Light Fantastic

At this time of year, the sight of a table sparkling with silver and candlelight, not to mention platters heaped with turkey and trimmings, can be enough to put a smile on the grumpiest guest. But the holidays do beg for decoration. If holly berries and greens seem cliched, especially when the temperature outside is pushing 70, why not look in your own backyard for inspiration? Pasadena florist Walter Hubert, owner of Silver Birches and author of “Naked: Flowers Exposed (HarperCollins), often designs with California foliage and flowers. For a simple yet elegant centerpiece, Hubert surrounds a pillar candle with banksia, a member of the protea family. First he strips the leaves from the banksia and cuts off its thistle-like flowers near the head, studding a half-brick of floral Oasis (that green spongy stuff available at craft stores) with about a dozen blooms. After nestling the candle in the ring of flowers, Hubert then scatters rosette-shaped echeverias known as hen and chicks on the tabletop nearby. When the arrangement is dismantled, the succulents can be rerooted in sandy soil to await next year’s festivities.