The word “swag” isn’t limited to goodie bags stuffed with glamorous gifts. During a winter decorations seminar Dec. 2-3 at Igleheart Gardens — a private estate that Evansville Living editors named the city’s Best Kept Secret in 2022 — experts from Timberview Flower Farm showed how to dress homes with swag (aka draped greenery) and larger do-it-yourself pieces featuring natural elements. They encourage “friendly foraging” techniques — safely snipping and collecting branches and vines from your own backyard — to turn boxwood, cedar, juniper, pine, magnolia, and holly into stunning arrangements. And the Evansville area has much to work with, says Timberview employee Donna VanWinkle: “There’s a lot of nature out there at Christmas that looks so pretty.”
DIY: Swag
Timberview owner Mary Ellen Damm — who Evansville Living editors named Best Petal Pusher in 2020’s Best of Evansville awards — recommends picking out different natural components for the foundation and starting with longer branches in the back. As you move forward, add more decorative elements like juniper berries, using zip ties to hold pieces together. (“Wire is a headache,” Damm laughs.) Bring small branches down for a layered effect, or set them slightly apart to create a little fluff on top. Then, bring on the decorations — pine cones, berries, and novelties like bells are small but punch above their weight. Damm recommends hot gluing decorations onto the branches, and she brushes the pine cone edges with watered-down white paint to give them a snow-kissed finish. Complete the look with a bow, but this time, Damm says, you can use wire — and secure it tightly around the swag. Once completed, your swag is ready to hang.
DIY: Porch Pots
Large planters topped with tree branches and greenery make excellent statement pieces, and although they can go indoors, “They perform better outside. It doesn’t hurt them to freeze,” VanWinkle says. Start with foam — Timberview uses the Oasis brand — rather than dirt so your foundation is firmer. Place some greenery atop it to get a flow going, then stick birch branches on hyacinth stakes into the center, pushing the stakes down into the foam. VanWinkle says to keep building greenery — “make it lush and full,” she advises — and position prettier foliage such as magnolia branches at the front. Different lengths of Carolina cypress give the arrangement more variation, and its lighter, bluish hue supports a final layer of fluffy white pine.
Use crab apple bush branches to add height when situated in the center around the thick birch. When adding branches with holly berries, be mindful of their toxicity to pets. Grab your hot glue gun to keep white-tipped pine cones in place, add a bow, and done! A tip from Damm: Spray the holly with a clear sealant bought at any home supplies or craft store to keep berries on the branch longer and prevent greenery from shedding as much.
DIY: Table Arrangements
Want a small pop of natural beauty? Try a vase or box arrangement. VanWinkle calls bud vases simple to make, “something really sweet in no time at all.” She recommends arranging short cuts of greenery, such as boxwood, and a few strands of flowers, like carnations, in a vase. Wrap the vase with twine to give it a country vibe, attach cheerful jingle bells with wire, and affix a cranberry-colored bow (designer’s prerogative, because “cranberry is one of my favorite colors,” VanWinkle says). Don’t overuse pieces: “A little goes a long way,” she advises. Large arrangements can accommodate bigger blooms like hydrangeas and are leveled up with wine crowns: VanWinkle recommends twisting live vines such as honeysuckle into a circular wreath form and using a hyacinth stake to secure them to the arrangement’s foam foundation. Because honeysuckle berries tend to shed, pull those off before using them for decorating.
Give your table arrangements a rustic touch by placing them in a wooden box lined with floral foil to keep moisture from leaking through and onto the table below. Stack in foam about a half-inch higher than what’s used in planters, so the greenery runs over the edge of the box. VanWinkle recommends mixing eucalyptus, fir, evergreen, and pine “to get it really full,” plus using cedar to help cover the foil. “Here comes the fun part!” VanWinkle says: Dress it up with a burlap ribbon, pine cones, pillar candles, and even leftover holiday ornaments — “you don’t have to necessarily use flowers in it,” she says.
Want first-hand experience? Grab at least six of your friends and book a customizable class at Timberview Flower Farm to learn about flower arranging, preservation, and resin work.
