Deck Your Halls With Fresh, Fragrant Greens From Your Edmonds Garden
Fragrant Greens From Your Edmonds Garden: Bring the natural beauty and fragrance of holidays home this season - decorate with live greens. Whether you have a fresh tree or faux, adding evergreen branches and sprays throughout your rooms will amp up the festive atmosphere. Fresh greens can be found almost anywhere - garlands, wreaths,
Sam supervises the harvesting
and branches are available at nurseries as well as big box stores and even supermarkets. But the easiest and most inexpensive source for your greens can be your backyard!
Here in the PNW, we have a wide variety of evergreen shrubs and trees perfect for clipping to add to our holiday displays. You can start with a store-bought plain wreath or garland as a base and personalize it, by adding clippings, branches, and cones from your yard.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Go Beyond Green
Evergreen branches come in many shades of green beside the traditional Cedar or Douglas Fir. Noble Fir and Deodar Cedar have a cool blue hue, and juniper branches look a little frosty. Try sprays of lemon cypress or Fernleaf Gold Hinoki Cypress to add a touch of sunlight.
Mix It Up
Adding different varieties of greens also creates texture and dimension. Pines with their strong, straight branches and slender needles add structure, or try the delicate fan-like foliage of Hinoki Cypress. Evergreen branches from Japanese Boxwood, Sweet Box, Salal, and Holly have foliage that shines and reflects the light. Incense Cedar with their golden tips and Western Red Cedar branches with cones bring a natural element to your display.
Add Colorful Accents
These final pieces will help you customize your holiday greenery. Classic red is a go-to, with Rose hips and Holly berries the traditional faves. On the cool side, try Juniper berries, Tallow berries, or dried Pussy Willow branches. Some eye-catching, non-traditional additions are Nandina berries and foliage or Pieris buds. Bare twigs in yellow or red create height, and of course – pinecones are a must! Or weave in a pre-made garland of ornaments, dried oranges, or cinnamon sticks as well as fairy or rice lights. Whatever natural accents you add, make sure they won’t be an issue for your children and pets.
Wrap It Up 
Often by incorporating natural accents, you might decide to forgo ribbon, but if you like, there are so many styles to bring your design together.
Cutting And Keeping It Fresh
When cutting greens remember:
- Find an inconspicuous spot
- Use clean, sharp pruners to get a fresh edge
- Longer is better
- Keep in mind how you are going to use them.
After cutting, leave the branches in cut water for a few
hours. Some people swear by soaking their greens completely in water. Others use Wilt Pruf but it sometimes limits the scent. Mist occasionally to keep them hydrated.
Weave branches into existing greens and anchor them onto the wreath frame or garland wire using green florist wire. Create accents by bundling branches together with wire and attach them to your wreath or garland. Arrange evergreen bouquets in containers, add them to your mantel, or make a centerpiece for your dining table.
As you start to decorate for the holidays, the most important thing to remember is to have fun - unleash your creativity. Adding fragrant, fresh greens to your festive displays will be an easy and inexpensive way to celebrate the season with style!
Thank you to Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, for the inspiration for this article.