Use evergreen foliage to create a natural Christmas ornament
Image: Jane Scorer
Creating a beautiful Christmas garland for a staircase depends more on having access to a plentiful supply of foliage, than it does upon creative abilities. Before you contemplate making your own garland, have a walk around the garden and note what greenery is available. You will need enough evergreens to generously cover at least double the length of the space to be covered.
You will need to cut pieces of conifer about 30 – 40cm long, depending on the size and scale of your project. The easiest way to ensure that you have enough branches to cut, is to build it into your annual pruning routine, so that an area is left unpruned earlier in the year, ready for this December cutting.
The conifer will form the base layer of your garland, and you can add as many other layers as you like, to this. I usually add Holly and two or three different ivys, using variegated foliage as well, to lend extra colour and interest. What else you include in your garland is a matter of personal choice, and your trip around the garden will give you lots of ideas about other evergreens you would like to use. Over the years I have tried using euonymus, laurel, aucuba, Clematis armandii and Viburnum Tinus, amongst others. Although larger leaves look great initially, they do not last like the conifer and Holly, and may need renewing at some point. The best thing to do is just to experiment and find what works for you.
Begin your garland by cutting and fixing a long piece of wire firmly in place, down your staircase, which will form the backbone of the whole structure. As we have a spindled staircase, I can secure the main wire several times with smaller wire ties, too.
Work can now begin, building up the layers of the garland, ensuring that use of greenery is generous. The branches of conifer can be fixed to the main wire horizontally if it is in short supply, but it looks much better if positioned vertically, as this makes for a fuller, more luxurious effect. I use fine horticultural wire to fix the foliage in position, twisting the wire around the stems for added stability.
Once the base layer of conifer clippings is complete, you can start the next layer, and this, like everything else, is a matter of personal preference. I use Holly for the second layer, and position the stems horizontally on top of the conifer, close to the main wire. The Holly will need to be wired into place too. A little tip is to cut long pieces of wire to make the initial fixings of the conifer clippings, and these can be used again for later layers of greenery, saving time, and making the whole process much easier.
I like to add a third layer of Ivy (which can disguise a multitude of sins!), which can be used horizontally, vertically, or a mix of both.
Keep adding greenery until your garland is lush and dense, and keep standing back to look at the overall effect, so that you can fill bare patches. You can then add the finishing touches – I usually add a string of small white lights, but over the years have tried all sorts of things, including tinsel, bows, ribbons and silken rope.
A home made garland is a traditional way of bringing greenery into the house to enjoy, and will give your home a truly festive feel at virtually no cost.
Have a very happy, home-made Christmas!
Want more advice on how to grow conifers and how to properly care for these evergreen plants? Head over to our helpful conifer hub page – T&M’s dedicated resource for everything you need to know about conifer care and advice.
I am the willing servant of my garden and also admit to a severe plant addiction. I love them all, but especially sub tropicals, roses, salvias, dahlias and auriculas. I enjoy propagation (because it makes even more plants!) and I hate weeding. My garden was a field when we first met, all those years ago, and its development has been a long, slow, labour of love. It is still evolving and changing all the time. I have opened for the NGS in the recent past, and I have an RHS Qualification, but, the experience I value has mainly been gained with my hands deep in the soil.
As a freelance garden writer, Jane has also written articles for ‘ThinkinGardens’ and ‘Garden Drum’
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