SEATTLE — If you don't want to drop a lot of green on those holiday greenery containers that are selling out at big box stores, Seattle gardening expert Ciscoe Morris has a solution for you — make your own for free.
This is also the perfect way to clean up those containers from the summer and autumn that are full of spent flowers.
When you get your Christmas tree, save any branches you trim from the bottom. Or, grab your pruners, and trim some branches off of evergreens in your yard. Shove the evergreen branches into the soil in the center of a large container so that they create a focal point. Next, look for other cuttings to fill in. Ciscoe chose some red twig dogwood sticks to add height — snip them from the plant, and shove them into the container too. Sometimes, dogwood twigs will actually start to root in the soil.
"Voila! Free plant!" Ciscoe declared.
Finally, if you're lucky enough to have a holly tree or a neighbor with one, add a few sprigs of holly around the edge of the container. Ciscoe says holly doesn't last as long as the evergreen branches and dogwood and may need to be occasionally replaced.
Even though it's made from pruned branches and not growing plants with roots, your holiday container will last for weeks outdoors. Add a bow, or if you're Ciscoe, a clay dinosaur with a bow around its neck (made by his brother!) and you've got a perfect holiday present for your landscape. And when you consider similar containers have been spotted for $39 at some big box stores, pat yourself on the back for being frugal and festive at the same time.
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