easy way to decorate with plants during the holiday season choose a cyclamen plant or indeed several. There are plenty to choose from at this time of year including deep red and pure white varieties that will add a lovely touch to your festive interior.

They're one of the showiest flowering houseplants around, and their marbled foliage adds a beautiful detail too.

Create a festive floral centerpiece using a cyclamen at the heart of your display then layering up twigs, berries and seedheads to get a look like this design.

When choosing a plant to buy find a gorgeous one like we used in our design (pink cyclamen here at Amazon), and look for one with plenty of buds that will keep the flowers coming right through the holiday season.

If the plant doesn't flower well, this could mean the room is too warm, so find a cooler spot for it. Remember to keep snipping off any faded flowers to keep new ones coming along. Water from the base and aim to keep the soil constantly moist.

6. Snowdrops

A few delicate snowdrops arranged in bud vases makes the prettiest festive floral centerpiece as part of your Christmas table ideas. Cut to display in mini vases, their subtle beauty and fragrance can really be appreciated.

There are lots of options if you want snowdrops for Christmas. Different types of snowdrops flower at different stages and snowdrops can be found in flower as early as late September if you want to pick your own from the garden. Look for early flowering varieties like Galanthus nivalis 'Viridapice'.

You can also grow them in pots outside and after a suitable period of chilling transfer them indoors and arrange them together as a centerpiece. Specially prepared, pre-chilled snowdrop bulbs are also available for forcing into bloom by Christmas.

Sear the stem ends in boiling water for 10 seconds, then transfer them into cold water to extend their vase life. Arranged on a cake stand like this design, with a scattering of Christmas baubles and string lights, they will be set off to perfection.

Whichever method you choose once they're in flower keep them cool on a north-facing windowsill then move them into position when you want to use them as part of your tablescaping.

7. Hyacinths

Sweet-scented hyacinths are one of the most popular choices for coaxing into flower in time for Christmas. Prepared hyacinths are bred to bloom much earlier and it’s this variety that is grown mainly as indoor plants.

Buy prepared hyacinth bulbs that have been pre-chilled and are widely available, and these beauties will add their own special elegance to your festive floral centerpiece.

After you have potted up the bulbs put the pot in a black plastic bag and transfer to a cool, dark place. Check once a week for growth and water if the compost is dry. When shoots are around 2 inches tall remove the black plastic bag and move the pot into the light.

Hyacinths can also be grown by forcing bulbs in water. Use glass forcing vases, with the base of the bulb sitting in water so you can see the roots forming. The same process of keeping them cool and dark applies.

There are limitless ways to add style and elegance to your Christmas table centerpiece ideas, whether it's seasonal touches from natural berries and pine cones, to wrapping the whole thing in delicate fairy lights to give your plants and flowers an unashamed festive flourish.