Using outdoor foliage indoors at Christmas
Don’t let the holidays stifle your creativity. Simply wander outside and bring the festive spirit of Christmas into your home! The obvious place to start is with the focal point of your holiday decorations: the Christmas tree. However, the arguments for and against a real tree have become an unfortunate addition to the festivities. Our opinion? Well, nothing quite beats the rich foliage and seasonal whiff of a freshly harvested tree!
Picking the perfect tree
Before you set off on your annual expedition in search for the perfect Christmas tree, you must first take a few measurements. For example, you should measure the height of the room where your tree will stand. Just keep in mind that your tree will need to be about a foot shorter than the ceiling height, and that it will likely be placed in a stand. Therefore, it might also be a good idea to measure how high your stand is to ensure your tree will fit!
During your detailed search, remember there’s a variety of trees to look for. For example, balsam fir, Douglas fir, Fraser fir, noble fir and Scotch pine. When you come across that one special tree who stands out from the rest, test it. Simply run your hands along the needles and give it a quick shake. If it’s fresh, only a few needles will fall. There’s your tree!
Banisters and balustrades
There’s nothing like arriving home to swathes of foliage climbing up the banisters of your home and surrounding your landing. It’s one of those quintessential elements of Christmas! The great news is that these impressive garlands don’t have to be expensive and are fairly easy to DIY. Best of all, if you have fir trees and evergreen shrubs in your backyard, you’ve got all the ingredients you need to DIY your house to the max!
Once you’ve built up a collective mix of cuttings and trimmings, you just need to join them together with florist wire onto a rope. It’s a bit time consuming, but well worth it for the glorious scent of fresh pine permeating your home!
Mantelpieces and table centers
Of course, another way to feature fresh foliage for your festivities is to showcase it on mantelpieces and table centers. You can create sways of foliage to drape over fireplaces in the same way as you would create banister swags. Remember that if you’re going to be lighting the fire, you need to keep the foliage away from the flames! The heat of the fire will also dry-out your hard work, so try to keep temperatures down! Using LED lights in the display can always help as they don’t give off any significant heat!
For table centerpieces, you can mix it up with candles, baubles, bows and anything else that catches your eye! Try to pick up colors from your table settings so you have a really eye-catching, cohesive display.
And don’t forget the front door!
Although it’ll be what your winter visitors will see first, lastly is a wreath on your front door. Of course, there are lots of artificial wreaths for sale. Unfortunately, they’re not the same as a gorgeous traditional wreath. It can be stuffed with foliage, decorated with nuts, fruits and berries and topped off with a big fat bow. Additionally, there’s lots of ways to create a wreath and they’re not particularly difficult to make. You just need to get yourself a frame or foam ring from your local craft store as the foundation. Google or Pinterest are very helpful if you’re looking for instructions!
Quick tips!
- There are a few simple things you can do to keep your displays in tip top condition. The first is to only put festive foliage up a week or two before Christmas. So, if you’re buying or collecting greenery, do it as close as possible to when you need it. If you need to, store it outside before using it.
- Before you put wreaths on doors, or drape garlands, soak them overnight in a bathtub filled with water. That way, they can absorb as much water as possible before they’re displayed. Equally as important, always re-cut the ends of cuttings so they will absorb more water!
- If you make flower arrangements, keep your flowers in the garage or outside when not on display.