USING GREENS IN POT DECOR CAN LIFT THE SPIRITS
Include some LED lighting for beautiful night viewing and maybe add a bird feeder
We all need a little comfort right now, especially because many of us may be missing out on sharing the joys of the season with extended family and friends.
Bringing a little bit of nature into our homes and onto our patios — such as a fragrant green tree, a beautiful arrangement of fresh cut greens in a porch pot, a seasonal hanging basket, a festive vase or a traditional table centrepiece — can really help lift our spirits.
Wonderfully scented cut greens, complemented by berries and arranged in a tall vase, is a simple but elegant way to enhance our holiday decor, and we can do it ourselves. The local florist industry, however, has taken the next step by combining artistry with nature. Art, by itself in any form, provides a little escape and adds an enriching element to our lives.
For some inspiration, visit a few garden places — with current protocol in place, of course — and you'll discover amazing ideas on how to create your own natural art pieces. They will also be a great source of greens, unique twigs and branches and seasonal accessories.
Patio porch pots are extremely popular outdoor features, and they are easy to create. Start by using the largest pot in which you grew summer annuals. It needs to be filled with wet soil so that it has enough weight to withstand winter winds. In some cases, you can prune off the spent summer plants, leaving the roots in place to hold your branches and stems.
Set the tone by placing three or four pieces of pure white birch, in varying lengths, upright into the soil in a triangular fashion. Fill the back with a semicircle of longer branches of fragrant silver or noble fir or even spruce. To give your container a flowing appearance, continue to fill the pot with branches of soft textured, highly perfumed, weeping white pine.
For some pop, add in three to five stems of deciduous holly with its vibrant red berries and then some striking red, yellow or orange branches of shrub dogwoods. Next, frost the edges of some large pine cones with white latex paint for a real wintry look. Using florist wire, secure the cones onto some of the dogwood stems, or in very large-scale arrangements, create clusters of three.
As a finishing touch, weave in some clear LED lights for night viewing and incorporate a small bird feeder for wildlife. Even if you don't have an artistic flair, I think you'll be impressed with your creation.
If you enjoyed your summer hanging basket, why not repurpose it and create a winter one? Moss style baskets work best because you can make them into a round form. If you don't have a leftover one, pick one up at a garden store — the smaller the better (30 centimetres deep and wide).
The basket should be lined with moss and filled with old potting soil. To give it some weight, soak the soil with water until it is good and wet.
Skirt the outside of the hanging basket with short stems of cedar, white pine, balsam or silver fir until you have created a full, rounded shape. For colour and a classy look, work in short twigs of deciduous huckleberry and red berried holly, as well as hanging frosted cones wired in place. Accessorize with a natural-looking, burlap-like bow and a few shiny stem balls for some glitz. I often tuck a small bird feeder in hanging baskets as well.
The old tradition of hanging kissing balls is far more attractive than mistletoe but during this pandemic, both should be avoided. For fun though, you can still make one easily by wrapping moss around either a ball of wet soil or a half block of florist oasis and holding it together with poultry wire. Just like your hanging basket, fill in the form with short stems of cut greens to create a rounded shape and pop in cones, berries and twigs. Suspend the ball with gold or silver ribbon for an attractive decor piece.
Although we may have a smaller gathering at Christmas this year, creating your own green centrepiece is always a nice touch. All you need is a low bowl, a block of florist oasis and a selection of fragrant greens, including the soft blue stems of white pine. Inexpensive candle holders, secured in the oasis, will allow several different candle placements and accessorizing with flowers and berries will result in an affordable, lasting and beautiful arrangement.
A couple years ago, I featured the masterful work of Chilliwack's nurseryman, Jan Van Wijk. He takes centrepieces to the next level by using a wide assortment of conifer cuttings, weathered wood, reindeer moss and pencil-thin taper candles. His artistry is simply breathtaking. This is where less is more, and it becomes an art form.
With a little imagination, traditional wreaths can become far more attractive and personalized. Many commercially made wreaths are simply greens wired onto metal rings. Instead, try lining a traditional wreath form with wet floral oasis and wrapping it with a covering of green florist tape. Use cuttings of colourful conifers and branches of eucalyptus, camellia and myrtle to create a look that is very much in vogue. Blend in interesting touches, such as ornamental crab apple fruits, snowberries (symphoricarpus), or unusual seed pods, to capture that `wow' look.
As we stay home during this pandemic, unique winter decor will add a warm, festive charm to our homes. All these elements will provide us with great comfort during the holiday season, and, as with our gardens, by letting our creative juices flow, we can enrich our living environment while having some fun doing it ourselves.