Free craft classesThroughout Thanksgiving weekend, experts at Flora Grubb Gardens will demonstratehow to make holiday arrangements with succulents, tillandsia and more. Classes arefree. 1634 Jerrold Ave., San Francisco. (415) 648-2670. floragrubbgardens.com.

Fun With Tillandsia Air Plants: Zenaida Sengo, Flora Grubb Gardens’ tillandsia air plantsexpert, will demonstrate how to use these exotic beauties to create gifts for the holidaysincluding living sculptures, vertical gardens and miniature living worlds at 11 a.m. Friday and1 p.m. Nov. 26.

Succulent Craft: Flora Grubb Gardens’ design specialist Patrick Lannan will demonstratethe many ways to use succulents in decoration, from gifts like dish gardens and everlastingbouquets to terrariums and centerpieces. 11 a.m. Nov. 27.

By Chantal LamersSPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Autumn’s bounty has more to offer than the usualfare of pine, berries and mistletoe. Just in time for en-tertaining, San Francisco garden and floral shop FloraGrubb Gardens shares three projects that part fromthe predictable woodsy arrangements and meld every-day favorites with late fall’s untapped spoils. The re-sults: holiday decor that looks wild, graphic and sculp-tural.

“I only use California-grown plants, and I’m espe-cially drawn to plants that thrive in our climate andour environment,” says Susie Nadler, floral designerfor the Cutting Garden at Flora Grubb Gardens. “So I

end up using plants that I see in our Bay Area gardensand parks. The idea here was to take those plants andincorporate them into holiday projects. It’s a twist onthe traditional evergreen, using plants that define whatwinter looks like in the Bay Area.”

The festive-foliage projects range from quick andeasy to advanced. All of the plants, blooms and mate-rials can be purchased at Flora Grubb Gardens, at theSan Francisco Flower Mart during public hours, or atcraft and garden shops. Or forage in your own back-yard for cut greenery, felled branches, twigs and ten-drils to create your own twist on these do-it-yourselfideas.

E-mail comments to home@sfchronicle.com.

Festive foliage,California style

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DesignersFlora Grubband SusieNadler, right,demonstratehow to makethree elegantdecorations,including aholiday doorbough, above.

DECORATING

Illuminated by a string oflights, tillandsias look liketiny fireworks. For projectinstructions, see page M8

Branch out this holiday season with unusual arrangements that add local color

Home&GardenSan Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | Sunday, November 20, 2011 | Section M

FROM THE COVER

Local foliage can brighten season

M8 | Sunday, November 20, 2011 | San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com

Instructions: Hold stemof plant against base ofbulb.

Thread wire throughthe lower leaves of theplant. Pinch wire andtwist closed.

Trim ends of wire. Unplug light string

once a week, mist plantsand let dry.

Tillandsia holiday light stringBeginnerThe spiky green leaves of these tiny air plants are the perfectjuxtaposition to the warm glow of twinkling holiday lights.When the season is over, remove the air plants (which makeideal houseplants) and soak in water to revive.

Shopping listGreen or white light

string with whitebulbs

Wire cuttersBind wire (covered

floral wire) orpaddle wire

About a dozen til-landsias (a type ofair plant) in differ-ent varieties

Audrey Whitmeyer-Weathers / Special to The Chronicle

Instructions: Drop floral foam in water (don’tsubmerge) and cut foam to fit vase. Placefoam in vase.

Remove the soil, blemished leaves andmost of the roots from succulents, leaving thebare stems. Dip in water to remove dirt and letair-dry.

Push wire into remaining stem. Startingfrom the stem, wind the florist tape from thetop down the wire, turning the stem of theplant and moving the other hand downward,

pulling the tape taut as you go. Arrange the succulents around the floral

foam.Fill in with cut branches and flowers, plac-

ing larger focal pieces first. Fill holes with little clumps of reindeer

moss to disguise floral foam.Keep fresh by watering every other day.

Avoid pouring water directly onto the foam. Succulents will keep throughout the sea-

son. Replace flowers and foliage as necessary.

Everlasting succulent centerpieceIntermediateCraft the succulent base for this enduring arrangement at the start of the season and refresh with fresh-cut foliage andflowers. As the succulents start to wilt in January, replant them in the yard or in containers.

Shopping listGarden shearsGloves16- to 18-gauge wire Floral tapeFloral foamVaseBucket with waterReindeer mossAbout a dozen 2- to 4-inch ro-

sette-shaped echeveria succu-lents, depending on desiredsize of centerpiece.

Variety of cut flowers and branch-es. Those seen here includeCalifornia pepper, arbutus,acacia, eucalyptus, antiquehydrangea, leucadendron andpomegranate.

Instructions: Gather about eight stems of plumosa andthree branches of California pepper. Arrange and bind at topwith rubber band.

Hold the base of the xerographica against the gatheredbranches at the top and attach with floral wire, gentlythreading the wire through the lower leaves at both the topand bottom of the plant.

Cut antiquehydrangea,leucadendronand arbutus tosize. Pour waterinto orchidcylinders andplace a branchof each varietyinto the tube.

Start to fill inthe base with various lengths of eucalyptus, arbutus, acaciaand tall grass, affixing with rubber bands or wire as needed.Check for balance of color, and occasionally pick up thebough and look for holes.

Lay the arrangement down and place orchid tubes, hidingthe tubes among the foliage. Twist floral wire around thestems just above the cap of the tube and wrap around thenearest branch, twisting to tighten.

Fill in remaining holes with plants and flowers. Hang and mist with water to keep fresh.

Holiday door boughAdvanced

This gathering of greenery is a festive update on thecustomary door wreath. The laciness of the fern,weight of the acacia and fullness of the berries cre-ates winter beauty to greet guests. This bough ismeant to last only about four days, but hung out-doors, the cool weather and an occasional mist willhelp keep it fresh for the soiree.

Shopping list

Bind wire (covered floral wire) or paddle wire

Rubber bands

Gardening shears

Gloves

Three orchid tubes

Plants used for base: Tillandsia xerographica (or anylarge tillandsia), California pepper and asparagusplumosa, also known as asparagus fern

Plants used to fill in base: Eucalyptus and acacia.

Plants used in tubes: Antique hydrangea, leucadendronand arbutus.