Decorating for the Holidays with Greenery

My favourite way to decorate for the holidays is with greenery, branches, and berries from my garden or the local farmer’s market. These natural materials add rustic elegance to outdoor spaces and are so easy to work with. Even non-crafty people like me can quickly create beautiful arrangements, wreaths, or swags to light up the holiday season.

Sourcing and gathering holiday greenery

Gather greenery responsibly from your yard and garden, or source it from a local florist, farmer’s market, or garden centre. How do you gather it responsibly? Start by pruning smart. There’s no need to hack your trees and shrubs just to get a few boughs for holiday decor.

Instead, look at the form, shape, and structure of the plant and take off branches that will benefit its overall health. Start by removing any that are damaged and then prune out branches that are crowded or crossing over other branches. For trees or shrubs with dense growth, you could also selectively thin branches to allow more light to reach the centre of the plant. Lastly, when pruning a branch, don’t leave a stub but instead prune it back to where it joins another branch or the trunk.

Types of greenery

Most of the conifer boughs I use for holiday decor are sourced from my yard. I’ve planted hemlock, cedar, and false cypress but also have several species of native pine and spruce. Of course not all greenery comes from needled conifers. I’ve also planted broad-leafed evergreens like holly and boxwood, whose branches offer texture and interest when combined with conifers in arrangements and wreaths.

To supplement what I gather I also buy a bundle of greenery that I don’t already have, a few branches of broad-leafed evergreens like magnolias, and colourful branches and berried twigs.

3 types of DIY holiday decor

Arrangements

It’s easy to create a beautiful arrangement for your front entrance. Start by gathering your materials. I like to mix a several types of greenery plus birch, red dogwood, and curly willow branches, berried twigs, and a few extras like pinecones or ornaments. Prune branches to the appropriate size. They should be large enough to balance with the container size but not so big that they overfill the space, blocking the door or grabbing your coat every time you walk by. Once you’re ready to begin, fill the chosen pot three-quarters full of potting mix or soil. This will anchor the branches and add weight to prevent the pot from blowing over in winter storms. If using birch branches, insert those first and then fill with the assorted greenery. After the container is well-filled, add dogwood or curly willow branches, berries, and any extras. You can even add a string of battery-powered twinkle lights to light up your arrangement. Water the container so that the soil freezes up and holds the arrangement in place for months.

Wreaths

I also love to make wreaths for my front, shed, and greenhouse doors. I keep it very simple and use a wreath ring and short lengths of conifers and broad-leafed evergreens like boxwood and holly to create rustic wreaths.

The best way to securely attach greenery to a wreath ring is with florist wire. Work your way around the wreath, stopping every so often to be sure the wreath looks even. Trim any overlong branches with a pair of pruners. Once finished, add a bow, pinecones, berries, or other decorative elements and hang it with pride.

Swags

Swags are perfect for hanging on doors, fences, gates, mailboxes, or wherever else you’d like a little holiday dazzle. And they’re super easy to make. Gather several types of greenery, plus berries, pinecones and a big bow. Make the size of the swag to match the location. I generally make swags around eighteen inches long, but you can make them larger or smaller to suit the space.

I use pine, spruce, or balsam fir for the base of the swag, gathering three or four branches together and securing them with florist wire. Layer more decorative greenery on top of this – cedar, false cypress, boxwood or holly, for example. Add the decorative berries or pinecones and then the bow.