One of my favorite things about decorating for the holidays is making wreaths and garlands from fresh seasonal greenery. It makes our entire house smell like a forest and when you live with three boys, you need all the help you can get. 😂
My absolute favorite greenery is Cedar. I buy a ton of it to make holiday wreaths, chandeliers, and garlands. See?
This is what our dining room and sitting room looked like last year.
Making your own wreaths/garlands cost a fraction of what you would spend if you were buying them premade. So I tend to take the DIY route. Plus you get to customize it to fit your style.
To see how I made the cedar chandeliers CLICK HERE. To get the details on my holiday garland CLICK HERE. For the details on my holiday hoop wreaths CLICK HERE.
This cedar wreath I made last year is still one of my favorites. That tutorial can be found HERE.
But before you can make your wreaths and garlands you need to have the greenery. So I put together a list of places I’ve been able to find seasonal greenery in the past.
Where to get seasonal greenery
Trader Joe’s
Local florist
Grocery store
Your yard
Your neighbors yard (with permission)
I usually buy seasonal greenery from our local florist. Believe it or not, it is quiet inexpensive. I pay about $7.00 for each bundle of pine and cedar. The bundles are huge. Of course this varies from florist to florist, but I recommend trying a local florist first if you don’t have access to free greenery i.e. your yard or your neighbors yard.
Believe it or not, I have found that bigger florist chains actually charge substantially more. Like, a crazy amount more. However, you can usually find eucalyptus at Trader Joe’s for less than $3.
Now to discuss types of seasonal greenery.
I loved THIS article from One Kings Lane. They also included a picture of different types of seasonal greenery just incase you are not sure which is which. See below.
Now let’s talk about the lifespan of greenery. Note, I am referencing the lifespan based on indoor use only.
The lifespan of seasonal greenery varies, so I provided a list below. Please know these are my opinions and based on my experiences with these types of greenery. There are several other types of seasonal greenery, but I am only providing information on the types I have used.
Cedar – 4-5 weeks
Pine – 3-4 weeks
Noble Fir – 1-2 weeks
Boxwood – 2-3 weeks
Olive stems – 2-3 days
Silver Dollar Eucalyptus – 1 week
Seeded Eucalyptus – 1-1.5 weeks
Tip: I would use a spray bottle to regularly mist the greenery with water.
Side note, I absolutely love the look of fresh olive stems, but they do not do well indoors unless they are in water. They dry up super quick, but they do last longer outdoors in the cold.
For the garlands and wreaths I plan to make this year I purchased Wilt Pruf to try and prolong the life of the greenery. It got rave reviews on Amazon so I decided to try it out. I’ve never used it, so I can not say it actually works, but I’ll let you know if it does!
P.S. This is a sneak peek of one of the wreaths and garlands I made this year. Follow me on Instagram @acarriedaffairdesigns so you don’t miss the full reveal.
And that’s a wrap! I hope you enjoyed my post and that you find it helpful to keep your fresh greenery thriving through the holidays. Until next time. Xo
