On Cape Cod we take great pleasure in being surrounded by a wealth of natural beauty. From the wooded conservation areas to the beaches, not to mention our plant-filled gardens, we are inspired by nature in any direction we look. So it’s no wonder that we turn to our environment when we’re decorating for the holidays.
Whether you enlist the Custom Department at Hyannis Country Garden to assist in your holiday decor or whether you are DIY all the way, here are some ideas to help you celebrate the season on Cape Cod.
Scallop shells are lovely on wreaths and swags. In our Custom Department we drill small holes in the base of shells and wire them in place. We use wire instead of hot glue, since it holds all decorations more firmly, but if you don’t have access to a drill, shells could be glued in place. This wreath also uses a selection of different types of pinecones, along with the dark lotus pods.
If you’ve got a buoy, we can help you make it into a swag or porch decoration. The starfish that we sell at Country Garden aren’t native to our region, but the color and shape just go with our seaside decor, so we love using them. Here, the buoy is used with birch poles for a decoration that says “Christmas by the Sea.”
Wreaths can reflect both the woods and the sea. Our Custom Department at Hyannis Country Garden created this for a customer whose living room was decorated in whites and blues. The shells, pinecones, and blueberries create a Cape Cod celebration.
This wreath is all about the woodlands. Using a mix of pinecones and pods creates a good amount of texture and color. Also used in this wreath were some artificial Hydrangeas and Sarracenia pitcher plants. One of the pleasures of creating custom wreaths for our customers is using different materials every year. One year we had those silk pitcher plants, but they didn’t appear again.
Large pine cones can be used alone, both indoors and outside. This container was designed by Susan Preston.
These are two of our native pinecones. You might have them in your yard! On the left is a cone from the pitch pine, and on the right is a cone from a white pine tree. Both of these have been wired onto a florist pick which can be stuck into wreaths or arrangements.
When picking up shells on the beach, be sure that any that you take home are already dead. This conch shell isn’t living, but the slipper shells attached to it are. This is an example of a shell that we should leave on the beach.
Pinecones can be wonderful when mounded in a birdbath, or on top of large urns or containers. Here they were combined with moon shells, aka moon snails or Naticidae, in a birdbath.
I you need help with holiday decor that has a sense of place, come into the store and talk with our designers.
