HOLIDAY DECORATING TIPS – Green-Thumb Gardener
Many families include fresh greens, such as boughs, tips, wreaths, and roping in their holiday decorating plans. The aroma is a wonderful holiday memory for many. To keep your greens as fresh as possible, utilize these tips:
Purchase as close as possible to the time you need them and keep them outside until needed. When you purchase, check for freshness in color and pliability of the branches (not brittle). Cut the stems at an angle and soak deeply before displaying. You can treat with an anti-desiccant spray to help retain moisture, also. Once they are inside, expect them to last approximately 2 weeks on average. Daily misting can help improve their viability. Keep them away from heat drafts and direct sun.
Fresh greenery can be obtained from cuttings of plants on your property or purchasing at your local garden center. Some of the more popular types of greenery available include:
– Holly or winterberry: The bright red berries are always a focal point and variegated leaves of some types also accent your colors.
– White pine: The long needles give a very airy quality to this greenery.
– Boxwood: The dense nature of the small leaves make this a great filler in your creations.
– Eucalyptus: This is another green for fragrance and unique texture with the leaf shape as well as unique colors. Explore seeded eucalyptus if you have not used it before.
– Noble fir: It is sturdy and provides a beautiful bluish-green color.
– Silver fir: It is also sturdy and provides a unique silvery back side.
– Douglas fir: Firs like this provide a feathery, air quality.
– Juniper: The blue berries are a focal point. Juniper does best outdoors.
– Port Orford cedar: This greenery is sturdy, yet soft and makes a great base.
– Incense cedar: As the name implies, it has a fragrance and a flowing nature.
– Blue spruce: Small shrubs of this variety make great outdoor “trees”. The sharp nature of the needles makes them hard to work with in design.
– Magnolia: The deep green and unique shapes make these a focal point of your design work.
– Pepperberry: These soft, delicate berries add lots of color and texture.
Remember to always keep live greenery away from any open flames. Fresh greens are not only beautiful and fragrant, but also sustainable and renewable. When they are spent, simply compost them. Your local garden centers will be happy to help!
This article is sponsored by McNamara at Sand Point, which has 2 acres of production greenhouses, retail florist and gift shop, as well as retail garden center and wholesale plant business. Contact McNamara by calling 260-747-4131 or visit 4322 DeForest Ave, Ft. Wayne, IN 46809.
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