What to Put in Your Flower Vase This Winter

Don’t know what type or color of flowers to use in a vase or table centerpiece during the winter months? Consider adding the simplicity of winter white flowers mixed with green foliage clipped from your yard into a favorite vase.

Doing so can create a cheery, yet coordinated accent in any room in your home against the cold or snowy landscape outside.

Winter white large head hydrangeas and greenery mixed in a white pitcher becomes cheery winter decor.

I created a winter white floral arrangement specifically to place on my kitchen counter and it is not just to look pretty or to enhance the serenity of winter. 

There is another more important reason I placed the arrangement in this corner that I have been keeping a secret for many years. Keep reading to find out the reason.

A tall white ceramic pitcher and gardening snips on a kitchen counter.

I collect white ceramic vases. I use and display them in all the rooms in my home. This one is my favorite. I bought it at HomeGoods years ago. It is a classic and will never go out of style.

I like the height, shape and the fact that the opening is not too wide so I don’t need a ton of flowers to make it look filled. The spout and curved edges around the top helps to make any flower, real or faux I use in the vase, drape over the top in a visually pleasing way.

But the #1 reason why I love this vase is because it is the perfect size and color to hide an ugly element in my kitchen.

A corner on a kitchen counter and backsplash where an electrical cords comes down from the upper cabinets.

Now my secret that I never have shown or written about before is out.

When we updated the kitchen and got a new double wall oven, the new oven had different wiring than the previous one from the early 1970’s. The installers told us they couldn’t rewire the new ovens through the existing electrical panel behind the wall ovens. :-(. They would have to rip the wall out and more.

A corner on a kitchen counter and backsplash where an electrical cords comes down from the upper cabinets.

Instead they brought the electrical wiring through the upper cabinet and into the outlet on the backsplash. At the time, I was quite upset. Over time though, I have come to terms with it, knowing that someday we will gut the kitchen.

The saying… “first world problems” – I think of the exposed cord as one of those.

I don’t stress about it anymore, instead I just hide it with the white pitcher filled with seasonal flowers so it is less noticeable.

A few of one wall in a small white kitchen decorated for fall.

I change the floral arrangement in the vase seasonally. Fall flowers in the fall, yellow tulips in the spring and real flowers from my yard all summer long.

Choosing what to place in the pitcher after Christmas always takes a bit more thought as I don’t want the arrangement to look like holiday greenery while at the same time, not wanting it to look too spring-like.

Winter white large head hydrangeas and greenery mixed in a white pitcher becomes cheery winter decor.

I found that white flowers and greenery always works. I arrange the mix differently every year.

In my kitchen, the height between the countertop and the bottom of the upper cabinets is 20-inches.

When filling the vase when the season changes, I sometimes make the arrangements in the vase lower and less full, it all depends on the flowers and cuttings. As long as the outlet and most of the cord is hidden, I am happy.

Design Tips for Arranging Winter White Flowers

For my winter floral arrangement, I chose to use faux white hydrangeas. I like the way their large, showy blooms look when mixed with real cuttings from evergreens from my yard.

1. Experiment with Different White Flower Varieties

Don’t be afraid to mix and match different types of white flowers to create a visually interesting arrangement. Combining flowers with different shapes, sizes, and textures can add depth and dimension to your winter floral arrangement.

If you have them, consider adding smaller white flowers or fillers like baby’s breath to fill in any gaps or spaces in your arrangement. This will help create a fuller and more cohesive look.

2. Create Contrast

To enhance white flowers so they stand out in a winter floral arrangement, incorporating winter greens like pine branches, eucalyptus, holly or any stem that still has green leaves in your yard adds a touch of freshness and texture to the arrangement while evoking the feeling of the winter season creating a lush and wintery look.

Each type of greenery you choose will bring its own unique charm to the arrangement, so don’t hesitate to try clippings from your yard and see what you can come up with as a filler to create a nice contrast against the white flowers.

3. Play with Heights

Vary the height of the flowers and greens in your vase. Higher stems in the center and shorter stems around the edge of the vase creates a visually appealing look.

Where To Display Your Winter Arrangement

A winter white floral arrangement can be displayed in any room in various and creative ways.

1. Dining Table Centerpiece: Place your winter white floral arrangement in the center of your dining table to create a cheery ambiance.

Winter decorating ideas that are fast and easy. Budget friendly decor.

2. Mantel – Adorn your mantel with a winter white floral arrangement to add an eye-pleasing display in your living room.

For this winter white look, I only added greenery in a trio of my white pitchers. Paired with candles and rustic wood slices adds a cozy and festive winter look.

3. Entryway – Welcome guests into your home with a large winter white floral arrangement placed in the entryway. This will create a stunning focal point and set the tone for the rest of the decor in your home.

Step-by-Step DIY: Winter White Floral Arrangement

Faux white hydrangeas and evergreen clippings from my yard placed on worktable.

1. Gather Your Materials – Start by gathering all the necessary materials, including a container or vase, gardening snips, white flowers and greens of your choice.

2. Prepare the Vase – Fill your vase with water and if you have it, add floral preservative to help prolong the life of the greenery clipped from your yard.

3. Trim the Stems – Trim the stems of your flowers and greenery to the height you want for the vase. Cut each stem at an angle, removing any excess leaves or thorns on the bottom sections of the stems.

Doing this will ensure that the flowers can absorb water properly and stay fresh for longer. If you are using faux flowers, just cut the stem to the desired length.

3 faux winter white hydrangeas in a white pitcher on a kitchen counter.

4. Add the White Flowers – When adding large blooms like hydrangeas to your vase, odd numbers often look better when flower arranging. Depending on the size of your vase, start with 3 or 5 flowers at first, then add more as needed.

Place the flowers at different angles and heights to create a visually interesting composition.

