Some may think of the warm growing season as the only time to enjoy harvests from your garden. Here in WNC, we have the advantage of four distinct seasons, all of which have their own unique gifts to offer.
With the holiday season upon us, many of us hope to not only share the beauty of our personal gardens and landscapes with our friends and family, but take advantage of our plantings for holiday decor.
When it comes to arranging your harvest, look for contrasting texture and color to create a stunning centerpiece or bouquet. Find interesting vessels to hold your arrangements at thrift or antique stores. Include varying heights from colorful twigs and branches. To dress a formal table center to its fullest, adorn the base with sphagnum or reindeer moss.
To create a special outdoor holiday planter, incorporate branches of various greenery and winter interesting specimens from your landscape right into the potting soil where passers-by will notice them. I love to add a handful of red twig dogwood branches to my winter planters for a pop of brilliant red.
Simple or elaborate, include wreaths and evergreen runners into your holiday crafting. You can use a variety of greenery from your garden to make something special to adorn your entryway, table-center or hearth.
Some of my Favorite Specimens for Winter Decor
Blue Cypress ('Carolina Sapphire')
Eastern Red Cedar
Christmas fern
Hellebore
Holly
Harry Lauder's walking stick
Juniper
Red and Yellow twig dogwood ('Arctic Fire')
Winterberry ('Winter Gold' and 'Red Sprite')
Warm and Happy Holiday wishes from the Gardens By Mardi Team!