Decorating the outside of our homes with fresh greens is an easy, and great way to add some instant colour to what can be a brown landscape.

It can be as simple as hanging a fresh wreath on the front door, stringing a garland, or filling a planter with a holiday greens and berries.

If you have never decorated with fresh greens before, don’t let it stop you as it can be as easy or complex as you choose.

You can choose to create your own display, or purchase some pieces that have already been made up and fit them into your outdoor decor. If you would like to try and create your won fresh green arrangement, the best place to start is with a holiday planter.

You can use your favourite container, but they should be able to withstand outdoor, winter conditions. Those planters that held your summer arrangements, can be used for winter arrangements and give year round interest!

The first thing you need is a plastic pot or container, that will fit into the existing outdoor planter, so that you can just pop it into the planter when it is done. Next fill your pot halfway with soil, you may need more or less, just enough to hold your fresh greens upright. Decide which side of the pot will be the front and start by placing your taller boughs towards the back, and build your way towards the front with shorter boughs. We usually start with evergreen boughs, such as cedar, pine and fir, and then add a few ornamental branches such as red dogwood, or curly willow for texture. Be sure to drape some of the greenery over the edge of the planter to help cover the pot and help make the planter look fuller.

Before placing the greens into the soil, re-cut the ends and remove any needles or branches that would go under the soil. Lastly, add some colour such as branches of berries, cones, bows made with wire ribbon or sinamay, colourful ornaments and balls, holiday sign, or any other creative idea will add a touch of the holidays and a focal point to your design. You can also light up your arrangement by adding some lights or lit branches.

You can easily tie in your fresh arrangements to the rest of your decorating by using similar colours, or holiday items in them. Before placing your design outdoors, water it well. This will help to keep your greenery green for as long as possible, and, once it freezes, will hold your display in place.

Fresh garland and wreaths can also easily be decorated with holiday items to make it your own, or be used as is, for a natural looking display. Fresh greenery will continue looking great for much of the winter and does not have to be limited to just the holidays, nor can it only be used outside. Consider snipping a few pieces of cedar or pine and place in a tall vase with water for a table centrepiece, or adding some to your life-like garland or wreath for a fuller, more textured look, and an outdoor scent.

There is a good selection of greens available at the garden centre. If you decide to collect your own greens and branches from your landscape, be careful as you only want to take a couple of small branches and not ruin the shape of the tree or harm it.

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art Knapp Home and Garden Centres in Prince George:

• Highway 16 West at Kimball Road
• Highway 97 North at Northwood Pulpmill Road ( closed for the season)