Live Greens: A Beautiful and Inexpensive Way to Decorate for the Holidays

Some of the most beautiful, memorable, and classy Christmas decorating involves live greenery.

Live greenery is often found in the most beautiful and upscale spaces, but it’s also a functional and beautiful decor choice for any style home. Most greenery decor will include a combination of pine, juniper, cedar, Leyland cypress and even magnolia. My personal favorite is magnolia, but you could include whatever you think is pretty. Whether it’s cut greens, a live tree, or an evergreen wreath, live holiday greenery is a superior option. With a few tips and some guidance, you can pull it off with minimal effort.

Here are a few of the decorations I was able to create with live greenery:

Let’s Get Outside

Decorator greenery can be gathered from your yard or the woods. I often travel with clippers, gloves & an old sheet or large plastic yard debris bags just in case I see something to cut. It’s always wise to ask permission before entering private property — don’t trespass for the sake of your holiday decor! You could also make a fun family outing out of a green-seeking walk. This could be an extension of the annual trek to find a suitable Christmas tree. If you don’t have access to woods, you can also buy greens at garden centers or tree lots.

I Have Some Greens! Now What?

So you found (or bought) some beautiful boughs and branches. How do you get started? I recommend soaking your greenery in a plastic bag, a wheelbarrow, buckets or just on the ground in the shade — I do it overnight. The extra water that absorbs into the branches and stalks will ensure your decorations look great for as long as possible.

A Few Supplies

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Florist wire (hobby stores, garden section of large retailers, craft stores, etc.)
• Wire clippers
• Gloves

Using Greenery for Outdoor Decor

Live greenery looks great in your spent fall mum planters or summer flower boxes. Don’t pull out old plants — they help to hold the stems as the base & will be covered up. I water these occasionally leading up to Christmas. In addition to soaking, periodic watering keeps the greenery fresher. Do you have a few planters available? You could do a grouping of planters at the front door. If you have a power outlet available, you could add some tall sticks to the center and wrap the ensemble with lights.

Do you have a mailbox outside? Wire cuttings to your mailbox. This can work with boxes mounted to your house or on a post. Just make sure your postal carrier can access your box to deliver your mail. How about a lamp post? Absolutely, dress it up. You could also attach cuttings to any exterior light fixtures. Greens are especially gorgeous when paired with wrought iron!

If you have any old garland that is too unattractive to use, don’t throw it away. Simply hang it where you prefer and use it as a base. Then wire your new live greenery directly to the older garland. This looks beautiful over an entry door! If you haven’t made your own garland before, you might be surprised how easy it is. Here’s a brief video that walks through the process:

Whether you’re working with a string of garland or just groups of clippings, add your ribbon, bows or ornaments.

Tip: Put a spotlight on your front door area. The live greenery looks so beautiful at night!

Decorate with Greenery Indoors

Be sure to soak your greens first or wait to put out until a few days before Christmas as the cuttings dry out quickly inside. To extend the life of your interior live greenery, you can use a spray-on preservative. A good spray preservative product I’ve found is called Wilt Pruf, and it’s available on Amazon.

Greens inside are so much fun! Here are some ideas:

• Add greens to your mantels.
• Wire small amounts of greens on wall sconces. (Be careful…live greenery and garland can be heavy! Make sure your sconces are firmly attached before you hang extra weight on them.
• Try working some greenery into chandelier over the dining table.
• Make an arrangement of greens on the coffee table.
• How about a focal point or centerpiece with greenery on a tray with pillar candles in center?
• Don’t forget to decorate book shelves, the tops of cabinetry, etc. Your house will look & smell great!

For all of these applications you could add your own ribbon, inexpensive ornaments or purchase bows. With a quick trip to the craft store, you should be able to find all the ribbon and decorator pieces you could possibly want. You can usually find plenty of bows, but how about try your hand at making your own? You will probably save a good bit of money, and it’s easier than you might think. Here’s a quick video how-to on making your own bow:

This has been a quick post, but you can take the ideas here and enjoy hours of decorating fun in your home this holiday season. An added bonus, after the holidays these live greenery decorations don’t have to be packed up. Just throw them away and you’re all done!