It’s time to start thinking about decorating for the holidays.

It’s time to start thinking about decorating for the holidays. Nothing invokes the spirit of the season more than the smell of fresh greens like cedar, pine and Douglas fir. Welcome your guests with a fresh planter on the doorstep, garland over the entrance and a gorgeous wreath hanging on the door. Outdoors in the cooler temperatures fresh greens typically last from November right through until March. Indoors you can only expect them to last about two weeks. We want to maximize your time with fresh greens by giving you tips and tricks on how to keep them looking fresh!

It is best to store your fresh greens outside as long as possible and bring them inside only when you are ready to use them. The key to keeping winter greens fresh is moisture. Once you bring your greens home be sure to soak them in cool water for approximately 24 hours. If you don’t want to soak the entire branch at least make a fresh cut and lightly crush the end with a hammer and soak the stems so they will take up as much water as possible. This will ensure that your greens are fully moisturized before going up! Once they have been soaked, spray an anti-desiccant such as Wilt-Pruf on your greens to lock in the moisture. Wilt-Pruf forms a flexible, waxy coating that blocks the pores in the bark and needles and prevents them from losing moisture. It is non-hazardous and biodegradable. This will help your greens last longer and look their freshest!

It is also a really good idea to mist your greens daily when using indoors. Other things you can do to increase their longevity is:   keep your greens away from direct sunlight; keep away from direct sources of heat such as floor registers; and avoid using candles in close proximity. For making arrangements with your fresh greens try adding 1 part glycerin to 1 part water to help keep your greens hydrated. Now that you have the prep work out of the way, crank up those Christmas carols and start decorating!