Showcase Nature's Beauty Indoors with Winter Greens

Fresh winter greens are one of my holiday decorating staples because they're so versatile. No matter what is done with them, they look homey, festive, and fancy.

Evergreen boughs and branches can be fashioned into wreaths and garlands and simply popped into a window box or a planter at an entryway.

Here are Some Tips on Choosing Healthy, Fresh Greens and How to Keep Them Looking Fabulous:

1. Practically speaking, the fresher the greenery, the longer it will last.
   
   
2. If you can harvest your own greens, cut them as close to the date you need them.
   
   
3. If you buy them ahead of time, keep them outdoors where they stay cool or frozen - yes, in my backyard, they stay frozen - and then thaw them slowly indoors overnight before rehydrating and designing with them.
   
   
4. Whether clipping your own or purchasing evergreen foliage, look for Fir, Cedar, and Pine because they hold their needles well.

What to Look for When Purchasing Evergreen Branches:

Buying greens from a local grower is always a bonus because the foliage will spend less time in transport and should be significantly fresher.

4 Indicators of Fresh, Well-Hydrated Branches:

1. A vibrant, bright green colour indicates freshness and hydration. Avoid pale, greyish greens unless that is their natural colour.Brown tips are a sign of older branches beginning to dehydrate or can indicate a disease.

2. Fresh winter greenery is fragrant.
   
   
3. Hydrated branches will be sturdy and flexible. Dehydrated branches lose their flexibility and break easily.
   
   
4. individual evergreen needles should be firm and pliable and stay on the branch as you run your hand down it. Dehydrated needles will snap and fall off the branch with any pressure.

Conditioning Fresh Winter Greens Before Using Them for a Project

It's beneficial to condition or rehydrate winter greens before you use them.

There are a couple of different ways to condition thawed greens before working with them:

1. Give the stem ends a fresh cut at a 45-degree angle and let them absorb the water for 24 hours.
   
   
2. Soak the greenery in a tub of room-temperature water for up to 24 hours.

Winter Greenery Maintenance Tips

Outdoor Greenery:

• Outdoor wreaths, garlands, and planters kept in below-freezing weather will last for months. It's not uncommon to have wreaths last until March!

Indoor Greenery:

• Greenery can last 2-3 weeks indoors; the cooler it is kept, the longer it will last.
• Homes are warm and dry, so the goal is to keep the greenery hydrated.
• Keep winter foliage away from heat sources like forced air furnace vents and fireplaces and out of direct sunlight.
• Try to mist the cut ends and greens every couple of days.
• If you can, move the greenery to a cool place when it is not being featured.
• Use LED lights as they don't heat up and will not contribute to drying the greens.