It is always rewarding when you have something that you made yourself, and doubly so if you collected materials from the garden.
Most meals come under this description but at this time of year there is the chance to do more.
I always like to make the Christmas decorations using materials collected from the garden, environmentally friendly. no miles and fully compostable or recyclable after use.
I made 2 wreaths this year. I have used laurel as the main foliage, I could do with some conifer or leylandii really, perhaps I should plant some? or perhaps not! (be careful what you wish for).
The wreath by the front door also includes ivy, holly, mistletoe and sedum seed heads. On an ivy stem circle and fir cones which I made about 8 years ago and have reused every year since. Oh and an apple too.
We also put a wreath on the garden gate, again a reused circle with this year laurel, sedum , holly and apple.
The table on the patio gets a decoration too. Using the top of the now rusted chiminea which is nice and heavy, chicken wire inside to support the stems and a collection of seed heads and grasses from the garden. The inclusion honesty seed heads makes it really glow in the low light levels of this time of year.
A few stems with berries adds colour but not for long, the blackbirds fly into the display and eat the berries.
I also put a string of apples up for the blackbirds, unfortunately the squirrel has been and demolished it already.