Ideas for Centerpieces Using Branches From Trees

Color

• Fashion a colorful arrangement that will brighten any room in your home. Lay an assortment of branches of different sizes on newspaper, preferably outdoors. Separate the branches into three groups. Choose complementary colors to spray paint each group. Place the groups of branches in three identical vases that can then line the center of your table.

  Or paint half of the branches black and the other half white. After the branches have dried, arrange them in a clear rectangular vase for a contemporary focal point in a formal area. You may also choose three shades of the same color for a monochromatic color scheme.

Large Branches

• Gather a few magnolia branches for a centerpiece that will add a pleasant fragrance to your room. Magnolia branches stay green year round, and if you use them in late spring or early summer, the scent of the blooms will permeate the senses. Rather than placing the branches in vases, lay them directly on the table. Line them across the table with the blooms facing upward or lay a single branch in the center of the table with a solitary blossom as the focal point.

Fun With Willow Branches

• Break off several pussy willow branches in order to make a natural-looking display, just in time for the spring holidays. You can use several decorating tricks with these branches from tying small bows between the furry catkins to letting them stand on their own in an earthenware vase.

  Curly willow branches, on the other hand, can handle a wide assortment of add-ons and treatments before you display them. Spray paint the branches in silver or gold and then lightly dust with glitter while the paint dries. Hang faux crystals from the branches for a glitzy centerpiece that will wow guests at formal parties or winter holiday celebrations.