A Grand Botanical Christmas Garland Idea + Video Tutorial

By Katherine | November 16, 2025

Explore my Christmas mantel decorations for the Grand Botanical look and learn step by step how I crafted this Christmas garland DIY with video tutorials.

A Grand Botanical Christmas mantel decoration with DIY garland made of magnolia, pine, cedar, red berries, gold fern, orange slices, ribbon, and amaryllis.

Well friends...my mantel garland sort of grew arms and legs and took on a life of her own this year. I ended up selling the first Grand Botanical garland I created to a customer for this year's garland kits and then had the opportunity to re-do the garland using some very old materials and some new materials.

I just kept adding layer upon layer until I was satisfied with the lush, bountiful, over the top look! What do you think? One layer too many or bring it on sister I love a more is more approach?

Christmas garland idea - Grand Botanical look for a lush Christmas garland on the mantel with magnolia, cedar, pine, red berries, dried oranges, gold fern, and sugar pine cones.

Katherine poses in front of her Christmas garland DIY

Grand-Botanical-Christmas-Mantel-Decoration-7a

Base layers of pine, cedar, and magnolia start this garland look and form the foundation for all the other beautiful accents. Snow boughs drape among swooping ribbons. Glittery fern catches the light, while splashes of red berries give it a pop. White magnolia blooms, sugar pine cones, a beautiful bow, and faux dried orange slices draw your eye to the center.

My Grand Botanical garland looks complicated, but I promise YOU can create this Christmas garland idea on your mantel! It is so much easier than you think. While my garland kits (sold out for 2025) are the best way to re-create one of my garlands using the exact materials, I'm going to show you in a few videos how I craft this garland layer by layer.

Grand Botanical Christmas Garland DIY Tutorials

Materials:

Screw in hooks or Command Strip hooks

Wrapped floral wire

Dykes

10' Mixed pine garland with pinecones like this or this

2 5' Cedar garland - available in my shop

10 Magnolia stems - bunches of 3 available in my shop

Flocked branches - available in my shop

2.5" Ribbon - 4 yards, gingham available here

4" Ribbon - 4 yards, toile available here

3 Sugar pine cones

4" Ribbon - 2 yards for center bow

2.5" Ribbon - 2.5 yards for center bow

Red berries - available in my shop

Glitter fern - available in my shop

3 magnolia blooms

2 faux orange slice stems

Additional Tips:

This kind of layered garland does get heavy. I recommend using screw in hooks. I have one on either side of my gold mirror, one in the center under the mantel board, and one on top. This distributes the weight and helps me position the garland where I want it. I use floral wire, zip ties, or fishing line to attach the garland to the hooks.

I rarely need to wire the accent florals or ribbon streamers into the garland. Instead I use the flexible pine branches from the first base garland to secure stems. If a floral won't stay in place, then I use a small piece of floral wire to secure.

The streamers work best when you vary the width of the ribbon. I like the look of a 2.5" paired with a 4".

Be sure to step back and look at the garland from all angles, especially from the vantage point of where you sit the most to notice any gaps that need filled in.

I prefer to create a center bow for the garland with no bows or very simple ones at the ends.

More than 3 ribbon styles on the garland starts to look too crowded.

Katherine adjusts Christmas garland on mantel

Katherine's Grand Botanical Christmas look in her living room with a lush garland idea on the mantel

I hope you find these video tutorials helpful to create your own lush botanical garland for Christmas. Remember -- have patience with yourself! It may take a few adjustments and tries to get the florals to look just right. Don't be afraid to pull a section apart and re-work it. I do it all the time!