Decorating trees for the holidays is hardly just an indoor sport. You can add a season’s worth of holiday cheer simply by trimming your tree pits.
One of the loveliest, most inexpensive ways to decorate your tree pit is to place evergreen branches around the base inside the tree guard. Pine coverings actually protect your pits all winter from dog urine and sub-freezing weather. Here is a step-by-step guide to get you started.
Visit any Christmas tree vendor to purchase branches. You may even be able to talk your salesperson into giving you the excess branches of your indoor tree at no extra cost. For a different look, try garlands sold by the foot. We recommend tying the first part of the garland loosely around the tree trunk and knot to help avoid theft.
Either stop right here or…
- Add more seasonal touches, such as holly, decorator’s berries and pine cones, or colored twigs. Decorator’s berries and pine cones come with little metal spikes that help secure the accents to your greenery. These are also useful for preventing theft. During the holidays, you can find such accents at nurseries, like ours from Urban Garden Center or craft stores, such as Michael’s.
- Add a few sprigs of holly. Real sprigs can be found at any nursery or plant store this time of year. For a more natural look, arrange the holly in a haphazard manner.
Voila! Holly makes the season bright! Feel free to stop right here…
- For a little more festivity, fasten the metal spikes of your berry and pine cone accent around the garland, allowing pine needles to peak out.
This certainly makes for a lovely display…
- Perhaps you want to play around with decorative sticks. Start by cutting twigs from the bottom of your pine branches and place cut end into the ground. Try not to cut sticks too high as this tends to look awkward. Instead, cut branches a few inches above the top rail of tree guard. Start by removing all secondary branches from the main branch and then cut the top off. If they are still too high, cut from the base of branch.
If you would rather decorate around your tree pit…
Planters also provide a nice canvas for holiday cheer. Plant mini Christmas trees inside your Curb Allure planters or add some decorator’s pine cones, berries and / or colored sticks. Try filling planter with a mixture of fake and real pine cutting. 
The artificial branches ensure that your boxes remain green without any upkeep; whereas the real branches add that wonderful pine smell. Finish your boxes off with a simple red bow (also obtainable at most craft stores) If you have some vines left over in your planters, keep them. They tend to do well during the mild New York winters.
Most importantly, experiment and have fun. After all, this is supposed to be “the most wonderful time of the year.” Don’t let a little decorating get in the way of that sentiment. Happy holidays!
Please let us know: What has worked best for you this season?
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