Every year, I adorn the mailbox post out by the road with a swag made of balsam fir (Abies balsamea), Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), pine cones and winterberries (Ilex verticillata), and top it with a pretty bow in hopes that it helps put passersby in a festive mood.
A friend of my son’s made this beautiful ceramic cup, which I used to make a small arrangement for the desk that sits next to our front door. Made of the same ingredients as above, it has little 2″ spruce cones in the center. When there isn’t much space, little vases can do a lot to brighten up a spot.
Many thanks to Cathy at Rambling In the Garden, who hosts a weekly meme to showcase arrangements made from our land and gardens. Wander over to see what gardeners all over the world are arranging this week. Feel free to join in, sharing your own weekly creation with a link to Cathy’s blog.
Happy Solstice everyone!
The Christmas holiday theme continues this week with a hanging basket of balsam fir (Abies balsamea), Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), holly sprigs (Ilex x meserveae ‘Blue Princess’) and winterberries (Ilex verticillata).
I removed the gold oak leaves from the harvest wreath, then added evergreens, pinecones and a few manmade baubles to add a bit of glitz: sage green, faux eucalyptus sprigs and a couple glittery, round balls. For comparison, here is the original: 
Remarkably, the young canes are relatively free of thorns, which apparently develop in the second year. I only encountered one small thorn as I wove this wreath, sitting in the sun on one of the warmer days this week. 
Measuring about six inches in diameter, I added a few privet berries (Ligustrum vulgare), another invasive (!) and a jute bow.
Wander over to see what gardeners all over the world are arranging this week. Feel free to join in, sharing your own weekly vase with a link to Cathy’s blog.
