Foraged Christmas Window Boxes

Raise your hand if you think decorating for the holidays should not break the bank! Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing we love more as a family is a home that is all dressed up for Christmas.  And, I too spend far too many hours perusing all the home decor stores in search of the latest and greatest in holiday decor.  Yet, I always opt for the DIY approach with a few new store bought things thrown in.

Decorating the outside of our home is no exception! Our Red Truck is one of my favorite outdoor DIY Christmas projects.

This is the third in a four week DIY Home Decor Christmas Blog Hop and this week our theme was outdoor Christmas projects! Today I hope to show you today how easy it is to save money when decorating the outside of your home for the holidays by sharing my foraged Christmas window boxes. 

Now, I am lucky enough to have some evergreen shrubs in my garden, but even if you don’t perhaps a neighbor has some evergreens that he or she may not mind you clipping of a few cuttings (provided you ask permission of course!) or maybe you have a nature trail or forest that you could clip a few branches from. 

I am not talking about talking down a whole tree or shrub!  You will see here that I simply took a couple of clippings from my boxwood, weeping cedar, Mugo pine and Gold Star juniper shrubs.  Plus a couple of dried hydrangea blooms.

I already had a couple of rolls of ribbon on hand, and was planning to use this black and white buffalo check, but I went for a different ribbon in the end.  It needed a pop of color so I used the black, red and gold buffalo check that I had used on this project.

I left the window box liner and soil in place to act as an anchor for the branches.  The lantern is one of two that I have had for a number of years.  I used them all year round in some way or another, both inside and out.  If you don’t already have a lantern, this one is inexpensive and could be used over and over again.

Start with tall, sturdy branches of greenery behind the lantern.  I used a few boxwood branches.

To each side of the lattern I used two nice full branches of mugo pine.  It has a sturdy stem, but softer needles that contrast nicely against the brighter green boxwood stems.

You will notice the idea is to use a mix of different evergreens.  Pine, boxwood, cedar and juniper branches are all good choices, but even if you can find two different evergreens to forage you can arrange them to look full and lush.

Our juniper shrub has gotten huge of late so I was able to liberally clip branches without even putting a dent in it.  I used this to fill in the front and sides.  It really only took 4 short, full branches to fill it in nicely.

Finally I edged the front and sides with the weeping cedar branches.  They are super soft and flexible and are perfect for flowing over the edges of the window box.  

I went in and added little branches of the juniper in a couple of places that I felt needed a little filling in.

I wired the bow right onto the window box to keep it from blowing away in the wind!

Finally, I tucked in two dried hydrangea branches on either side of the lantern.  I love how they had a contrast of color, while still keeping with the overall natural look and style.

A glittery red candle from my Christmas stash adds a festive pop of color and sparkle!

As you can see foraged Christmas window boxes are not difficult.  If you don’t have any evergreen shrubs in your garden, maybe consider planting a couple next spring.  Not only do they look fabulous in the landscape, but save you money at Christmas time!

I like the look of the straw window box liners.  These ones have been in place for a couple of seasons and I plan to replace them next year, but they compliment the dried hydrangeas and keep the soil in place.  

 I have three window boxes across the front of our little house and if I was to purchase the greenery from a nurser or even the grocery store, it would cost me $50 or more just for the greenery! A couple of years ago when I planted the boxwood, juniper and mugo pine it cost me less than that for all three shurbs!

If foraged Christmas window boxes aren’t possible where you live, purchasing from a nursery or grocery store is perfectly fine! No matter what dressing up your window boxes has a big impact when it comes to holiday decor.  Plus, in colder climates they will can last most of the winter season!

Last week’s DIY Christmas home decor blog hop was full of fun and doable projects.  I have really been anticipating this week because I am always on the lookout for outdoor Christmas decor.  Be sure to check out all the links below.

Until next time…..