It’s hard to believe that Christmas is only weeks away, and it’s time to start thinking about decorations. Outside we always like to have a wreath or swag to hang on the doors and gate and I make these using natural materials, such as evergreen foliage, twigs and berries fresh from the garden.
If you haven’t got everything you want you can always forage for items such as pine cones from the ground, or snip some stems from hedgerows or friends’ gardens, with permission of course! Having said that you’ll be surprised just how much garden material you can use. Any type of conifer and evergreen is perfect.
Berrying plants are also ideal and red berries add a festive touch, so don’t worry if you don’t have any holly because cotoneaster and pyracantha work just as well. You can also use seeds heads and coloured or contorted stems to add structure and interest. Basically, anything goes in a natural decoration.
As we're now all being encouraged to use less floral foam (although there are some biodegradable types available) I’m using only thin wire and string to hold the arrangement together. Although the stems won’t be in water, in cool, damp weather the foliage will remain fresh for several weeks outside, especially if you occasionally mist with water.
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