Ina Garten Just Shared the Designer Tricks Behind Her Gorgeous Winter Flower Displays – and They Take Minutes to Recreate

In a recent Instagram post, Ina Garten welcomed Daniel Roseberry, creative director for couture house Maison Schiaparelli, on her show Be My Guest, which airs on The Food Network and HBO. Roseberry effortlessly transformed simple bundles of flowers into a dramatic vase arrangement in mere minutes. It was a moment that made floral design feel aspirational yet entirely doable at the same time (very on brand for the Barefoot Contessa).

The takeaway? Winter flowers don’t have to be sparse or sad. With the right stems and a few smart techniques, arrangements during the colder months can feel lush and elevated. Whether you’re planning a dinner party and want to dress up your dining table or you’re just trying to make January feel less gray, here’s how to bring Ina-inspired florals into your home.

Choose Flowers That Thrive in the Cold Season

While summer flowers are known for their colour and abundance, winter arrangements rely more on structure, texture, and staying power. Many popular winter displays are made using flowers that are grown under cover, imported, or forced to bloom out of season rather than naturally flowering outdoors at this time of year. Good winter-friendly choices include:

• Roses – available year-round and long-lasting indoors when properly conditioned
• Ranunculus and anemones – typically grown under cover and widely available through florists in winter
• Tulips – especially forced varieties bred for winter flowering
• Hydrangeas – often used dried in winter arrangements, or fresh when sourced from growers
• Amaryllis – a true winter favourite, grown indoors and prized for its bold, architectural blooms

Pair your flowers with sturdier foliage such as eucalyptus, magnolia leaves, pine, cedar, or camellia branches. You can find seasonal flower bundles and greenery at Home Depot, which often carries hardier stems in winter. For example, this small magnolia tree is a great pick from which you can snip off a few branches.

Start With the Right Vase (Bigger Is Better)

One thing Roseberry demonstrated perfectly in Ina’s Instagram video is that scale matters. Winter arrangements benefit greatly from larger, heavier vases that can hold tall stems and fuller flowers.

Look for a vase with a wide mouth, made of glass or ceramic, that allows you to spread out the flowers and branches in a natural way. This green floral vase from Target has a lovely vintage vibe, while this ceramic design, which is 16 inches tall, gives you a great neutral starting place, as it’s white.

Pro Tip: If your arrangement feels sparse, it’s usually not a flower problem, but a vase mismatch.

Build Structure Before Adding Blooms

If you want a really professional look to your arrangement (which is kind of the point), then never start with flowers; always build your frame first.

Start by adding branches and greenery first, which creates height and an overall silhouette to work with. You’ll want loose triangle and oval shapes rather than too perfect symmetry. Once you have your structure, add the flowers in odd numbers, making sure to space them out and give each one room to breathe.

For ultra clean cuts – which is essential if you want your arrangement to last a long time – you’ll need a good pair of sharp shears that can cut woody stems as well as softer flowers. This 2-pack from Amazon has one pair of shears for tougher branches and one for flower stems.

Mix Heights and Textures for Depth

To really make your winter arrangement shine, play a bit with contrast. For example, combine taller branches with short, rounded flowers. Or play with contrasting textures, like soft petals and glossy or leathery leaves.

Pro Tip: One of the biggest mistakes people often make with flower arranging is trying to combine everything at the same height. Allow some of the stems to reach higher while others sit lower in the arrangement. This keeps everything from looking flat or overly crowded. A good rule to follow: Keep your tallest stems no more than 1.5 to 2 times the height of the vase.

Care Tips to Make Winter Arrangements Last

With the proper care, winter flowers can outlast their summer counterparts by a lot. But what is the proper care?

• Change water every 2–3 days
• Cut stems at an angle each time, and not just once
• Keep arrangements away from heat vents and direct sun

Ina Garten and Daniel Roseberry remind us that a beautiful flower arrangement doesn’t need to be overly complicated. Choose stems thoughtfully, balance the shapes, and go with a sturdy vase; you’ll have people asking you who sent the lovely flowers in no time.