86th Issue Vol. 8 No.

11

ISSN 2094-1765

November 2015

Adding a Festive Christmas Ambiance

into your Dining Table
People nowadays are busy
decorating their home and
office for the holiday season.
The dining room table is one of
the most special place in the
house as it is where family and
friends gather and where they
share the food for a wonderful
evening of Christmas. With
these tips, you may transform
the ambiance of your dinner
table into the festive holiday
season mood, so that your
guest could immediately feel
this very important season
upon entering the dining area.
Decorating the table for the
Christmas dinner is a great
way to make the day even
more memorable. These tips
can also be done in other place
in the home or office, in order
to add a festive and playful
touch in the interior setting.
Since Christmas day is fast
approaching, here are some
tips on how to decorate your
Christmas table.
Decorating your table for
Christmas can be as simple or
as elaborate as you want to
make it, but it can always be
eye-catching and uplifting. You
may set a budget, if you have
money, for your decoration, but
some decorations could be as
affordable and easy as a few
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ornaments.
In general, the colors red, green, white, gold and silver are still the favorite color
motif for Christmas, and probably it will always be. However, you may opt for a
wintery motif, by just using white, blue, light shades of purple and thats it. You
may also add one large scented candle, with an additional ornamental
snowflakes, little snowmen, reindeer figurines, a Santa Claus doll, colorful or
metallic balls or beads, or snowy white garlands.

One standard decoration is a

Holiday Christmas Wreath,
which is composed of a
circular array of artificial
plastic pine leaves. The
Christmas wreath is usually
laid in the center of the table.
It can be decorated with any
object you may want to use
as a theme. If you have no
theme in mind other than
something special, you may
use ribbons and bows,
artificial metal coated balls
and plastic red berries. Inside
the wreath, place a large
candle or several tapers. The
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tapers can be the same height or differing heights. The choice is yours. Just
make certain that the flames or hot wax do not come in contact with anything that
could cause a fire.
Cut-flowers
and
cut-foliage
arranged in a flower vase or with a
floral foam is another option.
Flowers that can be used includes
red
roses,
white
lilies,
chrysanthemums,
anthuriums,
carnations, dendrobium orchids,
with fine asparagus fern leaves,
kamuning or babys breath for
greenery. A thick red Christmas
ribbon with gold or silver prints
wrapped around the vase would be
an added feature. Accessories may
include a miniature pineapple, goldpainted pine cones, medium sied
apples, red berries, rattan fruits or
other red colored palm fruits.
Another option is a tray, basket or
bowl with assorted fresh fruits in
season. Fruits could be composed
of pineapples, ponkan oranges, red
apples,
pears,
dragon
fruits,
watermelons, melons, bananas,
lanzones, and red & green grapes.
The bunch of fruits are arranged in
the basket with the tall ones at the
back or center and the smaller ones
at the sides. This connotes a feeling
of bountiful harvest and round fruits
means prosperity. Realistic artificial
fruits will also do.
Another option is a Bowl of
Ornaments, which usually provides a simple yet elegant table decoration that will
give your table a sophisticated look. Set a glass bowl in the center of your table
and fill it with solid colored glass ornaments, metallic colored balls or ornaments
in a variety of colors. For further enhancement , line the bottom of the bowl with
plastic pine needles or pine leaves, and place tea lights around the outside of the
bowl.

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With these decorations, the family and your guests will surely have a memorable
and wonderful evening with you, and your dining area will have an ambiance of
the Holiday season.

The Christmas festive mood can be enhanced either by flowers with flowers or a
tray full of fruits to showcase the seasons abundance.

Poinsettias or Christmas flower is one of the most popular plants in the home
nowadays, because of its bright red color with various variants like white and
yellow, including variegated varieties. Also the plants last through the holiday season.

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Ideal Plants for the

Pinoy Home Christmas Decoration.
Christmas is just around the corner, and the cool Amihan or northeast
monsoon breeze is now felt every early morning and in the evening. A lot of
home owners have started decorating their homes with Christmas decorations.
Aside from the glittering Christmas trees, colorful Parols and dancing Christmas
lights, live plants are great added attractions during Christmas as they provide a
live colorful natural ambiance inside the living room, bedroom, and dining room.
Since they are live plants, place them near source of light and water them at
least once every two days for them to last through the Christmas season. With
these plants, usually with theme shades of red and green, plus an added
adornment with an appropriate flat knotted ribbon, is a perfect Christmas plant
dcor. Here are 10 ideal plants as Christmas decorations for the home.

