The Things You Need to Know About Christmas Greens to Maximize Their Performance in Holiday Decorations

Christmas greens are commonly sold in garden centers for around five dollars for a bundle of 5-10 stems. Common Christmas greens sold in garden centers include White Pine, Balsam Fir, Fraser Fir, and Juniper. Many people gather their own free Christmas greens from either their backyard or the wild. The problem is, some of these Christmas greens fall apart in the wrong situations. Here is a look at the local wild and commonly cultivated Christmas greens native to the east coast of the United States of America.

White Pine: White Pine is one of the most common evergreen trees along the east coast and is commonly used for Christmas Greens. White Pine has soft, long needles that are perfect for holiday swags and white pine roping. White Pine is used in holiday flower arrangements in order to break up and soften the monotony of the balsam fir in the holiday flower arrangements. White Pine can also be used for Christmas Wreaths. The only pitfall of using white pine is that a wreath would need a lot of white pine, due to the thin nature of the white pine greens. White Pine is also good for holiday cemetery boxes and holiday whiskey barrel displays. White Pine Christmas Greens compliment and contrast from the balsam fir greens and can be used by itself if balsam fir greenery is not available. If you have a hedge of white pine or a white pine tree that is in need of pruning, you accomplish two things at once by pruning the pine tree in early December and using the pine branches for the holiday decorations. Another plus for white pine is that white pine does not shed its needles readily when it dries up.

Juniper and Red Cedar: Juniper and Red Cedar are similar in that both have dark blue berries on their branches in winter. Some cultivated upright juniper bushes also bear berries. Juniper branches add spice and variety to holiday swags, Christmas wreaths, cemetery boxes, holiday flower arrangements, and other Christmas decorations. The benefits of juniper are its fragrance, contrasting texture, and showy blue berries. There are a couple liabilities for Juniper. Juniper needles are sharp and are annoying to touch, and juniper tends to dry up and fall apart. If Juniper is used indoors, it should not be brought in before mid December. Check the juniper for dryness and replace or discard the juniper when it snaps easily when bent.

Arborvitae: Arborvitae needs to be harvested carefully due to the slower growth of the branches combined with the plant's ornamental value. Arborvitae adds texture and color to holiday flower arrangements and small cemetery boxes. Some arborvitae bear little brown clusters of cones which add to the ornamental value of these Christmas greens. A few twigs can be inserted into a Christmas wreath to add to the texture of the Christmas wreath. Again, Arborvitae seldom offers long branches, thus rendering it useless for larger cemetery boxes, holiday displays in whiskey barrels, and similar Christmas decorations. Arborvitae twigs can be added to the front of holiday swags to contrast the long branches in the swags. If used indoors, Arborvitae needs to be checked for dryness. Unlike Juniper, arborvitae needles are soft and do not cause the pain that juniper causes to bare feet.

Hemlock: Hemlock is very good in the outdoor Christmas decorations, adding another texture to holiday swags, cemetery boxes, Christmas wreaths, and other Christmas decorations. Hemlock dries up fast when used indoors and redilly sheds its needles, making it useless in indoor Christmas decorations.

Blue Spruce: Blue Spruce adds a color contrast to Holiday Swags, Holiday flower arrangements, wreaths, cemetery boxes, and other Christmas decorations. Blue Spruce is not easy to handle due to the spiky nature of the needles. I have seen it used in holiday flower arrangements and as a Christmas tree. However, when blue spruce begins to shed, discard it quickly to avoid tracking its sharp needles around the house.

Blue Atlas Cedar: Blue Atlas Cedar is a somewhat popular ornamental evergreen native to Africa but hardy in the East coast. It comes in both an upright and a weeping form. The texture of Blue Atlas Cedar is similar to a mix of blue spruce and hemlock. Its durability inside I haven't yet tested, but Blue Atlas Cedar branches can add a contrasting texture and color to holiday swags, cemetery boxes, whiskey barrels, and other Christmas decorations. I don't know how long Blue Atlas Cedar lasts in outdoor Christmas decorations, but it should hold up for a month.

Miscellaneous Christmas greens: Austrian pine has long, sharp needles, but a branch of Austrian pine can add interest to a large holiday display; especially if there are cones on the pine branch. Pitch pine is similar to the Austrian pine except the needles and cones are smaller. The cones of pitch Pine are beautifully symmetric. Scotch Pine has somewhat sharp needles that are softer than Austrian pine and pitch pine, and have a bluish color to them. This pine tree often bears reddish cones that add character to Christmas decorations and is used as a Christmas tree. Scotch Pine is probably your best bet of these three Christmas greens. Another unusual type of holiday greenery is the yellow foliage of the threadleaf cypress. Threadleaf Cypress Christmas greens can add spice to holiday swags, holiday floral arrangements, and Christmas wreaths. I have no idea as to how well threadleaf Cypress holds up indoors. Pieris Japonica Andromeda and Mountain Laurel are Christmas greens that I have seen used in holiday displays and Christmas decorations. Pieris Japonica features flower buds that provide texture and character to holiday displays and Christmas decorations. And Boxwood, a slow-growing ornamental evergreen bush, is often used for wreaths and roping.

Deciduous plants: There are a few deciduous plants that also add to Christmas decorations. Holly is popular Christmas greenery. Winterberry is a deciduous cousin of Holly. Winterberry produces a brilliant display of bright red berries, which last on the bush into January. Winterberry should hold up for a week or two indoors, especially if it is in water or floral foam as in the case of holiday flower arrangements. Both Holly and Winterberry need both a "male" and a "female" plant for the female plant to produce berries. Red Twig Dogwood produces brilliant red twigs that look good in Christmas decorations. Box Alder, a maple also known as ash-leaved maple, has thick, powdery purple twigs that add a holiday feel to Christmas decorations. French Pink Pussy Willow has red twigs with tightly shut buds with bright red scales. The red curled twigs of Contorted Pussy Willow adds character to any decoration. Curly Willow adds a holiday feel to displays with its yellow, curving twigs. Burning Bush has orange berries on characteristic, webbed brown branches.

These are some of the more common Christmas greens that are either native to the east coast or cultivated there. Feel free to experiment with evergreen branches and deciduous branches that have good winter features. By harvesting your own Christmas greens, you can save a lot of money this holiday season. Just remember to make sure to keep an eye on your Christmas greens, especially if the Christmas greens are used in indoor Christmas decorations. All Christmas greens have a short life and do eventually shed. Berries and pine needles from holiday floral arrangements used for table centerpieces can shed or drop into food and be eaten. Most pine needles and berries are not edible and can cause indigestion or other health problems, so care needs to be taken with food dishes to not have them too close to the table centerpiece.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!