Outdoor Christmas decorations spice up the yard during a time of year when, in the North, there’s just not a lot of color otherwise, many of our plants having deserted us till spring. As the last leaves fall from the trees and rotting flesh disfigures our porch jack-o'-lanterns, is it any wonder that folks flock to the stores to buy the outdoor Christmas decorations that will replace autumn's natural splendor with the glitz and glitter of the winter holiday season?
But if you prefer a more natural decor, remember that not all outdoor Christmas decorations have to be purchased at a store. Examples abound of plants that don’t bail out on us as winter arrives. There are many shrubs and trees that provide evergreen foliage and/or berries that will liven up your winter yard, either while still alive or after their boughs have been harvested (for use in crafts).
Shrubs as Outdoor Christmas Decorations
Perhaps the most famous shrubs that serve as outdoor Christmas decorations are evergreen holly shrubs, a mainstay in the winter décor of the United Kingdom for centuries. As live plants, evergreen hollies can be used as specimen plants or grouped together in foundation plantings. Cut holly branches, which can include bright red berries, make for popular outdoor Christmas decorations as accents in door wreaths and kissing balls. For more, please consult the following article:
Holly for Outdoor Christmas Decorations
A neatly trimmed hedge of evergreen boxwood shrubs offers much-needed landscape structure and greenery in winter, while evoking images of colonial Williamsburg. The cut sprigs of boxwood are used in such outdoor Christmas decorations as door wreaths, garlands and kissing balls. For indoors, topiary arrangements called “boxwood trees” are popular. For more, please consult the following article:
Boxwood for Outdoor Christmas Decorations
Like holly and boxwood, mountain laurel shrubs are broadleaf evergreens. Used to frame an entryway, laurel shrubs will welcome guests to your door all winter with their inviting glossy-green foliage. The cut stems of laurel are fashioned into the “laurel roping” (a type of garland) popular in outdoor Christmas decorations. Florists use cut laurel in winter window boxes and cemetery logs, in which cases the laurel is commonly sprayed gold or silver (since the leaf structure will hold up on the cut sprigs, but not the natural color). For more, please consult the following article:
Laurel for Outdoor Christmas Decorations
There’s another holly that is not evergreen, called “winterberry” holly. Winterberry loses its leaves in fall, but displays masses of attractive red berries in their place. If your winter lawn is graced by a winterberry holly bush, its berry-laden branches will be the talk of the neighborhood! The cut branches of winterberry holly are prized by arts and crafts enthusiasts for use as accents in door wreaths, kissing balls and winter window boxes. The berries will shrivel in the extreme cold, so cut winterberry branches are best used in late fall and early winter décor. For more, please consult the following article:
Winterberry Holly for Outdoor Christmas Decorations
A final shrub to note is mistletoe, although it is a rather odd example of a shrub. For mistletoe is the “shrub of the heavens,” a parasite that lives on the branches of trees. Yet an article on outdoor Christmas decorations would be remiss without mentioning mistletoe, as it has been hung up over doorways for decades in hopes of snagging a few kisses during the holiday season. Mistletoe is, of course, the ultimate material for a kissing ball, and it’s also used as an accent in door wreaths. The mistletoe used by Americans for holiday decor is Phoradendron flavescens. Mistletoe is not as hardy as the other plants I’ve discussed above, being a native from New Jersey south to Florida, so it’s best to treat its sprigs with a preservative for use in outdoor Christmas decorations. Make a fresh cut on the bottom end of the branches and dip in glycerine. For more, please consult the following article:
Mistletoe for Outside Christmas Decorations
Now that we've looked at shrubs as natural outdoor Christmas decorations, on Page 2 we'll glance at trees that can be similarly used....
