From Roots to Roses: Deck the Patio with Boughs of Holly- Fa la la!

Recently I was invited to do a demonstration at one of Atlanta's older garden clubs, The Druid Hills Garden Club. This club was formed in 1928 with an initial membership of 10 women. The Club's first civic project was the creation of a municipal Rose Garden in the public park on Ponce de Leon and Lullwater Road which the members continue to maintain today.

My presentation was very simple, a DIY project that requires not a lot of time or money. Sound good? With the holidays upon us, this is an easy way to spruce up your existing planters and pots, window boxes, or birdbaths.

I started with an iron window box which sadly has remained empty and in storage! Any pot, empty or full of dirt, planted or not, will do. A suggestion I have is to put a brick of water soaked floral foam in the container to prolong the life of the greens you will add, but in a pinch just sticking them directly into the dirt already in there (or if totally empty, just go ahead and fill with the greens!) is completely fine.

I lined my window planter with sheet moss and a plastic bag, and finally added a couple of floral foam bricks. The fun part is gathering the greens you want to use. There are so many readily available options here in Atlanta, and I chose Magnolia, Carolina Sapphire, Holly, and pine cones. Whatever you have access to is perfect- you can't go wrong!

To finish off the look, I clipped some dead branches from an evergreen that I sprayed gold. These branches are popping up in all of my holiday arrangements this year!

Below is the evolution of this fun, easy, and effective way to dress up your outdoors.