Fresh Picks
Deck the halls, walls, tables and more with live Christmas greenery this holiday season.
Whether you purchase it or cut it from your own backyard, keep it fresh. For outdoors, think about decorative garlands dotted with holly, container trees, fragrant wreaths or planters and baskets brimming with holiday cheer.
Indoors use evergreens that dry out more slowly:
Pine is a long-lasting choice with excellent needle retention. White pine has long, softer needles, while Virginia pine has short, coarse needles. The distinction could influence where you’ll use your fresh cuttings.
Cedar fills your home with a wonderful fragrance. However, small male cones can release messy pollen into your home. The remedy is simply to spray the cones with lacquer or acrylic before bringing the greenery indoors.
Fir has short, flat needles and also carries a wonderful scent. Because it's more accepting of hot and dry conditions, it makes a wonderful choice for indoor use.
When shopping, look for vibrant color and flexible stems – these are signs of freshness.
Keep It Fresh
Before you hang greenery, trim the ends and soak the unadorned garlands in water overnight. This helps prevent premature drying and needle loss. Let it air dry completely before placing it on your mantel, railing or other woodwork.
Once your greenery is in place, spritz it daily with water, avoiding pieces placed in direct sunlight. Sunlight magnified through water droplets could cause burn marks and discolorations on your décor.
Dry evergreens become a fire hazard. Check needles often by bending them - they should be flexible and not break. If they break, remove the dry sections and replace with fresh greenery. Commercial fire retardant sprays may also be used on the greenery to help prevent fires.
Greenery and Arrangement
Live greenery looks great anywhere in and around the home. Here are some ideas for types of live greenery you can use and arrangement suggestions to add a festive air to your home.
Fresh Garland
Use fresh garland to showcase your family’s stockings along the stair railing. It's especially lovely when accented with oversized ornaments.
Greenery and Fresh Berries
Stack fir and pine cuttings on the mantel, then accent the greenery with fresh berries, allowing the berries and greenery to drape over the ends of the mantel. Add extra color by dangling pinecones from the display with brightly colored ribbon.
Tree in a Bucket
Put a small fresh tree in a bucket and adorn it with ornaments you already have on hand.
Frozen Evergreen Luminaries
Freeze evergreen cuttings into these clever luminaries for holiday décor that glows and glistens.
Greenery Throughout the Home
Add holiday cheer to unexpected areas in your home. Tie garland above or on a headboard, add fragrant greenery to bathroom mirrors or tie a pine bough onto a retro sled for wintery front porch or fireside décor.