Bring Joy with Plants

Whether or not you are welcoming a small group of family to your home this year, having it decorated nicely, indoors and out, will do wonders for personal happiness.

The horticultural business has, for the most part, had a successful year (trying, but successful) because the simple fact is “plants make people happy”. We can classify outdoor evergreen arrangements, garland and even artificial trees in the house, as plants – why not?  They are seasonal, botanical and make our homes feel welcoming and warm.

Making your own outdoor evergreen arrangements from boughs you source from a walk in the woods (be sure to have permission and cut responsibly) or from bundles ordered for curbside pick up from a great local garden centre is easy. Lay out all materials, including a sharp pair of hand clippers, and use the existing soil from Summer/Fall plantings in weather-proof pots to push the ends of boughs firmly into the soil. Be sure to cut a variety of branches (pine, cedar, balsam or the like) into pieces of various sizes and use multiple stems so the arrangements are full and able to handle weight of the snow. Once the “greening” is complete, the addition of pinecones, hydrangeas blooms, berries or even a jolly elf face personalizes your project. There are many good instructional videos online, if you wish a visual tutorial. 

Fresh evergreen boughs can be brought indoors too; be sure to do so close to the holiday as they last only 7 to 10 days in the warmth of our homes. Lay small branches across the mantle, as the runner on a harvest table, around picture frames or in a vase in the bathroom. Consider the style of your indoor decor and perhaps add pinecones, saucers of nuts in the shell, shiny ornaments, a potted cyclamen or poinsettia, or strings of cranberries and popcorn. Even if company is not coming this year, these touches will make you smile and appreciate the small details in a life slowed down during this extraordinary year.

By Vikki Whitney, Owner of Griffin’s Greenhouses
705-652-8638 or 1-877-647-4334
www.griffinsgreenhouses.com