Soon, many folks will be displaying their outdoor Christmas decorations -- if they haven't already started. The first instances of such displays that we encounter annually are bound to elicit strong reactions, both pro and con.

As with so much else in life, our reaction largely depends on what aspect of the phenomenon we choose to emphasize. On the one hand -- and I say this with an unblemished record as a winter malcontent -- I approve of outdoor Christmas decorations, because they fill the color vacuum left by the retreat of the fall foliage. Not that outdoor Christmas decorations can possibly compete with the splendor of the harvest season; but they're better than nothing.

On the other hand, the presence of outdoor Christmas decorations signals that there's a long, depressing wait ahead for folks like me, who start thinking about next year's garden while winterizing the garden that has just petered out.

But perhaps that's all the more reason to show some appreciation for the cheer that outdoor Christmas decorations bring. You can supplement manufactured outdoor Christmas decorations with plants -- or, in fact, substitute plants for them altogether -- and it is precisely with a discussion of natural outdoor Christmas decorations that I begin this article.

Read article: Natural Outdoor Christmas Decorations

We can't help but think of Thanksgiving when mention is made of sage plants. What would stuffing be without sage? But as Marie Iannotti observes, they can also be useful in landscape design. "While a sage plant is in its prime, it makes an attractive addition to both herb gardens and ornamental borders. The purple, golden and tri-color varieties work especially well as edgers...." Learn more about tri-color sage plants in this article, including how to grow and how to use them.

Steve Nix observes that "the number one reason people plant trees in their yard is that trees have become 'necessary to maintain a public image of the appropriate setting for single family houses.' (Schmid) There are social pressures to plant a tree in one's yard."

While I recognize the importance of increasing one's property value (with an eye to selling one's home, eventually), I still can't help but feel uncomfortable with such a reason for planting trees. I see a new tree as a (hopefully) long-term companion in my landscape. Consequently, I feel that I should be planting a tree because its qualities excite me.

As I finish transplanting a tree, tamping down the soil and watering to eliminate any air pockets, I want to be looking ahead to enjoying such qualities as:

• Fall foliage color
• Spring flowers
• Interesting branching pattern or bark

Of course, you should, by all means, make a list of unacceptable qualities, too, before planting trees, so that you may obviate costly problems in the future by making sound decisions in the present. For example, About.com's Forestry Guide notes that many avoid planting the following trees as being too messy:

1. Ginkgo biloba females
2. Sweetgums that produce gumballs
3. Mimosa trees
4. Bradford pear
5. Mulberry trees

Why have I been put into a mind to make a kissing ball? Well, here in New England (U.S.), we're entering the gray season, as cooler temperatures try to sever our ties with the plant domain. The rest of the year, I pretty much go with the flow -- but not now. My watch word during the gray season is "recalcitrance." With all my might, I resist being cut off from the wonders of the plant world to which I had become so accustomed over the course of the last eight months or so.

Gone now are the days of stepping outdoors to see how, for instance, the leaves on my Virginia sweetspire have changed from last week -- that's true. I realize that, from now on, when I step outdoors, I'll witness plants resigned to a rather static state, until spring returns. But that doesn't mean I have to take it lying down! I'm not a big fan of houseplants, but there are plenty of ways to keep the memories of better times alive....

One way to maintain a connection with the plant world during winter is to dry certain plant parts during fall, then bring them inside. For instance, I have some dried hydrangea flowers hanging up right next to me, as I type these words. I also like to dry hardshell gourds to work on my gourd craft.

Likewise, I enjoy using materials from the plant world to make Christmas decorations, such as kissing balls. While not all the materials in my kissing ball project are natural (heck, a Styrofoam ball lies at the very center of a kissing ball), I do discuss several natural materials in the process of showing you how to make kissing balls. For all the instructions, please click the link below.

View tutorial: How to Make Kissing Balls