Written by: Melody Davis, Colorado Master Gardener Apprentice, class of 2024

One Christmas, several years ago, I invited a man from our church to dinner. When he arrived, he handed me a beautiful arrangement that his sister had made for me. He explained that everything in the arrangement had come from her yard. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was! I was sure that her yard must have been exotic, but when her arrangement finally dried out, and I ventured into my own yard, I was amazed at what I found that I had never noticed before.

Since then, it has become an annual tradition for me to create a winter arrangement. With a well-watered block of floral foam in my Christmas pot, these arrangements last for weeks before they start to dry out and get messy. Sometimes I use plants that my yard and the prairie give me like heads of dried sedum, sprigs of boxwood, young pine branches, a bit of juniper, small pinecones, dried sunflower heads, yucca seed pods, and lots of other colors and textures from the prairie that I have yet to identify. If it’s dry and delicate, I spray it with a little hairspray to hold it all together a little longer so I can enjoy it in my arrangement.

Other times I add a few white or red carnations to add some holiday color in addition to a sprig of artificial holiday berries. I love both kinds of arrangements and get tremendous joy knowing that even though it’s winter, it’s beautiful and came out of my own yard or the prairie around my house!

So, grab some scissors or shears and head outside. You’ll be amazed at the beauty you find in your own backyard and on our open prairies!