Create a Winter Wonderland:
5 Holiday Lighting & Decor Ideas
In the winter, it seems that the sun no more than rises than it’s already setting! The days are short, there’s a chill in the air, and you have to wait a few more months before your blooms burst into life. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy vibrant colors and spectacular outdoor displays. How can you transform a dull, drab landscape into a bright, cozy holiday vista?
Holiday Lighting & Decor Tips
1. Start by Hiring Holiday Decor Help
We have all done it: we’ve driven past someone’s yard this time of year and thought, “How do they do it?!” It dazzles; it shines. It makes a drab dull grey day into a veritable winter wonderland. And we may also think, “I’ll never be able to do that in my yard. Just call me the Grinch.”
Good news, Grinch. Your heart is about to grow three sizes. GreenImage provides lights, winter pots, garlands, and wreaths, which can be customized to suit whatever color scheme you have in mind.
Entrusting decorating duty to our team:
- Gives you the look you really want. Yanking a tangled wad of string lights out of a box and throwing up whatever still works is a look. Elegant strands of white or color, highlighting beautiful wreaths and garlands with complementing or contrasting hues is… well, it is an elevated look! It’s put-together, polished, and, at the same time, completely you. Now people can drive past your home and think, “How do they do it?!”
- Gives you back your time. ‘Tis the season for packed schedules! Instead of worrying about your outdoor holiday decor, relax. Take a refreshing walk, build a snowman, savor a cup of hot cocoa. If there is one present that we all need and want, it is to be present with our family and friends. Give yourself the gift of time.
- Is much (much!) safer. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is a classic holiday movie — but we don’t want anyone reenacting it while trying to decorate the great outdoors! On a serious note, nearly 6000 people a year land in the emergency room as a result trying to hang holiday lights, and many more receive less serious (but still day-ruining) injuries. Housefires are another major concern, typically caused by old, frayed, or unsafe products and/or improper installation.
That cup of cocoa is sounding pretty good right about now; put the ladder away, and go enjoy it. Our team uses every precaution in the book to ensure you, your family and friends, and your property are safe.
You should also take this time to plan ahead for next year. Looking out at your current landscape, what would you like to be different next year? Where would you like to add some winter color or an interesting feature perfect for holiday decoration? With a forward-thinking landscape strategy, you can enjoy beautiful scenes year-round.
2. Add Winter-Friendly Color to Your Landscape
Forget grey, brown, and dull… You can find shrubs and bushes that are brimming with bold color. Indiana is not typically hospitable to evergreen holly varieties, but we do have some great deciduous options. Winterberry, for example, sheds its leaves in the autumn, but in the winter, it produces striking red berries. Just think of that pop of color against a field of white!
Blue holly is a hardy evergreen that can tolerate Indiana growing conditions, if you’re mindful of your soil (well-drained and moist with shade in the summer). They reward you with rich blue-green leathery foliage and bright red — no, not blue! — berries.
3. Go Evergreen
When you are color-starved, green gives your eyes some relief. Evergreen trees provide rich tones throughout the year, and it is even more marked during the winter. Pine, cypress, hemlock, cedar, spruce, and other varieties thrive here. If you want to introduce a different hue, consider a gold conifer for a softer, warmer look.
When evergreen alone isn’t quite achieving the look you want, don’t hesitate to string some white holiday lights along your trees’ boughs. And yes, they look great all winter, so you can keep them up long after the festivities are over!
Consider this Tip 2B: Do some strategic pruning. If you trim off some shoots of a full tree, it won’t hurt the evergreen one bit. Then, you can use the “clippings” to make a swag or two that you can place on your door, on fence posts, or around the patio. You can also use a winter-hardy container, add a colorful ribbon, a few sprigs of holly, pine cones, rosehips, sedum, dried hydrangea and eucalyptus, etc., and you have beautiful winter container gardens to brighten your days.
Didn’t Plan Ahead?
If you didn’t plant with winter in mind, or if you just recently moved into your home, are you doomed to a gloomy season? Not at all! There are some steps you can take now to create a beautiful holiday landscape.
4. Show Off Other Landscaping Features
Your landscape is more than plants and flowers. It also encompasses that beautiful stone wall or brick walkway, your handcrafted trellis, the steps leading to your front door, garden sculptures, and more. This is their time to shine! These elements are more noticeable during the winter, and you can further highlight their beauty with strategic lighting, garlands, container plantings/arrangements, and other decorative touches.
5. Don’t Put the “Closed” Sign on Your Outdoor Living Spaces
A patio is the perfect place to while away long summer days. It can also be the ideal location to enjoy long winter evenings. When you equip your outdoor living spaces with cold weather-friendly features, such as fireplaces and/or energy-efficient heaters, there’s no reason to hibernate inside. Bundle up, make a mug of hot cocoa, and do some star gazing — or host a unique New Year’s Eve party!
You can plan for winter use of your outdoor space by working with an experienced patio contractor to optimize the location, provide natural shelter from the elements, install heat sources, and ensure the patio or deck has everything you need for all-season enjoyment.
Wouldn’t you rather spend this season anticipating and savoring the holidays? Let us do the heavy lifting so you can reclaim your time. Contact GreenImage for your holiday lighting and landscape decor needs.
