5 Creative Ways to Decorate With Free Backyard Greenery

Like many things in life, the best Christmas decorations are free. From mini trees with a colorful twist to a wall hanging that's packed with handmade charm, we’ve filled this list with five fantastic ways to turn free greenery into charming holiday decor. So, what are you waiting for? Christmas is just around the corner!

Money-Saving Mini Trees

You could spend a fortune on a forest of bottle brush trees or make some yourself with free juniper cuttings. This DIY utilizes craft wood rounds as the bases, but you can take the savings one step further by cutting your own bases from a tree branch. To assemble, start by painting the center of the wood rounds with your choice of acrylic paint (Image 1). Go for a solid look or get creative with patterns. Set the rounds to the side to dry and use pruning shears to prep your juniper cuttings. Once dry, use an awl to poke a hole in the center of the rounds, then coat the bottom of your cuttings with hot glue and press into the hole (Images 2-4). Hold the tree still until the glue hardens and get to decorating.

Tree-tastic Tassel

We think these evergreen tassels are the perfect addition to a beautifully wrapped Christmas present, but there really is no limit to how you could use them. To make them, start by trimming the needles off of an Eastern white pine branch (Image 1). Once you have a fair amount of needles, create a bundle and wrap one end with colorful embroidery floss until secure (Image 2). Tie off the embroidery floss, leaving a loop at the top as a means of hanging (Image 3). Once assembled, use scissors to trim off the excess and create a straight line across the bottom of the needles (Image 4). All that's left is to find your favorite use for these gorgeous tassels.

Tabletop Scrap Tree

Waste not, want not — turn leftover trimmed branches into tabletop trees. All you need to do is trim the limbs to fit in your chosen wide-based vase, then secure festive ornaments to the cuttings with floral wire. For this DIY, we recommend using white pine and floppy cypress cuttings. Keep these little cuties watered, and they’ll last about a month.

Wallet-Friendly Wreath

To craft a minimalistic fresh wreath, all you have to buy is a gold wreath ring and some floral wire. The evergreen used for this DIY comes straight from your landscaping. We opted for Chinese privets and boxwoods, but these could be substituted with any evergreen that's readily available. Simply gather some trimmings and begin making bundles, securing each bunch with floral wire (Images 1 & 2). Attach the bundles to the bottom of a large wreath ring, working your way from the center upwards (Image 3). We stopped before the halfway point, but you could easily take this wreath all the way around.

Handmade Wall Hanging

This wall hanging is packed with a handmade flair that'll lend the fresh scent of evergreens to any room you hang it in. Best of all, this DIY utilizes only one material you actually have to pay for. To craft this delightful decoration, start by trimming Leland cypress branches into similarly sized small pieces (Image 1). Bundle three to four pieces together and tie off at the cut end using cotton twine (Image 2). Wrap the twine around several times to make a chunkier knot, then cut off the excess using scissors. To take this tree to the wall, hang a straight tree branch on the wall using cotton twine and begin connecting the bundles with clear fishing line (Images 3 & 4). As you attach them, layer each consecutive row to resemble a floating Christmas tree (Image 5). Just like that, you’ve created a wall hanging that'll wow your guests.