Stylish Plant Arrangements

This wreath is made from “bits and bits” of items picked up while walking after a big storm. Pine, fir, rosemary, magnolia leaves, succulents, and berries are wrapped into the wreath.

Tip: Supplement the wreath with items found at a floral market, then follow our complete wreath-making directions.

Use a piece of found driftwood as a rustic backdrop to moss, small evergreens, and succulents.

Tip: Fill crevices in the driftwood with enough soil to anchor your plant tableau firmly.

In a season that’s often predictable, mix it up with a rosemary-nest place setting and ​a centerpiece of forest finds (take care with wild mushrooms; many are poisonous). ​

Tip: Rosemary stalks should be long and tender enough to curve into a bowl shape. Add kumquats for a splash of color.

Instead of decking the halls with boughs, use felled branches to make your own right-size Christmas tree. Buy a piece of cone-shaped floral foam and insert branches. Once the tree looks full enough, add succulents, berries, and leaves. Ornaments not needed. ​

Tip: Water greens daily to keep them look­-ing fresh. save-on-crafts.com/foamcones.html is a good source for foam cones.

Recycle a wooden crate into a front-porch planter box; for a statement, use plants of differing heights. This arrangement includes fruiting citrus, lavender, rosemary, and large and small succulents.

Tip: Before planting, arrange plants still in their pots to see if the symmetry works.

Shown at left:

1. lavender
2. wild mushroom
3. magnolia leaf
4. kumquat
5. echeveria
6. birch twig
7. pine
8. berzelia
9. berzelia
10. sequoia
11. juniper
12. rosemary
13. echeveria
14. juniper
15. privet

12 other items we love to forage:

• bamboo
• berries (try coffeeberry or Pyracantha)
• cactus
• chestnuts
• cotoneaster
• dried chile peppers
• eucalyptus
• heather
• manzanita branches
• pinecones
• rose hips (from unpruned rosebushes)
• seed tassels from grasses like Miscanthus or Pennisetum