6 Last-Minute Holiday Decorations You Can Make Using Garden Greenery

The garden may be dormant over winter, but evergreen plants and berry-bearing shrubs and trees are still packed with seasonal interest. So why not bring the outside in and imbue your festive decor with their natural beauty?

Making holiday decor from the garden only requires a few green and healthy-looking stems from your evergreen plants. If your garden is looking bare, then forage some stems on local woodland walks. Ideal plants include pine, spruce, fir, holly, eucalyptus, and herbs such as rosemary and bay. A few berries, flowers, seedheads, and pinecones add festive flavor but are strictly optional.

These inspiring projects take just a few minutes to complete – perfect for when guests are on their way over – but will add holiday charm to table settings, gifts, living rooms, and more.

1. Decorate Chair Backs

This foliage chair-back decoration couldn't be simpler and really adds the wow factor to a holiday table setting. All you need is a few sprigs of greenery and a ribbon.

1. Grab a handful of greenery and snip the stems to about 12-15 inches in length – you don't have to be exact as some variation looks more natural.
2. Split the greenery in half and arrange each half into a little bouquet. You can tie these together if it helps.
3. Lay the bouquets on a table with the greenery pointing in opposite directions, crossing over the stems in the middle.
4. Tie a ribbon or fine string tightly around the middle of the arrangement, then, holding the decoration in place, use another piece of ribbon to attach it to the chair, finishing with a bow.

2. Rosemary Wreath

There are so many lovely rosemary decor ideas to try, which not only look beautiful but add a delicious aroma to interiors. A mini rosemary wreath is particularly festive and can be hung from a door or cupboard, or placed on a dinner plate as part of a decorative table setting.

You'll need some fairly long rosemary stems, a small wire frame – which you can make – floristry wire or invisible string, and ribbon.

1. If making a wire frame, take a medium-gage piece of wire around 20 inches in length – or longer if you want a bigger wreath. Bend it into a circular shape and twist the ends together, flattening them with pliers.
2. Take a stem of rosemary and hold the end of it at the bottom of your wreath, affixing it in place with floristry wire.
3. Following the curve of the frame, bend the rosemary stem to cover the wire frame, securing it as you go. When half the frame is covered, stop and tie off the rosemary.
4. If your rosemary stems are not long enough, you'll need to do this in two stages, but you want the stems pointing in one direction.
5. Cover the other half of the frame, mirroring the first side.
6. Finish by tying a ribbon at the top of the wreath, covering the base of the stems.

3. Garden Posy

An adorable garden posy can be used to adorn gifts or to elevate a place setting at the dinner table. Use any attractive foliage you have to hand, plus any small flowers or berries you have in the garden. This design uses sprigs of heather, eucalyptus, and mimosa. All you need is a fine ribbon to finish it off.

1. Cut two short lengths each of eucalyptus, heather, and mimosa – or your chosen sprigs – to a similar length.
2. Lay a sprig of heather as the base, then add a layer of eucalyptus, then mimosa on top; then, repeat.
3. Pinch the stems together at the base, make any finer adjustments to the posy, and secure it with a festive ribbon.

4. Foliage Centerpiece

Arranging a table centerpiece might seem daunting, but this simple foliage design is as easy as it gets, and makes a real statement. You'll need plenty of lush foliage, such as eucalyptus, a tray, and pillar candles.

1. Place two or three pillar candles into the center of the tray. It looks best when the candles have burnt at different rates.
2. Take generous lengths of foliage slightly longer than the radius of the tray and arrange them so that they radiate out from the center, weaving the stem ends in between the candles.
3. Use some shorter ends going around the outside of the tray, poking the stems underneath other foliage to disguise them. Build up the arrangement in layers until it looks full.
4. The design looks stunning as just foliage, but you can also add berries or even a dusting of artificial snow.

5. Door Swag

No time to make a winter wreath for the door? A festive door swag will take you a fraction of the time and creates a natural, rustic vibe.

All you need is a generous handful of foliage and a ribbon. Softer stems, such as asparagus fern, work particularly well, but you can use any foliage you have available. Optionally you can add berry stems.

1. Arrange your stems into a bouquet and trim the ends neatly.
2. Tie a festive ribbon around the stems with a bow, It looks pretty to have long ends hanging down in front of the foliage.
3. Attach to the door using a hook, or tie it onto the door handle.

6. Fireplace Decor

Aside from the Christmas tree, the fireplace provides the best opportunity for creating a fabulous festive focal point. While a garland can be time consuming to make, arranging foliage and berries across the mantel takes just a few minutes

1. Cut foliage stems to the desired length and arrange them across the mantelpiece, starting in the middle and working your way to the outer edges. It looks more natural when some of the branches hang over the front.
2. It helps to have some ornaments on the mantel to provide an anchor for the foliage – use small presents and candles, with a central focal point, such as a candleholder or clock.
3. Insert stems of berries into the arrangement to add a pop of color.

More Festive Inspiration

• Discover the best flowering Christmas plants to provide a dazzling show over the festive period.
• Recreate Reese Witherspoon’s natural DIY wreath, adorned with berries and pinecones.
• See 6 real mini Christmas rree varieties that prove good things come in small packages.