How to Hang Evergreens Around the Doorway

Cedar branches are an ideal evergreen base.

Whatever your cultural background or traditions, the winter holidays are a joyous time that often calls for home decorating to get into the festive spirit. Lights, candles, ornaments and gifts may be part of the celebration equation, but having the fragrance of evergreens spread around fully complements the season and brings a bit of the wintry outdoors inside. Using items from your own yard or garden, or from nearby nurseries and tree stands, you can create swags or garlands to drape or hang around the house, in particular your entry door, to serve as a bright welcome.

Things You'll Need

• Cedar branches
• Holly branches
• Juniper branches
• Pine branches
• Ivy vines
• Mistletoe (optional)
• Tarp (optional)
• Bucket with water (optional)
• Loppers or garden shears
• Measuring tape
• Floral wire
• Floral tape
• Scissors
• Wire cutters
• Ribbons (optional)
• Small holiday lights (optional)
• Small ornaments (optional)
• Tacks or small nails
• Hooks
• Hammer
• Other hand tools (optional)

Instructions

1. Gather your fresh greenery. Fresh prunings from your own or a neighbor's evergreens reduce costs, or you can purchase directly from sellers. Holly, ivy and mistletoe can often be found in wild areas.

2. Set up a work area where you can cut, trim and make the garland. You can work indoors or outside, but know that you will have a little mess from all the clippings to clean up afterward. Spreading a tarp over the floor can help but isn't absolutely necessary.

3. Trim the greenery branches down to usable sizes, such as 8- to 12-inch sections. Use the ones with the narrowest diameter as they are more pliable. Remove anything dead or disfigured from each section. Save the best pieces in a pile for immediate use or keep them fresh in a bucket of water until you are ready to weave them together.

4. Measure your door frame down each side and across the top. This gives you the total length you'll need for the final greenery. Cut two sections of floral wire for each side of the door and two for the top, allowing an extra few inches. For example, if your door measures 7 feet in height by 3 feet in width, cut four 7-foot 6-inch and two 3-foot 4-inch pieces of wire. The extra length typically gets used in in wrapping around the greens.

5. Start with the cedar branches and wrap one section of wire around pieces so they overlap slightly. Work the branches along the full length of wire. Go back to the end and add in other greenery, securing it with the other section of wire or with small pieces of wire to hold small pieces together, such as for tucking in holly or mistletoe spaced about every foot. Floral tape can also work to hold pieces in place.

6. Repeat the process of wiring the greens together for all three sides of the door and then twist the ends of the wired evergreens together for the final full garland. Hide any metal by tucking in greens or using floral tape.

7. Wrap thin red, white or gold ribbon loosely around the entire length if desired or wrap small lights along the full length of the garland, leaving the plug end at the lower end that will be nearest an electric outlet.

8. Place one hook at each of the top two corners of the door to hold the top of the garland. Alternatively, place a couple of nails and strong tacks at the top of the door. Find the middle of the garland to place at the center top of the door. Drape the garland so it is held up by the hooks or nails along the top and hangs down the sides. Add tacks, hooks or nails along the sides to secure it in place.

9. Hang a few small ornaments at various places along the sides of the swag for extra color. Close the door, take pictures and then invite your friends over to celebrate.

Tips & Warnings

• Cut wider branches with loppers and trim or shape smaller ones with garden shears.

• If the final length is too long, just cut it back with the wire cutters or let it drape on the ground below the door, facing outward.

• The more variety you use and the fuller you create your evergreen garland, the heavier it can be. The key positions for holding it up are the upper two corners, so use something strong to secure to the door frame, ideally where any holes will not be obvious.