How to Decorate your Garden for Christmas

A Christmas tree can take between six and ten years to fully grow 6ft tall. When planting, choose a dry day and dig a hole slightly wider than the tree base. Plant the tree at the correct depth (the roots & trunk should not be planted any deeper than they were in the pot). Fill in the hole with soil and water well, adding a stake to secure the tree during windy days. Apply an organic mulch around the tree for the best results. In the future, you can choose to pot the tree and bring it inside. However, this can cause shock to the tree due to the temperature change. Or, simply leave the tree outside, and decorate it with outdoor lights.

Creating a wreath may be easier than you think. Start by creating or buying a wire wreath frame. Then, source materials such as offcuts from your Christmas tree, pine cones, cinnamon sticks, dried orange slices, berry sprigs and seed heads. You can also use bay laurel, rosemary or lavender to create a fragrant wreath. Intertwine the materials within the wire frame, using extra wire and ribbons to help secure everything in place.

Winter flowering plants can be included in your holiday decorations, whilst you may not have time this year, think about planning for next time. Poinsettias are of course always a great choice and look so vibrant. Think about the fragrance that your garden or porch has, plants such as winter honeysuckle and witch hazels not only look wonderful but will heighten the smell of your garden.

To create a seasonal display, create or collect Christmas-themed items and materials. These could consist of candy canes, faux snowballs, Christmas lights, pine cones and ribbons. Incorporate these within your garden to create your own winter wonderland.

Using Garlands in your garden will create a festive atmosphere that’s perfect for Christmas. Decorate the garlands with ornaments, such as berries, magnolia leaves, holiday ribbons, pinecones and even evergreen branches. You can even match the outdoor decorations with your Christmas tree.

Using timers for Christmas lights is a great low-maintenance approach to outdoor holiday lighting. Place your Christmas lights around shrubs, trees and stronger plants. Timers help to reduce the cost of Christmas lights as there are clear cut-off times, helping to save money and energy.

Turn your garden and window planters into a Christmas wonderland, add seasonal greenery to old outdoor planters or fill them with decorative candy canes, glass ball ornaments, and fresh-cut boughs of cedar and pine.

Christmas is the perfect time to start hand-crafting decorations in the garden. Recycling and reusing items and materials in your home will help save the planet and your wallet. Try filling old rain boots with twigs, lights and candy canes. Create miniature reindeer out of corks and twigs. Make presents out of cardboard and string that you can place on the window sill.

Classic Christmas colours such as red and green will be enhanced by using poinsettia plants and holiday lighting. If you are wanting to stand out, use pastel colour like white, yellow and sea green, and add unexpected hints of ripe orange or tangerine that gives your garden a fresh look. You can add colour with lights, plants and various decorations hung around the garden.