American Plant Christmas Greens

We waited long enough. I usually like to do Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. But since we weren’t home it dragged out until yesterday. We no longer put up a tree, but I do like to dress up the outside balcony baskets and also add some greens inside. So after our morning walk in the park we drove over to American Plant in Bethesda. When we lived on Capitol Hill we went there because they have such a great selection of Christmas cheer. But first we had to walk by the trees - they were the perfect size. The wooden Santa’s were really cute and the huge red bows were simply lovely. We passed by the mistletoe and the red berry branches. The hand made decorations were all so beautiful! I don’t know all of the names for the different greens but we always pick out a variety of branch types - especially the ones with blue berries. They always look so nice in the huge vase we keep in the dining room. Add a bit of red berries, pine cones, and a little bird and it looks so seasonal. We also found a really cool flower - protea pink mink. Tucking it in with the greens adds a bit of additional whimsy. I like to mix up the fake berries and pine cones with the real stuff. What I miss most is the smell of the evergreens that you don’t get with just the branches. So we got just enough stuff to look like Christmas in our house. It’s a nice time of the year. 

American Plant Balcony Baskets Christmas Decor

We have a tiny balcony. On the back of the loveseat and chair three coco lined window baskets were hung almost two years ago. I like to fill the baskets for the season - we have ivy and liriope as perennials, add summer flowers of interest, and in the spring and fall pansies are the flower of choice. But in the winter the Christmas seasonal greens are my favorite. In the winter we turn the chairs facing outwards so the baskets are displayed right in to our living room. That way, we can view the Christmas decor from the inside. So we went to American Plant this week to get some seasonal greens and sticks. We ended up getting two bunches that had a variety of greens and things with a few berries and pine cones. I don’t feel much like putting up anything inside of the house but maybe I’ll change my mind. We aren’t allowed to add lights as it’s against the condo rules. And, when it gets dark we draw the blinds anyway. I used to love decorating our Midwest home with greens from our yard. The three branches we bought cost $16!! Last year I picked up sticks in the street and they actually looked just as good. At least we have a space to add some decorations for the holiday. We don’t know if we will be here or not given the pandemic situation. It sort of takes some of the joy out of the season.