One of our favorite ways to decorate for the holidays is by using fresh greenery. This can be intimidating for some! We get so many questions about how long it lasts, how to install it, and what type of greens we added to our cedar rope. As you know, we absolutely love West Coast Gardens. When we stopped by for a visit a couple weeks ago, their selection of greenery for the holidays was out of this world. It was stunning! We knew we wanted to call on them to help us with our garlands and wreaths this season!

I really do believe fresh greenery is an absolute must for me during Christmas! (The way it makes your house smell is completely worth the extra work to keep it looking healthy!) We thought it might be fun to give you some inspiration and share options for how to decorate your home, inside and out, with holiday greens.

The fireplace garland is just what I wanted. Again, it’s cedar rope! We attached it with the help of Command Ⓡ Large Hooks or Knobs, placing a hook at the top of each end of our fireplace and then using wire to attach the rope. Once it was up, we added other greens to make it thick and lush. This garland has an array of silver dollar eucalyptus, juniper berries, Carolina sapphire cypress and sprigs of white pine. It’s just what I wanted!

A couple tips for keeping the greens as fresh as possible:

Spray your greens with water every couple of days. Keep them away from any vents or heating as much as possible. (Maybe even place your fresh greens outdoors or in the garage when not in use.) Lastly, I would replace any little sprigs that dry up as necessary.

Our Christmas banister is a reader favorite! We adorned the banisters with cedar rope, using zap straps to keep them in place and adding in some other greens, like silver dollar eucalyptus, to add depth. My favorite signature touch – and the perfect way to personalize yours – is gorgeous ribbons! This year I choose a gorgeous caramel velvet ribbon layered over an oversized apricot taffeta one to really make it pop! Tie the bows before attaching them to the garland with a thin wire. It will give you an effortless bow, a perfect finishing touch! And my secret to where I find the most stunning ribbon? This Etsy shop. I’ve been purchasing my ribbon from them for years now! I make sure to place a new order every year to switch it up a bit! I also like to order an extra amount to match my gift wrapping too!

White poinsettias will always be my all-time favorite. West Coast Gardens grows all their own poinsettias and it’s a sight to see! They have a wide range of colors, including a beautiful blush pink that I added to our powder room. However, the stark white flowers are stunning. They offer the quintessential Christmas look to our kitchen and dining room. Whatever color you choose to go with, I love the look of having all one put together in an oversized pot/urn or one single on its own.

Tip: Poinsettias don’t like to dry out (or sit in water) so it’s best to get your water right in the middle of the plant and give those urns about 3-4 oz. of water every 3 or 4 days.

 And the front door – the much-anticipated front door wreath! This oversized wreath is classic and simple, and the added touches of magnolia bring everything together. It makes such a beautiful statement! West Coast Gardens has an amazing selection of wreaths in a range of different sizes.

As for the front planter pots, these are one of my favorite pieces. They turned out better than I expected. Luckily, for you and I, Jason from West Coast Gardens shared his best tips and tricks for re-creating one of these planters. (And, as always, their team would be happy to make them up for you if you’d prefer!)

• Start with soil: It can be any type you may have on hand as you’ll only need it to anchor the arrangement. Alternately, if you have fall planters that are done for the season, you can shear off the plants and use that as a base.
• Establish the height: We used birch as the focal point. Jason recommends to either double or triple the height, depending on the space available. We went for double because we didn’t want to block too much natural light from the front of the home.
• Build around the planter: We started with large pieces of pine and dug them deep into the soil to anchor them well. Continue around the base and keep adding different textures as you go.

For the rest of the front entrance, we chose a mixed cedar rope to hang around the door, doubling up on cedar to achieve a fuller look. It’s held up by nails and wire at the top of the door frame.

As for the rest of our outdoor holiday decor, we added door swags with seeded eucalyptus, a touch of Carolina sapphire cypress and white pine around the garage lights, and created a mixed greens window box arrangement outside the kitchen. Plus, the two pots on our back deck.

Jason’s tip: If outdoor pots don’t get a lot of moisture and are in a covered or partially covered area, give them some water to keep the greens fresh.

I decided to put cedar rope on our front gate the perfect welcoming touch when we have guests come over. We attached the cedar rope with zap straps. Depending on your space, you may be able to use them or attach nails to loop the rope wire around them.

On the top of the posts at our gate, we updated the two pots with greens, including cedar and pine. And this is where West Coast Gardens is amazing: You can bring them pots you already own and they’ll turn them into a masterpiece. They also have all kinds of pre-made arrangements. Or you can pick out a couple of pots at their shop and tackle an arrangement on your own if you’re feeling inspired.

And then a little touch of a smaller version of the front door wreath over on the playhouse! I love adding these extra little touches to our property. And the kids appreciate it too!

If you’re looking for a wide variety of gorgeous greens and festive flowers to decorate your home, both inside and out, we recommend going to look at West Coast Gardens! They have an excellent selection of everything you need to get your home looking (and smelling) like a holiday haven. They even deliver if you live in the GVRD!