Bottlebrush Table Decorations

We first shared this wonderfully Kiwi Christmas decorating idea many years ago, and rediscovering it recently felt like finding a little festive treasure.

If you’re looking for a simple, natural and uniquely New Zealand way to brighten your home for the holidays, these bottlebrush table decorations are absolutely perfect.

The vibrant red bristles look so striking when placed in a jar of water, creating an instant burst of festive colour. Arrange several jars down the centre of your table, and if you want a fuller, more textured look, surround them with fresh greenery at the base.

It’s a simple, eye-catching way to brighten your space — a lovely reminder that some of the most beautiful Christmas decorations come straight from nature, especially from one of our most colourful plants of the season.

Bottlebrush Table Decorations

Remove labels from glass jars. Pasta sauce jars seem to work well as they have a curved base and fit the bottlebrush nicely.

Collect flowers and cut to length. Please be mindful these flowers provide food for wildlife and just collect a few. Place flower in the jar with top pointing down.

Fill the jar on a flat surface with cold tap water as close to top as possible (keep a towel handy). Screw on the lid as tightly as possible.

Dry the jar and turn upside down. Water needs to be changed when cloudy. The flowers last really well submerged, around 3-4 weeks. The jar can be decorated with ribbon if you prefer.

Thanks to Olinda Collective for the lovely photo.