Holiday Greenery

Walking Kita past the piles of storm debris in our neighborhood waiting to be hauled off by the town's contractor, I've noticed lots of healthy evergreen branches mixed in with the hardwoods.  It seems a shame that all this wood will be put through a chipper and most likely left to rot on some deserted town property.  The trucks are getting closer and closer to our road, so yesterday I set off with my pruners and a plastic bag.

Some lovely junipers, whose trunks had split under the weight of the snow from our freak October storm, were just laying by the side of the road.

Here's the booty I scavenged in my neighborhood!  I added some lovely hemlock and white pine to the juniper.

After measuring the length I wanted for a door swag, I trimmed the greenery and tied the branches together using floral wire.  I always try to catch the wire under the first small branches so they don't slip out of the wire as the swag hangs on the door.

I reuse my holiday ribbons for a few years until they start to look bedraggled.  This door swag cost nothing to make, yet I could expect to pay anywhere from $25 to $60--without shipping costs--for a similar one ordered from L.L.Bean, Gardeners Supply Company, or Frontgate.

Now I have extra greens to decorate inside the house too!  Our cold weather is helping me get in the Christmas spirit.