1. Poinsettia. Also known as Christmas plant, this gorgeous plant comes

with the red modified foliage, but other colors like pink, white and
variegated varieties are now available in the market. They also comes in
the small, medium and large potted sizes, and are perfect display in the
doorway, and living room.
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Red Aglaonema

Christmas Cactus

2. Red Aglaonema. Agaonema hybrids, especially with the red leaves, are
perfect decorations during Christmas as they are well adapted to shaded
areas inside the home. Wipe leaves with soft clean cloth or cotton to
remove dust which gathers over time. They are one of the most durable
and perfect indoor plants around.
3. Christmas cactus. These plants are colorful displays as they have pink,
red or white flowers. They are actually jungle cacti, which is easy to
propagate and grow. Place them near windows on top of tables or as a
hanging plant. Water them every 3-4 days and remove wilted flowers.

Bromeliadss of different varieties are excellent Christmas dcor.

4. Bromeliads. There are many genera, species and varieties in bromeliads.
They are closely related to pineapples, and comes in a lot of varieties,
from leaf color and flower color. They are deal plants to be placed in
corners or centers. Let water stay in their centers for humidity but replace
the water every three days to prevent mosquito wrigglers from thriving. Be
careful with other varieties as they have thorns on the side of the leaves.
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5. Red Tillandsia lonantha. The Tillandsia are plants similar to the

bromeliad and pineapple, except that they are air plants and do not need
soil. They are usually attached to a piece of wood. Choose the ones with
the reddish leaves. Just spray them with water everyday.

Potted Chrysanthemums

Phalenopsis orchids

6. Chrysanthemums. Potted Chrysanthemums are one of the most

floriferous group of plants for the Christmas season, as they provide a
variety of very colorful flowers which lasts for weeks. They are best
displayed in the living room to create a very colorful and cheerful
ambiance to guests. Water the plants every two days to prevent wilting
and for optimum growth.

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7. Orchids.
Orchid plants like Cattleya, Phalaenopsis, Dendrobiums,
Oncidiums, Cymbidiums and some Vandas are ideal exotic flowering
plants for the Christmas season as some are long lasting and provide a
particular fragrance. Water them thoroughly once every two days for
optimum growth and to prevent wilting. If the flowers have dried off,
replace with new plants.

Cattleya orchids are excellent Christmas plant decorations.

8. Red Anthurium. The Anthurium or flamingo flower is a another long
lasting and less maintained plants inside the home as they are adapted to
shaded areas. Choose plants with lots of medium-sized flowers. Water
them once a day to prevent wilting. They are usually placed in corners.

Anthuriums
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Roses
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9. Flowering Bulb Lilies. Bulb lilies are another excellent large-flowering

plants inside the home, as their flowers are very attractive and prominently
fragrant. They are usually placed in center tables or side tables near the
living room.
10. Potted Roses. Medium sized and mini-roses are another attractive plants
to add as a decoration during Christmas. They come in red, yellow, pink,
and white flowers, and are continuously flowering as long as they are
cared properly. One just have to remove dry or wilted flowers and to cut
old stems so that new shoots will come out. They are very productive the
whole Christmas season. Water plants every other day. Replace plants
when they become ugly or leggy.
Do not be afraid to try different
plants as decorations or afraid
you might just kill it. You learn
to grow plants and gardening
by practically having them and
growing them.
Learn the
basics
on
growing
and
maintaining them, especially
their requirements for light,
watering, fertilization, and pest
control. With it, you develop
your passion for plants and
begin to appreciate their varied
beauty and interesting features.
It is normal at first to be
unsuccessful, but its part of
learning. In the long run, you will realize you already have a lots of plants and is now
an expert. Gardening is a very worthwhile hobby, and we are blessed with a lot of
plants in the Philippines. It is just normal for us to appreciate these wonderful green
creatures, and to display their beauty inside our homes.

The Urban Gardener is an official electronic publication (in PDF Format) of the Plant
Biotechnology Project, Research & Development Center, Rizal Technological University, Boni
Avenue, Mandaluyong City, Philippines. It is published monthly. For more information, please
inquire thru email: rdc_rtu@yahoo.com or plantbiotech_rtu@yahoo.com and landline
(+632) 534-8267 Local 135 or Fax (+632) 534-9710.
Edited by N.R. Bautista November 2015
The Plant Biotechnology Project Committee is composed of:
Alexander B. Quilang, Norberto R. Bautista, & Jovita A. Anit.

Articles has also been published in Manila Bulletins Lifestyle Section

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