Bring the outside indoors to enjoy the garden even when wintry weather keeps you inside, says Sue Bradley.
Our ancestors knew a thing or two about brightening the darkest days of winter. When the weather allowed they’d be out and about collecting colourful and sometimes fragrant foliage, vibrant berries and various other bits and pieces from hedgerows and gardens to bring indoors.
Decking the halls with boughs of holly was the way to mark the Yuletide season long before mass-produced fairylights, glass baubles and tinsel were all the rage, and many of us are now seeing the money saving and wellbeing value in taking inspiration from these old ways.
More natural inspiration than ever
One advantage we have in the 21st Century over those who came before us, is that our choice of garden plants producing material suitable for winter displays is greater than ever, with a wide world of species now growing in many gardens. From the deep red hips of Rosa rugosa to the large and colourful crepe-like flowerheads of Hydrangea macrophylla and the fragrant foliage of eucalyptus, there’s no end of choice and opportunity for creative indoor inspiration.
Perhaps one of the greatest advantages to be had from creating natural decorations for the home is that it encourages us to wrap up warm and spend time outside tuning into our gardens as we seek out and collect materials during the shortest days of the year. This helps us to switch off from the stresses of the world as we forage fruitfully for berries and branches and take a lingering look at the beauty of plants and the natural world. It’s also a great way to get a head start on cutting back shrubs that have got a bit out of hand.
Once foliage, berries, seedheads and the like have been gathered
It’s then time to get creative: from threading ivy around staircase spindles to filling ceramic bowls with contrasting stems and even making pretty decorations for doors, our imaginations are the only limits to what we can achieve.
Employ reusable or compostable alternatives where you can
Such as scrunched up chicken wire, potatoes or straw such as scrunched up chicken wire, potatoes or straw.
If you’re stuck for inspiration, why not treat yourself to a day out at an historic house, in which natural materials are often used for festive decorations.
Gathering material from the garden to brighten our homes over the winter may be an old practice, but it’s one that is free and which is guaranteed to bring joy and a meaningful inner warmth throughout the weeks to come.
Four great ideas for making the most of winter foliage
Bring a staircase to life with long lengths of ivy, which look great draped around spindles. Add ivy flower buds or berries, produced on older plants, for variety. This time-honoured form of decoration has a softening effect and is fragrant and long-lasting.
Seek out foliage in a range of contrasting colours to create striking focal points in the home. The bronze leaves of mahonia, spotted Japanese laurel Aucuba japonica, berry-rich holly, variegated euonymus and trailing ivy all play their part in this ensemble.
Teasels have a structural and irresistibly tactile quality that make them perfect for winter arrangements. They contrast pleasingly with dried artichoke heads, which can be sprayed gold to provide a contrast. The seeds of stinking iris and flower buds of ivy provide added interest.
Door decorations don’t have to be round: here the filigree-like foliage of leylandii provides the background for an ensemble of berries, cones and evergreen leaves, including euonymus, holly and Garrya elliptica.
Find more tips, advice and articles like this at the Amateur Gardening website.
