Pick and choose from these fun and inspiring ideas to give your 12 days of Christmas a real festive shine!
1 Put together the easiest festive container!
The promising, bobbly dark red flower buds of skimmia decorate pots for weeks in winter and work well with other acid-loving plants, such as rich red-berried gaultheria, and festive garlands of ivy work well in any pot or basket. You could also substitute with trailing vinca, which may even give you the odd winter flower to enjoy.
2 Wreath with a twist
If you like having a traditional wreath but want to give it a bit of a twist, try a few clusters of the jewel-like purple berries of callicarpa. Along with some skimmia berries, they will add a fun pop of colour that will make your door the envy of the street! Attach the berries as a finishing touch, leaving a length of stem that can be secured to the wreath with florist’s wire. And why not pop in a few sprigs of rosemary to add a hint of scent?
3 Make suet cakes
A great way to keep feathered friends full and bring festive fun to a garden table. Mix scraps of cheese, nuts, seeds, dried fruit and dry porridge oats, and then mix in melted suet or lard. Pour the mixture into festive moulds to make stars or Christmas puddings! Leave in the fridge overnight. A moss wreath and trailing evergreens gives the display a final flourish.
4 Bird wreath feeder
A beautiful decoration and a welcome feast for the birds. Using strands of fir twigs and ivy vines, create an evergreen circle to form an attractive bird feeder. Add colour by weaving in holly berries and small fruit. Suitable food, such as peanuts, apples and a sunflower heart, can be strung from garden twine and then hung from the wreath. Nuts can be slotted into open fir cones, providing both decoration and food. Finally, make a few holes in small branches to hold easy-to-make, nourishing fat sticks.
5 Homemade Christmas decorations
This simple hanging decoration is loaded with festive cheer -all from the garden. The assortment includes a moss star festooned with LED lights, pine cones large and small, fragrant eucalyptus and pine stems – all tied to a sturdy hazel pole with twine and suspended from a wall hook. Aromatic oils from the foliage will be released in the warmth.
