Holiday Exterior Garden Design: Container Compositions Kissed with Winter Greens & Edibles

What do white pine, Lady Apples, cranberries, rosemary and cut holly greens say about the holidays?  

A Happy, Homegrown, Seasonal Celebration.

The combination of garden edibles and clippings from conifers and hollies captured in the yard contribute to a robust, holiday welcome decor.

Anyone can create a unique holiday composition with ingredients from the garden.  

Mother Nature directs the exterior design and ignites the imagination.  

Conifers and hollies benefit from cuttings at this time of year when the plants are in a dormant stage.  

String the cranberries and Lady Apples.  

Cut rosemary or other herbs from the garden add to the edible container compositions.

Add a few glittery, gold or colored balls and lights and well - the sigh-inducing, magical, seasonal spirit of the holidays is captured in home garden design. 

The water garden's urn boasts gold balls and garden elements.  Fish approved!

Fountain-sitting for a garden design client couple who are still not back in their Superstorm-Sandy ravaged home.  Their fountain sprite called out to me; she needed a colorful scarf!

Add a holiday bow to a childhood sled and happy memories greet guests before they hit the front door!

Harvest to Holiday Container Garden Design

H2 Oh!  Harvest to Holiday

 I hope your Thanksgiving holiday celebration was filled with love—family and real food and sharing. 

And soon-to-be-happy memories.

Mother and I cooked up a storm with her homemade bread, fresh turkey and trimmings – and all to supplement my Thanksgiving raffle-winning, gourmet Thanksgiving dinner for six from Sickles Market, Little Silver, in the Garden State.

More on that delicious homegrown culinary elegance in my next post.

Here I will say the pumpkin bisque soup and the spicy, southwest inspired cranberry corn relish were amazing and the talk of the table.

The weather in the Northeast, New York metro area was sublime. 

It felt like September – balmy in the high 60’s – and in some locales, tipping to the 70’s.  A record-breaker in many places.

It was energizing weekend to work in the garden and change out the containers from Harvest to Holiday.

While, it did feel a tad odd to press red holiday ribbons and sparkly silver balls next to the winter pansies J  

it was an ideal weekend to compost the mums and pumpkins  – (hello squash blossoms next year) 

and to visit the nurseries to select plants and accessories for the holiday compositions for the containers.

I am privileged to work for a number of spectacular, garden design clients.  I can’t do enough for them.

One client is dedicated to a white and green garden color design. 

Over time, I’ve introduced silver and steely blue plants for a cool elegance.

I figured a sparkly silver sparkle could only add to the garden glamour of the spring topiary and custom white planters from Pennoyer and Newman distinctive garden pots: 

http://www.pennoyernewman.com/

Topiary view from front door & walk towards double white marble & grass parking courts

Two smaller planter across the driveway from front door punctuates garden bed separating checkerboard parking courts 

I kept the Holiday container decorations focus on the plants at another client where the color design is a seasonal red.

The nandina plants that border the front walk turn a brilliant crimson soon after the fall. (Spring they are a light green and summer they are dark green)

Years ago I chose the garden room’s color palette to complete the serene Mediterranean stucco house and walk.

The red sparkle and bows are just fancy enough to jazz up the red pansies and dwarf Alberta spruce.

No screaming Santas, or blow up snowmen.  No abundance of lights that use up energy or make a yard look like an airport runway.  The garden art whispers Happy Holidays with nature’s plants and ornaments in a refined, elegant and glamorous way.

Keep the focus on family and friends… 

More holiday garden cheer to come.  It’s the start of a spectacular season!

Cheers.