With the influx of COVID-19 cases, it’s likely that most of us will be spending the holidays in our own home. Maybe you’re not used to decorating for the holidays. Heck. You might not even have holiday decor. But we both know what you do have. PLANTS! When decorating for the holidays, don’t forget to include your plants!
Here are a few ways to get festive with your houseplants. Whether you have decor or not, there is sure to be something on this list that will lift your spirits, spark joy, and inspire you to get creative.
Dress Up Your Pots
There are many ways to make your potted plants more festive. One way is to put your smaller plants (keeping them in their existing pot) inside holiday mugs. Voila! Festive pottery!
For medium plants, arrange your holiday cards around the pots. Your plants will be wrapped in holiday greetings from your loved ones! You could also repurpose holiday gift bags by placing the plant (again, keeping it potted) in the bag until the holidays are over. Add a fluff of tissue paper for a fancy touch or take it a step further by wrapping some empty boxes and making a present pile!
Finally, for your larger plants, wrap them in burlap and accentuate with a bow for a simple yet festive look. This is also your chance to finally use that oversized Popcorn Factory tin you stashed in the basement years ago. Remember when you said, “It’s such a great container. I don’t want to throw it away. I’m sure I’ll use it for something.” Well, now is the time to use it. Quite possibly, it’s the only time you will use it.
Add Some Lights and Ornaments
No tree? No problem! There’s a houseplant waiting to be decorated! At Green Lady Gardens, we have colorful, hand-embroidered, fair-trade, felt ornaments from Guatemala that are sure to give your plants a fun pop. The heart shaped ornaments even have a tiny pocket for a tiny note. Love!
When decorating plants as Christmas trees, just be sure to choose lightweight ornaments and lights that won’t injure your more delicate plants. The tiny strings of lights with battery packs work well. We, at Green Lady Gardens, also have a light weight and colorful pom pom style garland handmade by the same Guatemalan artisans. They are so delightful! You’ll probably keep them up for the whole year. In fact, we suggest you do.
Showcase Your Vines!
While writing this, we realized it’s a great time to show off how long your vining plants have gotten over the last year. Gather up the extra-long vines on your pothos, Philodendron, ivy, or what-have-you and make a holiday art installation on a blank wall. Outline a Christmas tree, star of David, or whatever holiday image brings you joy! Attach the vines with nails, tiny hooks, or cable clips. Turn your wall into a festive focal point by incorporating lights and ornaments and/or setting up a little table with your menorah, plants in mugs, or pile of wrapped empty boxes and plant bags.
If you don’t think you can arrange your plant’s vines into festive shapes, try wrapping the vines around higher traffic areas as if it were garland and accentuate with festive lights (or pom poms!)
Make Festive Stakes
What if you don’t want to or can’t hang lights or ornaments on your plants? You can make festive decor stakes by attaching fun things, such as bows, to skewers and sticking them in the soil. For a more hands-on activity, make cut out paper snowflakes, cotton ball snowmen, or popsicle stick reindeer. You can probably find a way to temporarily attach your existing ornaments to stakes as well. Just be careful not to injure the root system of your plant when inserting the stakes into the soil.
Using Succulents & Air Plants
Succulents and air plants are so versatile; they can be easily and temporarily incorporated into nearly any existing decor you have. Think about tucking them into your wreaths, decorating the mantel, or making a beautiful centerpiece using your fancy plates and dishes as vessels.
For succulents, minimal care means you won’t need to worry too much, or at all, about watering them while they are being used. Most can even be out of soil for at least a week. Succulents also come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. We love the idea of organizing green, black, and red succulents in front of the Kinara to showcase the Kwanzaa colors.
Air plants are also great because they don’t require a pot or soil. Try placing them on top of a folded napkin to mimic a napkin ring or put larger air plants, such as xerographic, in the center of a plate for a smile worthy table setting. Just be sure not to place them too close to candles. (We have lots of air plants and xerographica in stock right now!)
Air plants make for great ornaments. The most basic way to turn air plants into ornaments, especially if you have a plant that can't handle weight, is to gently tie a little fishing line, ribbon, or string around their “waist” and hang them. For a bigger ornament, purchase an open-faced glass orb, add a little sand (maybe a festive color?), pop in your air plant, tie ribbon to the top of the orb, and your newest ornament will be ready to hang! These holiday orbs are a bit on the heavier side so you’ll need a sturdy branching plant to hold the weight.
There are so many ways to celebrate the holidays with your houseplants. We want to see what you come up with! Take some pics and tag @GreenLadyGardens on IG. Or, email us your photos (with your handle) so we can share directly to our stories.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!