
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, December 18, 1994                   TAG: 9412200012
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

CHRISTMAS GREENS ARE AS CLOSE AS YOUR YARD

Each holiday season we adorn our homes and shops with Christmas decorations. While these may include strings of lights, stuffed Santas and plastic reindeer, the more traditional approach is to decorate with wreaths and garlands made of natural materials.

Commercial growers produce tons of Christmas greenery each season, and wreaths and garlands can be purchased ready-made. But a more economical approach, and one that may even help put you in a holiday mood, is to gather your own.

Take a look out your back door. If it is green right now, it's probably ideal for decorations. A mature boxwood by the house, a magnolia on the front lawn, or a holly tree with its bright red berries, all make ideal Christmas greens.

We are lucky here in the South to have such beautiful boxwoods. Sprigs of this evergreen shrub make ideal wreaths. They also can be used in fruit arrangements and floral displays throughout the house.

The magnificent magnolias in our area also make wonderful additions to holiday floral arrangements. Mix clipped magnolia branches with assorted greens in large tubs for outdoor decorations on your porch or entranceway.

The shiny magnolia leaves are also used in fruit displays, as the background greens for many wreaths and in the lovely apple fans over doorways in the popular Williamsburg style.

Holly and the holidays seem to go hand in hand. Many area gardens have holly as ornamental plantings, and these should not be overlooked during the Christmas season. Their beautifully shaped leaves and bright red berries add holiday spirit to garlands, sprays and wreaths. And instead of bows on your packages this year, simply tie a twig of holly on the gift.

If you cut boughs of holly for decorations, clip branches only from shrubs or trees more than 6 feet high. Prune branches 12 to 18 inches from the periphery of the tree. Generally, pruning stimulates new growth. To ensure a constant supply of holly boughs and not harm the tree, never trim more than one third of the branches.

There is probably no better way to promote holiday cheer than to fasten a sprig of mistletoe at your doorway. The custom began in Scandinavian countries where it was believed that if two people embraced beneath a tree where mistletoe grew, they would be blessed with good luck and a healthy life.

This parasitic shrub can be found in our area on branches of deciduous trees. Once the leaves are off the trees, mistletoe can be easily spotted as tangled balls of green growth high in the treetops.

Because greens dry out quickly once they are cut, plan to decorate just before the holidays, and take down your decorations promptly after the New Year. Dry greens are a fire hazard. One trick that some people use to keep their greens fresh another week or so is to dip greens in floor wax and allow them to dry thoroughly before using them in decorations.

Note to readers: This is the last of the bi-monthly Nature columns. Patricia Held will contribute occasional articles on natural history, to appear in the Extra section. Write to her in care of the features department, Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491.

by CNB