Truly, one of my favorite December (and even January) activities is taking stock of my Garden for my long list of holiday décor projects. As a gardener, I am naturally attracted to the seasonal offerings of my garden — and the winter holidays give us a perfect opportunity to create some botanical masterpieces that enchant the senses. So, get your clippers ready, and be on the lookout for wintery plants at your local garden centers and home improvement stores.

Make your own wreaths and garland. Years ago, I lived in eastern Washington state and my neighbors hosted a wreath-making party. Everyone brought greens cut from their own gardens and we sat in the basement with hot drinks, fashioning fresh wreaths and garlands. Use pine branches and cuttings as well as rosemary clippings for smaller wreaths (adorable as tiny décor on holiday plates). Don’t have access to pine trees? Pop over to your local home improvement store and grab their throw-away limbs in the Christmas tree area — they’ll hand them over to you for free.

Create dramatic centerpieces. This is, quite literally, one of the easiest things you can do. Walk through your garden and gather cuttings of branches with berries, pine boughs, patches of moss, pinecones, interesting bark, and acorns. Smaller items like the pinecones and acorns can be grouped in rustic wooden bowls while larger branches can create a focal point on your dining room table. Place the branches in a large vase (just how you would arrange cut flowers), add some moss for texture, and you’ve made yourself a wintery centerpiece that will last for weeks.