Bringing the Outdoors In for the Holidays

Saturday, December 18, 2010 03:45 AM

Bringing a little bit of the outdoors into your home this time of year is a great way to decorate the home for the Christmas season.

Branches from evergreen trees such as spruce, pine, cedar, fir, holly, boxwood, and branches from decorative deciduous trees and shrubs, along with cones, and berries are all easy to find either in your backyard or at the garden centres.

Placing some cones in a clear vase or decorative bowl is a quick and easy decoration idea. Other natural ideas could be using rose hips, old flower heads or seed pods, grasses, moss, etc anything that 'Mother Nature' has to offer can all add to the beauty of your home. The fruit section of the grocery store can also give ideas for decorating the home. Shiny apples, pears, oranges, cranberries, etc and nuts can be used in arrangements or on their own and then later be eaten.

If you are using branches from your own trees be careful when pruning them off. Only use a few smaller branches so that the tree does not loose its shape. You do not want to prune off any large branches and leave an open wound that the frost can get into. When temperatures are below freezing tree branches become brittle and break so wait for warmer temperatures before touching the trees. If you are purchasing fresh greens make sure that they are fresh by feeling them. They should be supple, and soft, and look fresh, not dried out.

Just adding some cedar branches along the mantel is nice and adding some pine cones and red berries add to the festiveness. Cedar can also be used in wreaths, and swags or along the stair railings. It can be purchased in ropes (linked together) making it easier to attach to the railing. Cedar has a nice graceful, drooping form and can be used on its own or mixed with other greens, and branches. Fir is a little stiffer and dense with needles and the Ponderosa pine has large needles giving it an airier look.

Adding holly to an arrangement gives it a seasonal flair and the shiny leaves give it a different look just like the boxwood does. When making a fresh arrangement from greens recut the bottom of the stem and strip the first few centimetres of foliage so that the branches are easier to work with. If greens are placed in water they can last for 2-3 weeks. If you are just laying them around the house they will not last as long. Remember to keep them away from heat sources, or drafts which can quickly dry them out.

Using fresh greens and branches from your yard is a quick, simple, and inexpensive way to add colour and fragrance to your home decor!

-Jos

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

· Highway 16 West at Kimball Road

· Highway 97 North at Northwood Pulpmill Road

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