Outdoor decorating for the holidays doesn’t mean you have to go overboard, like Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. In fact, there are lots of relatively simple – and very elegant – ways to compliment the natural beauty of your yard and create a festive mood. Here are eight of our favorite (and easy) holiday landscaping ideas:
Fill those planting pots. Take all those summer planting pots and fill them up with winter bouquets made of evergreen boughs, dried branches, ribbon and berries. Utilize any natural elements from your own yard, like pine branches or needles, pine cones, boxwoods, dried hydrangea flowers or leftover seedpods. Place larger pots alone, or cluster varied sizes together to highlight your walkway, door or patio.
Add mood lighting. Illuminate some of your existing elements in the yard by adding spotlights with colored lights. Or wrap branches or trunks with strands of lights or garland, and add waterproof tubed lighting to sidewalks, under porches, or on other structures in your outdoor space.
Don’t forget the door. Doorways are perfect canvases for holiday spirit. Purchase a couple of smaller trees (like a Frasier fir or Alberta spruce), set them in containers and cover the edges with decorative garland or pine needles. Place them on either side of the entry or front porch (and when you’re ready to take down decorations, plant your new trees in a special place in your yard). Additionally, embellish fresh, pre-made evergreen wreaths with ornaments, ribbons or natural elements like pine cones or dried flowers. Frame the doorway with garland and twinkling lights.
Highlight your mailbox. Wrap garland or tie swags of pine in layers with wire around your mailbox to set a warm or whimsical tone. Add ornaments, ribbons or other items available from your local craft store.
Take it to the next level. If you already have boxwoods, smaller potted arrangements or evergreens in your yard, add seasonal elements that can be changed from fall to winter. Pheasant or peacock feathers, gourds, corn stalks and tree branches are perfect for late fall. Switch to holly, winterberry and velvet ribbons for December. And then add glitter sprays, shiny objects or sprinkle waterproof confetti to bring in the New Year.
Dress up outdoor seating. Benches or built-in seating areas are perfect places to add clusters of holiday greenery, gazing balls, wooden signs or baskets of pine cones. Cruise the aisles of your local nursery or home improvement store to find interesting items that will add color to outdoor tables and chairs.
Switch it up. Look around your storage shelves for any interior design pieces that can be taken outdoors. Plastic fruit, for instance, can add color and warmth to outdoor bushes, trees or containers. Or maybe you have a plastic bin full of old, dried flowers that are begging for attention. Add them to some of your outdoor decorations for color and texture.
Recycle and create new masterpieces. Take your family on a treasure hunt to a nearby Goodwill and rescue wooden signs or frames, old sleds, baskets or other decorative elements that can be embellished and used outdoors. Even a pair of worn boots or ski poles can be the foundation for unique holiday creations. Make it a family event and enjoy the process.
You don’t have to spend a fortune or blow the fuses to show your holiday spirit. But if you are ready for larger landscaping projects, or you want to give the gift of a new patio, fire pit or pergola to your loved ones for the holidays, give us a call at (317) 259-9222. We can help you with that.
