How To Keep Christmas Greenery Fresh

If you enjoy using fresh greenery during the holidays, you may be looking for ideas to help keep it looking good throughout the season. Keeping Christmas Greenery Fresh is not as difficult as you might think. Although I’m not a professional, here are some simple tips that I use when I start to cut fresh greenery and begin to decorate for Christmas.

These tips and ideas will help to ensure your garlands, arrangements, and wreaths look fresh for as long as possible. There’s nothing worse than having to replace greenery in your arrangements before Christmas day. Follow these simple tips and enjoy your fresh evergreens for weeks.

What Are The Best Christmas Evergreens?

The easiest answer to this question is any evergreen that you have growing in your landscape or property. Some will last longer than others, but all look beautiful in containers during the holidays.

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Here are some of my favorites to use during Christmas!

• Magnolia
• Cedar
• Pine, Leyland Pine, Spruce,
• Juniper
• Holly
• Boxwood
• Nandina

Nandina is so beautiful during the holidays, and the red berries make it perfect for Christmas arrangements.

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Christmas Decorating With Greenery

I love decorating with natural evergreens or greenery for Christmas.

We have an abundance of cedar, magnolia, pine, and boxwood just outside our front door.

In addition, I like to use fresh herbs such as Rosemary and Sage. Both are hardy and are usually still available through the holidays here in the south.

Using a combination of both evergreens and herbs is a budget-friendly way to decorate for the holidays.

Once Christmas is over, the greenery and herbs can be added to a compost, making it a sustainable way to decorate.

Adding greenery and herbs will make the house smell fresh and infuse your home with the expected fragrances of the holidays.

How to Keep Christmas Greenery Fresh

First, you want to hydrate your greenery. This should begin immediately after you cut it.

Immediately Add Fresh Stems To The Water

You can fill containers with water to place the fresh cutting into immediately.

Leave in the water for as long as 24 hours before using the cuttings in your arrangement.

Submerge Plants In Water

Another method is to submerge the entire plant in cold water and leave for approx. 24 hours. You want your evergreens to absorb as much water as possible.

Arrange in Water

It’s easy to add water to most containers. I’ve shared how I add tin cans to baskets and large containers that are not waterproof to hydrate plants and flowers. This method works great for evergreens as well.

You can see how to add containers to a wall basket here and a tabletop basket here.

Here, a combination of Nandina, Cedar, and Rosemary creates a festive Christmas arrangement in a milk glass vase that can hold water.

Which Greenery Lasts the Longest?

Obviously, all greenery will last longer when watered properly; however, some greenery will last longer than others.

Magnolia Leaves

Magnolia leaves are excellent for Christmas Decorating because they last so long. Their leaves can begin to curl and turn brown after a few weeks if placed in a hot space or close to a heat vent.

I made this fresh magnolia wreath last Christmas and used it to decorate the house for over 10 months. You can see how the leaves dried to a greenish-silver color but still look beautiful.

Boxwood

When harvested in the winter, boxwood will last for months without water. The leaves will be brittle but still look fresh. Just don’t touch them. LOL

Cedar and Leyland Pine

Cedar and Leyland Pine are both long-lasting if you don’t touch them. They maintain an evergreen appearance for some time, although they have become brittle.

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How To Hydrate When Stems Can’t Be Submerged In Water

Garlands and topiaries are examples of greenery applications that you can’t add to water. Although you can’t add water to the Cedar & Orange Topiary, there are ways to keep it looking fresh longer.

You can prolong the freshness by keeping the stems in water, as suggested above, before arranging the greenery.

Then, avoid placing close to heat vents.

Finally, mist the greenery with water daily.

What if it’s faded, and you don’t want to replace

This is another great tip for faded greenery as well as faded moss. Just add a drop or two of green food coloring to your water before misting.

This will instantly refresh the look of your greenery. The same precautions should apply to protect your tables and surrounding areas as above.

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Fresh Christmas Greenery Outdoors

I love to use fresh greenery in existing flower pots and containers.

Just place stems into the dirt to hold them in place.

See The Secret to Making Fresh Cedar Garland tutorial.

Mix Fresh Greenery with Artificial Greenery

Another way to make your fresh greenery look better longer is to mix fresh greenery with artificial evergreens.

The cedar and pine wreath is made using a faux pine wreath but adds sprigs of fresh cedar. Now, the wreath is full and still looks natural.

Outside vs. Indoor Greenery

Christmas Greenery used to decorate outdoors will stay fresh much longer than what you bring indoors.

The stems in outdoor planters can be placed in the potting soil, keeping them moist longer. In addition, the cooler weather vs. indoor heating is another reason they will stay fresh looking longer.

When decorating for an event, such as a Christmas Party, I usually cut inside greenery the week of the event.

If cut too early, you may have to replace it before your guest arrives.

However, I’ve had good success with wreaths and other arrangements that are kept away from the sunlight and heating vents.

Magnolias and boxwood will last for weeks indoors.

The magnolia leaves will stay green but may begin to curl after a few weeks.

Boxwood will dry with a fresh green appearance. You can leave it in containers for months, but avoid using it in a traffic area, as the leaves will drop if they are touched.

Fresh Greenery Tutorials

• The Secret To Making A Fresh Magnolia Wreath
• Easy Rustic Wreath with Deer Antlers, Magnolia Leaves, and Pinecones
• Rustic Chic Greenery and Feather Centerpiece
• The secret to making a Fresh Cedar Garland
• DIY Real Cedar and Dried Orange Topiaries
• Herb and Dried Fruit Garland
• Fresh Boxwood DIY Topiaries

Resources

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I look forward to sharing my next adventure with you.

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