There is something quietly satisfying about a table centrepiece you have made yourself, five minutes before your guests arrive, from a few snips taken at the back door. It costs almost nothing, it looks far better than a tight bunch of hot-house flowers, and it never arrives wrapped in cellophane. The trick is to treat foliage and herbs as the main event rather than the filler, and to build the rest of the table around things you already own and can use again and again.

Start with what is already growing

Before you think about flowers, walk round the garden with a sharp pair of scissors and a jug of water. Look for structure, scent and texture: the dark gloss of rosemary, the grey-green of olive, the softness of mint, the dusty bloom on bay. A single sprig of rosemary laid on a folded linen napkin will do more for a table than a dozen imported blooms, and it will still be scenting the room when the plates are cleared.

• Herbs: rosemary, bay, thyme, sage, mint, marjoram, lavender in bud
• Evergreen foliage: olive branches, eucalyptus, ivy, skimmia, small conifer tips
• Leaves and seed heads: hellebore leaves, ferns, acer and liquidambar leaves, sedum heads, hydrangea, rosehips, crab apples

Pick more than you think you need. You will discard a third of it once you start arranging, and it is far easier to cut back than to run outside again mid-setting.

Cut, condition and keep it fresh

Cut in the morning if you can, when stems are full of water. Strip the lower leaves so nothing sits below the waterline, then cut each stem at an angle. Woody stems such as rosemary and olive benefit from a couple of small snips up the base, or a gentle crush with the end of a rolling pin, so they can actually drink. Stand everything in deep, cool water somewhere shady for at least two hours, ideally overnight.

Once arranged, change the water daily and top it up in between. Keep arrangements away from radiators and direct sun, and move the fruit bowl to the other end of the room — ripening fruit gives off ethylene, which shortens the life of anything green. A light mist over leafy arrangements in the morning works wonders in a warm kitchen.

Four seasonal centrepieces

• Spring and early summer: three small jam jars at slightly different heights, each with a small posy of mint, thyme and rosemary tips. Group them towards one end rather than dead centre for a more relaxed look.
• High summer: lay olive branches flat along the length of the table, overlapping slightly, with a few tea lights nestled between them and sprigs of lavender laid on top. Nothing needs to stand upright.
• Autumn: a shallow ceramic bowl filled with acer leaves, sedum heads and a few crab apples, kept low so it never blocks a conversation. Scatter a handful of individual leaves down the runner.
• Winter: a jug of bay and eucalyptus, a little holly and a fistful of rosemary. Add a few dried stems from last year's garden if you have them, and keep the colours muted so candlelight does the work.

Skip the floral foam, use what you already own

Floral foam is single-use plastic, does not break down, and cannot be composted — it is worth doing without. It is also entirely unnecessary for this kind of arranging. A ball of chicken wire pushed into a bowl will hold stems exactly where you want them, and it lasts for years. So will a jam jar, a small glass with a criss-cross of reusable tape over the rim, or simply a bundle of stems tied tightly with twine and stood in a jug. If a stem will not hold its shape, give it a supporting neighbour rather than a plastic cage.

Linen, ceramic and the relaxed look

This is where reusable pieces earn their keep. Stonewashed linen napkins in two or three muted colours, deliberately mismatched, look more relaxed and more expensive than a set of identical stiff ones. Ceramic bowls and dishes in off-white, terracotta or speckled glaze can be gathered slowly from charity shops and markets over a few years, and a mixed table always looks better than a matched one. Beeswax candles, which burn cleanly and smell faintly of honey, finish it off far more prettily than paraffin.

Small touches go a long way. Tie a napkin loosely with a length of twine and tuck in a sprig of rosemary or a single bay leaf. Stand a few small ceramic dishes down the centre rather than one large vessel. Leave the edges of the table clear for glasses and serving dishes — a crowded table is not the same as a generous one, and guests need somewhere to put things down.

Setting, washing and storing

• Keep arrangements below about 30cm so people can see across the table without ducking.
• Use odd numbers of jars or dishes — three or five always sits more comfortably than four.
• Protect the cloth: slide a strip of damp tea towel beneath foliage laid directly on linen.
• Shake spent foliage outside and compost it; wash linen at 30 degrees with a gentle detergent and dry flat rather than in a tumble dryer.
• Wash ceramics in warm soapy water and let them come to room temperature before adding anything hot, to avoid cracks.

Looked after properly, a set of linen napkins and a few good bowls will see you through a decade of Sunday lunches and birthday suppers. That is the real pleasure of this approach: the table gets better every year, the garden keeps supplying the decorative bits, and almost nothing ends up in the bin.