10 Hacks to Help Your Holiday Greens Last Longer

I love using live seasonal greens in my home during the holiday season! There is something about the smells, the freshness, and the color of live evergreens around the holidays that makes it worth all the effort of trying to keep them alive for the entire holiday season! 

But, with that being said, there are some tricks to help keep your holiday greens stay alive.

So today I am sharing with you 10 tricks to keep your Holiday Greens Alive this holiday season! 

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Holiday Greens

These 10 hacks to help keep your holiday greens lasting I have learned from A LOT of trial and error over the years. I hope you can learn a thing or two from my knowledge/experience and have beautiful live evergreens this seasons! 

Planning & Timing

I know it’s so fun to start decorating your home early! Some of us love decorating for the holidays in November (me included), but when decorating with winter evergreens you want to plan and purchase as close to the time you will be using them as possible. 

Store Greens Outside

Once you purchase your holiday greens, store them outside until you need them in your decor. Evergreens love the cold air (below 40 degrees), so when you store them outside until you need them they will last a lot longer.

How to Use Woody Stems

I love incorporating branches and woody stems in my holiday green arrangements. To do this, you will want to crush the ends of the stems (I use the back of my pruners and pound against a hard surface until the stem is more like a pulp). 

Then, place the stems (or even better) the whole branch in a bucket of water over night. 

Crushing the stems allows it to better soak up the water and therefore last longer!

Soak the Greens

Before using your live holiday greens you want to give them a good soak. 

Soak your greens (including your live wreaths) in a bucket or tub of water outside for at least a day before you bring them inside.

Mist with Water

Keep your holiday greens looking their best by giving them water as often as possible. Do this by misting your evergreen branches and wreaths. 

Moisture helps them stay fresh longer. 

Keep Away From Heat

It is so important to keep your holiday greens away from heat and sunlight. Heat dries out your holiday greens so quickly. If you plan on using lights in your winter evergreens, use LED lights because they are cooler. 

Never place your greens near heaters or lit candles.

Anti-Desiccant Spray

Use anti-desiccant spray on your holiday greens to help them stay alive.

This spray adds a protective wax like coating to help slow way down the evergreens losing water. 

I love using anti-desiccant spray because it is organic and biodegradable and can be purchased at a garden center, nursery, or florist.

Add Glycerin

Another super important trick to keep holiday greens alive is to add Glycerin to your holiday greenery arrangements. 

You will want to mix one part glycerin (found in drugstores) to one part water.

The idea with this is keeping the water clean and clear of bacteria. I have also used Crysal or Floralife packets (you can purchase on Amazon) and they also work very well.

Non-traditional Living Substitutes

I love to think outside the box when it comes to holiday greens. 

The other day we had gorgeous rosemary and boxwood plants at our nursery. I was obsessed and loved the idea of live plants for greens in the home!

Some other great holiday greens ideas are potted ferns or even eucalyptus. 

When you take care of these they will last so much longer than typical holiday greens so you can enjoy for months rather than weeks. 

Think Long Term

When choosing your holiday greens think of ones that actually dry well. 

Cedar, fir, and pine dry ok, but unfortunately they will only last about a week before they really start to fall apart. But boxwood, princess pine, eucalyptus, holly, and winter berries are gorgeous when they dry. 

So choose holiday greens that look good when you buy them and that will still be looking great as they dry.

I hope you found these 10 hacks to help your holiday greens last helpful! Leave me a comment below with any questions or your own hacks to add to the list!

For more gardening tips check out my highlights on IG or my other gardening posts!