Wouldn't it be great to impress friends or family this year by creating your own unique and stylish indoor Christmas display. Look no further to gain inspiration on how to incorporate real plants in with your traditional tinsel and baubles!

It's easy and simple as there are loads of winter flowering and evergreen plants to choose from which are all now available at your local garden centre or nursery and can fit in with any scheme you may be planning.

The most obvious real plant you can have over the festive period is a real Christmas tree which are very much back in vogue. Real trees have the added benefit of a great fresh pine scent and get you ready for the holiday season!

Try:

Nordmann Fir - superior needle retention with a wonderful fragrance
Scots Pine - a popular Christmas tree which apparently has cult followings!
Noble Fir - has thick, soft, blue-green needles that have excellent needle retention and very fragrant

There are lots of varities to choose from so consult your local garden centre or nursery for a tree to suit you!

Plants can be used right across the home to compliment your Christmas displays, incorporate them as the main feature on your dinning table, place around your fireplace with candles, kitchen/breakfast room or hallway. By using plants indoors they can have a beneficial effect on the air that you breath as they help to filter out pollutants and have a psychological benefit when we are stuck inside for the winter. Some indoor plants can eventually be transferred to the garden in pots or containers giving you endless enjoyment, just check the plant labels.

Benefits of Plants

During the winter, houseplants play a major role in helping us get our RDA (recommended daily allowance) of greenery and they add moisture to the air, which can help counteract the drying effects of central heating. Plants also provide great fragrance, acting as air freshners.

Cyclamen - this winter to spring flowering plant is excellent for indoor use and is available in a variety of colours, red, pinks, purple and whites.

Winter Cherry (Solanum) - bearing tiny white flowers in the summer these are followed by green berries which turn a brilliant orange/red colour when winter approaches.

Chionodoxa - produces beautiful purple flowers in late winter.

African Violet - one of the most popular houseplants in the UK so widely available in a variety of colours with great velvety green foliage.

Ivy (Hedera) - small ivies make great houseplants try types such as 'Anne Marie', 'Eva', 'Glacia' or 'Misty'.

Maranta - the main outstanding feature of this plant is its large oblong leaves with either red or silver veins or brown blothes which turn green with age.

Ferns - these plants are becoming more and more popular in homes, it's important to keep them moist by spraying tepid water over the entire plant. Try the holly fern which is an excellent indoor plant.

Primrose (Primula) - these are the best of all winter plants as they give good colourful clusters of flowers a range of yellow, red, pink, white, orange and purple.

Poinsettia - traditional the red species is used in Christmas indoor displays but why not choose the whites and pale creams as they will compliment any Christmas theme. Keep your poinsettia away from any draughts and keep warm while it's flowering.

Good luck with your Christmas plant displays . . .