Most of us make the effort to decorate our home for Christmas, with festive lights, a Christmas tree, holly, mistletoe, baubles, tinsel and colourful decorations creating a warm and welcoming feeling for the season of goodwill, but how many of us make the same effort to bring some festive spirit into our garden? After all, as we arrive home after a hard day’s work, and when visitors arrive for a festive gathering, the first thing everyone sees is the garden!
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This doesn’t necessarily mean erecting inflatable Santas and giant snowmen! The garden can be decorated as brightly, or as subtly, as you like. If you want to go down the traditional route, that’s fine, but there are also many other ways of bringing some colour and sparkle to your garden to brighten up those dark winter days.
Read on for some tips on how to create your own festive garden…
Setting a theme
Rather than just randomly setting up decorations without any thought, first set yourself a theme – do you want to go traditional with red and green, or do you prefer to add a touch of sparkle? Decide upon the festive ambience you hope to achieve this holiday season.
You may wish to go all out to make your garden the envy of all your neighbours with a multitude of sparkling lights and elaborate displays, or you may choose a simple theme, such as a hand-made wreath and some soft, glowing, candle-type lights. Whatever you’re planning, make sure you choose a theme in advance.
Natural beauty
The multitude of seasonal plants around during the festive season means you can make the most of winter foliage and wreaths for a naturally beautiful look. Use fresh seasonal foliage by standing it in a substantial container filled with water, so that you can add to it and keep refreshing it throughout the Christmas period.
A nosegay containing several plants of the same kind can be hung at the window, while a berry-strewn wreath can be hung on the door. In Scandinavia, the tradition is to lay fir branches by the doorstep. When making up the door wreath, you can use classic colours such as red and green, or you can try different options, such as having sophisticated silver and red baubles hanging among the greenery.
Lights
There are plenty of LED lights and candles to choose from that will add a welcoming glow to your garden. The simplest way of using Christmas lights outdoors is to wrap fairy lights around bushes and tree branches, or around window and door frames.
Battery-powered outdoor fairy lights are simple and safe to use, and you can add to the light show by positioning illuminated creatures in various locations across your garden. Snowy owls, brown owls, birds, hedgehogs and frogs that light up can be placed around the garden to add a whimsical feel. When you decorate your patio, garden or path with twinkling lights, it puts guests in the party mood right away.
Consider wrapping your hedge in net lights, which are slightly more expensive than stranded lights – but they look fabulous! Add lights to your wreath on the door for an extra glow. You can put all your lights on a timer for low maintenance, so they automatically come on at dusk and go off at dawn.
Porch and lawn
You have a Christmas tree inside – so why not plant one outside too? Buy a larger tree that still has its roots attached in a pot and plant it in your garden. You can decorate it every Christmas with lights and it will also enhance the beauty of your garden all year round.
Decorate your garden benches with evergreens and Christmas baubles along the back and arm-rests. Wrap tinsel or garlands around columns, such as gate posts or decorative arches. You can use fresh or fake flowers, depending on how much time you have for garden maintenance over Christmas. Winter flowering plants such as poinsettias look wonderful with their bright red blooms.
Seasonal makeover
You can give your regular garden plants a seasonal makeover. For example, use ornaments, birch branches, holly, mistletoe and other seasonal plants to hang or drape over your regular plants.
Turn your window box planters into decorations by planting hardy shrubs in them for Christmas and adding LED light-up animals, such as dormice or hedgehogs. Add simple white lights and wire stars to bare branches for a festive glow and add lanterns, which you can decorate with fake snow, greenery and bows.
Make your garden and walkways a magical place – and ensure you enjoy it to the fullest extent by having a clear view of your festive garden.
Bi-fold doors will create a seamless transition from your home to your garden, so you can sit in front of the roaring fire, while admiring your festive garden from the comfort of your armchair!
Please contact us today for details of how we can transform your living space.
The Slide or Fold team would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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