There are a million things to do as Christmas approaches. The list of preparations for the the holiday goes on and on. Creating your own fresh Evergreen arrangements is fun, festive and thrifty. Gathering small branches and boughs or just sticks, can add a homemade touch to your usual holiday décor. Bringing the outside in is not a new idea for holiday decorating. If you have evergreen material in your yard (or access to a friend/family property) than that is a great freebie for a vase, container or a wreath.
Types of Evergreens
Leyland Cypress, Magnolia, Cedar, Nandina, Boxwood, Pine, Spruce or Holly are great options for a little judicious pruning. Additionally, I have also used Aucuba, Variegated and Needlepoint Ivy to create my holiday arrangements. Finding a good day to cut the greens is sometimes a challenge but getting it done early in the month is a great way to get into the holiday spirit! Bundle up and grab a bucket, loppers, pruners and gloves. Those cuttings can be grouped together for greens arrangement. One note about Hollies; some hollies have their berries more on interior area of the branch so you may need to do a little trimming if you want the berries to be showy in your arrangement. I like to purchase some carnations from the grocery store. Red or white or both! I especially like the mini carnations. They stand out really nicely against those various shades of green.
Evergreen Decor for Indoors and Out
Most of these greens will last a long time w/out water after an Initial soak. After cutting plunge into water and leave in a cool place or outside until ready to use. Making these arrangements can be a project spaced out over a couple days to a week. The holly(berries), nandina, magnolia and ivy will start to look dried out after a few weeks if you are not using water in your arranging container. Floral foam is a useful tool for keeping arrangements fresh long term. This foam can be found at any craft store-its not Styrofoam but it’s a green foamy brick that can be soaked and then cut to size. Florist wire will also come in handy. It can be cut with your pruners, or heavy duty scissors or snips(pliers)
Decide where and what size arrangements. This decision may be based on the containers you already have and can reuse. If you don’t have a flower pot or a vase, go to a second hand shop and see what they have. You could even use an ice bucket or a casserole dish. Are you making arrangements for yourself or as gifts? A coffee mug arrangement is a easy and fun gift. Do you want something for your front porch, stoop, mantle, bathroom, entry table, etc. ?
Rough guidelines for constructing a spray of cut Evergreens
- Select plant materials
- Use loppers or pruning shears to cut branches
- Begin with 6-9 branches-for example 3 br. holly, 3 br. Pine and 3 br. Boxwood
- Evergreen branches should be 1.5 times the height of the container(or less).
- a triangular or loose wedge shape is a good starting point
- I like to use odd numbers, especially with accent picks, ribbons.
- Use evergreens with different shaped leaves/texture
- Lastly, don’t be afraid to mess up, pull it apart, trim a few pieces and start again!
Ribbon!
Using live evergreen branches for outdoor arrangements looks good with any style of house. Making a spray for the door or an arrangement in a plant pot or bucket adds a great natural accent to the outside of your home. Add some wired ribbon and instant festive-ness!
Wired ribbon is the easiest with which to work. The craft stores have so many options, its hard to choose sometimes! So thinking a little ahead of time might help with the decision. Do you like more traditional colors or more modern colors and patterns ? After considering the color of your door or tree try narrowing down the ribbon to three choices at the box store or craft store . One spool will be enough to make a nice sized bow. If it is a ribbon you want to carry through a lot of your decorating, wreath, swag, garland then obviously buy a half a dozen.
Cones, Ornaments and Glitter!
My suggestion is to combine three different types of greens for more interesting display. Evergreens with different types of leaves, shiny, dark, short needles, light green will present a nice display. And then add excitement with spray painted deciduous branches or glitter-fied pine cones or magnolia seed pods, ornaments, fake fruit or floral picks! Again, remember, It doesn’t have to be right the first time..you may have to adjust, trim, rotate it to get it looked balanced.
One thing that always makes be a little frazzled when making these arrangements is tying the bow. I use wired ribbon and some days I have no problem and other days I have to start over 4 times! Undoubtably it is just about practice.. There are plenty of videos about making large bows for wreaths. I will not attempt to explain the process.
Greens can be wired onto a wire wreath form or a grapevine wreath. Straw forms can be used also, but floral pins will be needed to secure the greens pieces, which is a little more time and money. Minimalist wreaths provide a simple, scaled down look. Only 1/2 -¾ coverage with some of the wire or wreath framing showing. That is an interesting look and what a quick put together that would be to make! For myself I think I prefer the fuller look.
Types of Evergreens and Elements Used in Arrangement in Photo below:
- Southern Magnolia
- Buford Holly
- Leyland Cypress
- Double Layer of wired ribbon
- Artificial Silver Holly floral Picks
- Sled
- Cast Iron Kettle
- Cast Iron Urn
