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Decorate for the Holidays from your own Garden
By Tammy Thornton
First impressions are key, and when it comes to the holidays, guests should feel welcome even before they walk through your front door. Greet them with a beautiful planter overflowing with holiday cheer. Urns add sophistication to your porch decor and are versatile—you can arrange them to suit any style. Don’t spend a lot of money to achieve a rich look, just take a walk through your garden with a strong pair of clippers.
You don’t need a degree in flower arranging to make your holiday urn or planter look amazing. Look around your garden. Do you have any type of pine or evergreens? Start with larger branches as a base, then fill in with other types of greenery. If you don’t have access to pine, stop by local businesses selling Christmas trees. Most tree sellers are more than happy to give you the branches they have cut away when preparing the trees.
In the cold temperatures of late fall and winter, your display should remain fresh looking through the holidays. You can always add floral foam to the base of your pot or urn, but I’ve never needed to do so. If your urn is too deep, fill it with the empty plastic pots that you have left from your fall mums. Or, as those Christmas gifts start arriving in the mail, dump the packing peanuts into your planter for a lightweight filler.
If you are fortunate enough to have white birch branches at your disposal, use these as an anchor in your holiday urn. White birch branches evoke that feeling of winter coziness. For me, it’s a matter of nostalgia. My childhood home back in western Pennsylvania had three medium-sized white birch trees near our driveway. I always loved those trees, and seeing that wonderful white bark reminds me of my dad, who passed many years ago. Be mindful of memories and traditions as you decorate. It gives everything a deeper, richer meaning. Often your children start looking forward to these things you do every year. You are giving them the security of tradition without even realizing it.
When arranging your decorative urn, remember the principle of “thriller, spiller, filler.” Start with the thriller. This is the tallest part of your decoration. If you found white birch branches, use these, but you can also simply cut leafless branches from trees in your yard. Paint them red for a striking look, or white for a wintry feel. Once you have these in place, support them with pine and evergreens from your own garden; place some upright, but others horizontally so that they “spill” over the sides of your urn. Next, layer with smaller pine branches for your filler. Use different types of pine and greenery to add interest as well as pine cones and holly.
Now time to personalize it. This is the fun part. Create a wintry display by using spray snow from your local hardware store. I like to give the greenery and pine cones a light touch of “snow” and then add homemade snowballs and silver Christmas balls. This style of urn will carry you through the winter well past the holidays. If you want to get in touch with your Scottish side, leave out the snow and add a tartan ribbon and touches of red, such as winterberry sprigs. For a southern feel, add magnolia leaves and artificial sugared fruit picks. Choose a cascading ribbon that complements the style you’ve chosen. Weave white lights into your display and enjoy the peaceful aura of glowing lights.
Guests will know that they are about to enter a home that cares about them and is filled with the holiday spirit. For you, after a long day of shopping, pulling into the driveway and seeing the soft hue of white lights will remind you that you’ve reached your haven. Make sure that you don’t let all the preparations of the season get out of control. Let your home be a welcoming place and do your best to spread “Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward Men.”
Tammy Thornton is a mom of four, a substitute teacher, and a Sunday school teacher. She is passionate about gardening and cooking, and loves the beach.
