By now most people have taken down their holiday decorations, packed them in boxes and hauled them back to the basement or attic. While putting up decorations may be enjoyable for some, no one likes taking them down.
What if next year you didn’t have to? What if your outdoor decorations were already growing in your yard and your indoor decorations could be tossed onto the compost pile?
Three shrubs can be planted next spring for a beautiful December display that provides food for birds as well.
Highbush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum), red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia), and winterberry (Ilex verticillata) have bright red berries that hang on long after their leaves have fallen. On a sunny winter day following a snow or ice storm they are more stunning than any decoration you can buy or make. A string or two of white lights takes the decoration into the evening hours.
The berries of these shrubs are attractive to birds as a last resort. They will hang on through the winter until one day in late February when the birds are so desperate for food they will clear a shrub of its berries in an hour.
All three of the shrubs are tough and easy to grow. The cranberry may reach twelve feet, the winterberry ten feet and the chokeberry eight feet. The cranberry and chokeberry have the added bonus of spectacular fall color. The winterberry is the only one that needs special care in our area. It prefers acidic soil so add peat moss or elemental sulfur if your soil is alkaline.
For indoors, the bright red branches of dogwood can be cut and placed in a clear glass vase for a starkly beautiful decoration. Or cut some interesting branches from any old tree and spray paint them gold for a similar adornment. Red or gold beads in the bottom of the vase for “soil” add even more beauty.
Place evergreen sprigs or an evergreen branch in a tall glass vase with straight sides. If you like, intersperse small red or gold ornaments with the evergreens. Tie or glue a colorful half-inch ribbon around the top of the vase and fill it with water.
The same thing can be done with a large wine glass with a pretty ribbon tied around its stem. A grouping of three would make a lovely centerpiece. Change the water every few days and your decoration will last for several weeks.
A simple wicker basket filled with pine cones makes a nice display. To jazz it up, spray the cones with gold spray paint or spray snow. The cones can also be painted with white glue and rolled in cinnamon, nutmeg or other spices to scent the room.
Cut dried ornamental grasses, tie them with a red ribbon and display them in a simple vase. Leave the grasses natural or spray paint them gold.
A little imagination and Mother Nature make for simple holiday beauty.
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