Christmas garden decorations – how to be festive and wildlife-friendly

December 4th, 2016
Posted In: Decorations/parties, Wildlife & eco

Christmas garden decorations. Do you love them, or do you worry about light pollution?

Decorating your garden at Christmas is a trend that has crept over from the US. When we went to Virginia twenty years ago, we were literally dazzled by the number of houses wreathed in festive lights.

But, at that time, outdoor Christmas decorations in the UK meant a wreath on your front door.

Now fully illuminated houses rival each other in many British streets. And people argue about whether this is a Good Thing or whether it is causing light pollution. Artificial light in gardens can disrupt wildlife by interfering with sleeping/waking patterns or affecting the way they navigate around.

I recently went to the Abbey Physic Community Garden in Faversham, a wildlife-friendly therapeutic garden . They’d hung baubles on their leafless fruit trees, and from their pergola. It was so festive and easy – but it doesn’t disrupt wildlife at all.

With today’s glass windows, doors and extensions, you can see the garden all year round. Even in our Georgian house, I love to look out the window several times an hour. So here are some wildlife-friendly ideas for your Christmas garden decorations:

Add a wreath to your pergola or your back door

Don’t stop at one Christmas wreath. Hang a wreath on your back door, on a pergola or on a shed door. You only see your front door wreath when you come into the house. Like all Christmas garden decorations, a wreath in the garden can be enjoyed every time you look out the window.

This heart wreath was hanging on a trellis in the Abbey Physic Garden.

In my local street, residents make large wreaths out of garden clippings and hang them on the beautifully ancient street trees. Some use festive lights, but put them on timers so they’re not on all night to disturb wildlife. That also makes the battery last longer.

Large wreaths look good outside. They can be cheap to make. In this post, find out how to make an extra large wreath from a hula hoop, then re-use the frame every year.

A selection of the outdoor wreaths hung on the old trees in our street.

2) Hang your pergola with baubles

Red baubles hang from the roof of the pergola at the Abbey Physic Garden, Faversham

Another great idea from the Abbey Physic Garden. Buy a bulk pack of baubles all in one colour – you can get 100 red baubles from Amazon for £11.95. (There are some affiliate links in this post, which means you can click on them to buy. I may get a small fee, but it doesn’t affect the price you pay. See disclosure.)

3. Hang baubles on leafless trees

Red Christmas baubles on a leafless fruit tree.

The Abbey Physic Garden also used the same red baubles on their leafless fruit trees. Choose just one colour for your Christmas garden decorations. I thought the red baubles everywhere looked particularly effective. I don’t think it would have looked as good if the baubles had been multi-coloured. I’m going to try white baubles on my silver birch trees.

4) Conifers in containers as Christmas garden decorations

At Great Dixter, they often try out a new plant combination in pots before planting in the ground. Here Fergus Garrett is experimenting with his ‘conifer corner’, by arranging conifers in pots.

An un-decorated Christmas tree in a galvanised bucket outside the Great Dixter cafe. You could decorate it – or not. It looks rather nice without.

Contrast shape and leaf colour in a grouping of conifers. Here seen at Maytree Nurseries, Kent

Conifers work well in winter pots. There are often some interesting specimens on sale at garden centres, nurseries or in markets. Fergus Garrett of Great Dixter believes that conifers have much to offer our gardens.

He often tries out a grouping of plants in pots to see how they work together before going on to plant them. He’s tried this with a grouping of conifers in pots framing the Great Dixter front door at Christmas. You could experiment, too.

5) Create a festive ‘tablescape’ outside the window

Garden writer and author Francine Raymond creates wonderfully stylish scenes in every corner of her house and garden. Her garden table is just outside full-length glass doors, so she sees it every day. There is always a charmingly-arranged display on it.

Shimmering dried honesty and a miniature Christmas tree combine with succulents, heuchera and sculpture on Francine’s ‘tablescape’.

An outdoor ‘tablescape’ by Charlotte Molesworth – this mix of pussy willow and other twigs from the garden is combined with pieces of foraged wood.

Or hang just a few baubles on an outside table decoration – I love this combination of conifer foliage and silver in a white garden bucket.

Even if you don’t have many evergreens in your garden, ask a friend if you can snip some greenery off the back of their trees. Rootle around in your borders – or other people’s. Small branches often drop off in winter storms. I’ve found most of my twigs for decorating under my trees, so I haven’t had to clip them. Although winter is a good time for pruning, anyway!

Our Christmas garden ‘tablescape’. It has a miniature Christmas tree, garden lanterns, tin and plastic Christmas stars and the dried stalks of a potted bergamot.

You can often get tin, wood or plastic Christmas decorations at supermarkets. I found these tin stars at Amazon, and also a set of white wood Christmas star baubles. Some Christmas decorations may shatter if there’s a frost, so either check that they’re shatterproof or suitable for outdoor use.

These two stars are made of tin and plastic, so they’ll be fine in the weather.

As winter is such a good time to prune trees and shrubs, there are more Christmas decorating ideas from the garden in this post on how to make jam jar Christmas decorations from garden clippings.

Pin to remember natural Christmas garden decorations

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