Festive decorating that’s fun and affordable

It all started when it ended.

Autumn’s rich jewel tones had faded, withered and dropped to the ground. Gone were the ruby reds, citrine yellows, emerald greens and amber oranges. Sparkling snow diamonds under sapphire skies were weeks away. The lack of colour felt so… blah.

Folks, this is an older story. Exterior hanging baskets and decorative planters with natural components weren’t exactly commonplace (garden variety, if you will) exterior winter decor.

This autumn blahs situation first occurred years ago. I had accepted the void from harvesting vegetables and tucking-in perennials. But the window boxes and hanging baskets, flush with flora and now just dirt, weighed heavy with their emptiness. The end of October neared, a colourless time when too-early Christmas decor looks just as odd as it would in February. I needed colour, something bucolic, natural. Also weatherproof, ungulate-resistant and budget-friendly. And it needed to look current until spring.

Seemed simple enough. 

In the hot minute it takes to time travel from the aisles of Hallowe’en eeriness to Christmas-everything, I realized I didn’t have the scratch to create all-winter colour. The tasteful pieces of quality craftsmanship were as far beyond my means as they were beautiful. The cheap choices reeked of off-gasses and gaudiness. Surviving the elements looked doubtful. 

The only affordable, durable, natural-looking option? Nature herself, and working with what I had access to. 

Marna Praill, Grounds Superintendent and Florist at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, is also a super-duper gardener who encourages winter interest by not cutting everything back, leaving leaf mulch for insects to overwinter in. “The beauty of winter interest is having something to look at in your garden, especially the grasses when the wind moves them around.” As for incorporating conifers to add colour, “Adding in natural elements is totally winter interest as well; add natural to nature.”

Kudos to the creatively decorated planters, hanging baskets, porches, gates and railings. To me it’s winter gardening and it’s lovely. Even lovelier when dusted with show. If you’re late to the winter garden party or budget-bound as I was, or just need a bit of inspiration, Hello! Let’s get potting.

Evergreens are your long-lasting essential. With a bit of at-home fire-smarting, take your loppers to spruce, fir, pine or juniper to create volume and add draping to your project. Gather pinecones. If your yard doesn’t need low boughs trimmed back from touching the ground, perhaps a friend’s does. Watch for Robson Valley merchants selling cedar boughs at upcoming Christmas markets. 

The bark of Red Osier Dogwood turns colour when the mercury drops. If you’ve access to a bush, a branch or two will do. Mountain ash produce clusters of colourful berries. We have neighbours with weeping birch trees, the wispy branches they shed add a lacy, cascading element. The whitest pieces of birch from our firewood cache complete my pallet.

I aim to create my winter interest before the soil hardens so I can stick the branches into the potted dirt, however some years freeze-up has happened before I was ready. How I got around that will work for anyone keen to start now: Bring moveable planters inside to thaw, bag the works to sequester any insects thinking spring has sprung. For immovable planters, thaw soil with warm water.

Now I’ll turn the garden gloves over to Andrea Ziegler and Brian Wilson and their welcome-to-winter tradition. Up from the basement come thawed planters and a bin holding faerie lights, decorative trinkets that adorned memorable gifts and more. Kitchen surfaces cleared, boughs and branches are brought inside. Mise en place ready, they queue up the Christmas tunes, pour a festive cocktail or open a bottle of something lovely and get gardening. 

Their eye-catching results are in large planters so they can be rather heavy. Andrea and Brian strategically (and I’m assured visually entertainingly) shuffle their potted winter gardens outside.

As this column promises a topic-relevant recipe, coniferous greenery brought rosemary to mind. Holiday-themed, rosemary-accented mocktails and cocktails are sadly predictable: Cranberry or pomegranate, ginger ale or seltzer, with or without booze, blah blah blah, you don’t need my help here. So, how about a snack while coni-fir-ing? 

Union Square Cafe’s Bar Nuts, adapted by Deb Perelman, Smitten Kitchen

• 3 2/3 cups assorted unsalted nuts (or 2 1/3 cups nuts & 1 1/3 cups pretzel nuggets)
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 2 tsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp Diamond brand kosher salt*

*Salts’ saltiness vary wildly because of weight. If using coarse or flaky sea salts or (horridly salty) table salt, do your research for the appropriate amount. 

Oven 350F. Spread nuts (just nuts if using pretzels) on a tray, toast 10 – 15 mins until lightly golden and fragrant. Whisk butter, rosemary, cayenne, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add toasted nuts and stir to coat. Add pretzels (if using) and stir. Spread back on tray, toast another 5 – 10 mins. Cool slightly, serve warm or at room temperature.

Thank-you cold weather gardeners. Your creativity with exterior decor, twinkling with the colours of peridot, jade, garnets and opals, does not go unnoticed. This long season can be visually and emotionally bleak. Akin to Christmas lights, your potted gems lift the spirits of passersby which boosts our collective community spirit. Slainte.

Su Young-Leslie // info@thejasperlocal.com