While the bulbs and shoots are sleeping underground readying themselves for their spring debut, The Great Cleanup is usually going on above.
We donate our well-loved Christmas tree to the effort of making next year’s mulch. I toss any good branches from evergreens in the woodpile, and other plant materials—berries, cinnamon sticks, you name it—in the compost. My holiday-neutral wreath gets to stay out. All Christmas decor goes back in storage, and the house gets a good, deep clean.
When everything is in its right place, when the house is scrubbed and detritus of December is sorted, it’s really nice to have fresh plants or flower arrangements: keep a blooming amaryllis or paper white around. Evergreens will continue to be a long-lasting and seasonally appropriate choice, so long as you replace any tired leftovers from the holidays; I expect about a month out of them as a rule.
Pine cones or winterberry and pods still make sense, too—I like these paired with a lot of white and neutral flowers. They give the house a fresh atmosphere, which I'm usually ready for by January.
This time of year feels extremely flexible to me in terms of how we arrange in the shop: fresh flowers feel extra special—like novelties in this season of short days—and dried arrangements offer us longevity; they’re wonderfully versatile. It’s anything goes, and totally dependent on what energy you want to bring into the room.
Consider our Whittier arrangement, a lush, willowy number with amnesia roses, allium, larkspur, and ranunculus in cool lavender tones framed with greenery. Rino offers endless enjoyment, with anahoe palm, bleached thistle and ruscus, protea, and golden grasses. At Last feels almost rococo, a romantic wash of pinks and blushes with roses, protea and ranunculus.
We like to think that an arrangement reflective of your mood and spirit will help set the tone for your new year, too. We have something for everyone, and you can find it all here.
Happy New Year!