Evergreen greenery from yard and winter white hydrangeas being arranged in a tall white pitcher.

5. Add the Greens – Next arrange the winter greens in your vase creating a contrast with the white flowers. Place the greens at varying heights to add depth and dimension to your arrangement.

6. Fill in the Gaps – If you have them, use smaller white flowers or fillers like baby’s breath to fill in any gaps or spaces in your arrangement. This will help create a fuller and more cohesive look.

Evergreen greenery from yard and winter white hydrangeas being arranged in a tall

7. Trim and Adjust – Step back and take a look at your arrangement from different angles. Trim any stems that are too long or adjust the placement of the flowers and greens as needed until you like what you see.

Caring For a Winter White Floral Arrangement

Winter white large head hydrangeas and greenery mixed in a white pitcher becomes cheery winter decor.

To ensure that your arrangement stays fresh for as long as possible, here are some tips to help you maintain your arrangement:

1. Change the Water Regularly – Every few days, change the water in your container or vase to prevent bacteria from forming and to keep the flowers hydrated.

2. Trim the Stems – Trim the stems of your white flowers (if real) and greenery every few days to ensure they can continue to absorb water effectively.

3. Avoid Direct Sunlight and Heat – Keep your floral arrangement away from direct sunlight, as this can cause the flowers to wilt prematurely. Also, avoid placing them near heat sources such as heaters or fireplaces.

With a little care, your winter white floral arrangement will continue to brighten your home until the first signs of spring arrive.

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18 Comments

  1. Janet Davis says:

    Enjoy your posts. If your electrician approves, why not paint that offending electrical cord?

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Janet – Thanks – I think I am going to do just that. I have tons of white paint. Time to put a little bit of it to good use. :-)

  2. Michele M. says:

    No one would have been the wiser! Thank goodness it’s in the corner and
    you’ve addressed the problem perfectly! I too would have been livid. Contractors just don’t get it, do they?

    I must say I adore that winter arrangement.

  3. You definitely have your priorities straight. Without sounding negative, we are all going to leave this world one day. We should be flexible enough to make the best of what we have! Love that you have an attitude of gratitude! Lesson for us all.

  4. What we do to hide our plugs and cords that are in a less desirable location. I have a kitchen one also that gets covered with a tall cutting board made from old wine barrel staves. It’s never been used as a cutting board but more of a tray or leaning against my backsplash to hide the outlet!!

    I’m planning on getting some faux hydrangeas. I love this Winter into Spring arrangement💜

    1. You definitely have your priorities straight. Without sounding negative, we are all going to leave this world one day. We should be flexible enough to make the best of what we have! Love that you have an attitude of gratitude! Lesson for us all.

  5. Hi there…… I’m with you on the cords! I have painted mine and it greatly diminishes the eye sore! Still like the beautiful flowers too.

  6. Caye Cooper says:

    Diane, your vase of flowers is lovely and does a good job at hiding the irritant (we won’t discuss that :-) )

    I love flowers and in my past life I was a florist, so they are important to me.

    Cheers!

  7. The least the contractor could have done was use white electrical wire.
    I like your solution – this arrangement is especially pretty.
    Sheila

  8. Guuurl… my whole house is full of “exposed electrical outlets”. We remodeled our kitchen/dining room/bath/utility 14 years ago and I GOT outlets, up from one on the one on each side of the kitchen to several on each wall. We just completed remodeling our living room and bedroom and I had them putting in outlets everywhere (with built in USB ports), again one outlet on each side of the bedroom… I may put spotlights on them I’m so thrilled to have them.

  9. Roxanne Bernard says:

    This was so timely bc I just came home from Publix with an armload of fresh flowers. I’ve been trying to keep some arrangements scattered around the house to add some cheer after Christmas. Have you ever thought of using one of those self adhesive, paintable cords cover strips? When we hung our tv, there were black cords hanging down both sides…horrible. I bought a stick of it, painted it with the wall paint and hung it. . . Basically disappeared and easy peasy! And I’d keep that lovely pitcher of flowers anyway!!

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Roxanne – I have thought of painting or covering it. I did that for TV cords in my previous home – covered them with fabric the same color as the wall. I think I will paint it with plastic paint. :-)

  10. Have you considered a white cord cover? It would tame that beast in the corner (I’ve used one to cover our TV cord).
    That said, the pitcher of flowers is very pretty.

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Patricia – I haven’t thought of using a white cord cover. I will look into them. Thanks for the suggestion. For the TV cords hanging from a wall-mounted TV in my previous house I did make a white cord cover with fabric. I could do this also or paint. Decisions decisions. :-)

  11. Love this beautiful camouflage!
    Sometimes we have to make the best of an inescapable eyesore. Right now, I am searching ways to hide the ugly white fiber optic router that was just retrofitted last week and now must sit on an end table. Surely the installer could have made a better choice for location!
    Your timely post is inspiration to find a solution.

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi ZiZi – I have the same – a white router that works better when placed on a table and not in the cabinet under the TV. Maybe somebody will make one that doesn’t look so techy.

  12. Your arrangement is lovely. I have some vintage German milk pitchers that I used to use for flowers. But, my husband has respiratory issues and can’t tolerate any living greenery and my kitties will attack and eat any arrangment I put out, living or artificial. So, I just enjoy other people’s flowers and spend an extra few minutes at the grocer’s flower department when shopping.

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Ellen – I remember the days when I had a cat and had the same issue – always nibbling and destroying the flowers. Same with my daughters who both have cats. We had one at my house over the holidays and I had to put all the flowers in the powder room off the kitchen with the door closed when we were not around. Mine never went after the faux ones, though. Funny that yours like them all. On the bright side, think of all the money you save by not needing to buy flowers. :-)