One tradition most people love is decorating their homes for the holidays. Whether impeccably dressing the tree, placing homemade wreaths boasting pine cones and bows on the front door, or buying red poinsettias and blooming Christmas cactus to adorn the mantle, horticulture comes alive during the holidays. The last thing to do before the big holiday dinner will be making a festive centerpiece. Here are some centerpiece ideas:

This holiday centerpiece idea emphasizes natural elements in a modern way. First, place a runner made of brown burlap or white linen down the center of the table. Place glass square vases of varying sizes down the center. Fill two with pine cones to the brim. Harvest brown hydrangeas from your yard or buy fresh hydrangea stems from the store and place in other vases to make a nice base. I love using hydrangea as my base, because then I can easily place just a few flowers and the hydrangea will hold them in place. Place just a few red roses per arrangement and add a couple springs of evergreens or brown seed pods from hibiscus, fennel or other flowering perennials.

For a second holiday centerpiece, use a very large head of purple or green cabbage and red peppers as the vase. Cut a square in the top part of the cabbage and remove the layers until you have enough room to put in a 2-by-2-inch piece of wet floral foam. It is important to let the foam soak up the water rather than dunking it under because this will ensure that the foam is properly wet throughout. Start adding in pieces of balsam fir, white pine, cedar, boxwood and juniper. Do the same with the cored out red and yellow pepper or apples for holiday centerpieces that will have your guests talking.

For another holiday trend, I want to incorporate "bling "or "sparkle" to arrangements with groupings of evergreens. Grouping is one of the most popular floral design techniques because it is so easy to do. Find bowls or vases in hues of gold, silver or bronze boasting diamonds and sparkles. Place in wetted floral foam and start grouping all the pine in one corner, then the cedar and the balsam. Use a cluster of pine cones as in a group in one corner. Add in glitter stems or rhinestones to add the bling and sparkle.