If you need some last-minute pizzazz for your outside entrance to greet visitors, create a live green arrangement with evergreens and twigs cut from your property.

Once I empty my large pots and window boxes at the end of November, I can dress them up again with greenery which will last most of the winter. I keep the soil in them as that is the glue which will hold my greens in place.

Wreaths

A trick that I have used for a long time which will get you started in a hurry, is to make a boxwood or magnolia wreath on a wire base and use that as your base. Placing this wreath on top of the rim of the pot will hide most of the soil and you can stick your greens in and around it.

Tips on Creating Outdoor Christmas Arrangements with Greens

1. Use a winter hardy pot – fiber glass, metal, cement – not        terracotta
2. Add water to soil so that it is moist and mix lightly – it will freeze the arrangement in place
3. Fill up and mound soil 3-4″ above rim to give branches height and depth
4. Use Wilt-Pruf, but be careful of some firs and juniper berries- they could lose their color
5. If using a light strand, use garland to hide unsightly wires
6. Create outside in place as the urn will become very heavy to move. Once in position, the arrangement should freeze in place
7. Use only artificial berries and fruit (not Styrofoam) because naturals turn black and rot outdoors and Styrofoam splits
8. Use completed wreaths of greens as bases for urns
9. For center height and drama, use curly willow, dogwood      branches, birch logs, or broom
10. Since most arrangements will be viewed from a distance, the bolder and larger, the better
11. Add large outdoor ball for added drama

  Merry Christmas!!!!

Related articles

• A Beginner’s Guide to Holiday Greenery (funflowerfacts.com)
• How to Create DIY Christmas Wreaths (apartmentguide.com)
• Beyond Lighting: Extra Decorations To Make Your House Stand Out During The Holidays (landscapelightingtx.com)