Build a festive basket on a firm base, work from the trailing edge inward, and use artificial evergreen, cones, berries and battery lights. Nothing needs watering, nothing wilts in frost, and the whole thing stores and returns the following December.
A December basket has to survive frost, rain and wind and still look right at 4pm when it is already dark. Building it from artificial material solves all three problems at once.
Why not live for December
Living festive baskets are lovely for a fortnight. Then the cold slows everything, wet compost freezes, and a basket you cannot water in frost sits looking sorry until January.
An artificial arrangement looks the same on 1 December as on 6 January, needs nothing, and is not affected by a hard frost - the Christmas range covers ready-made displays.
What you need
- A basket, 30 to 35cm, ideally one you already own.
- A firm base - florist foam, or a block the stems will grip.
- Artificial evergreen stems for the bulk.
- Trailing foliage for the edge, which is what stops it looking like a bowl.
- Cones, berries and ribbon for the detail.
- Battery lights, outdoor-rated.
The base
Everything depends on this. Stems pushed into loose material shift in wind and the whole arrangement gradually falls apart.
Fit the base tightly into the basket so it cannot rotate, and if it is at all loose, wire it to the frame. Five minutes here saves the display in the first gale - the basket range covers frames that suit this, and the liners range covers what lines them.
Work from the edge inward
The order that makes the difference.
Trailing stems first, around the rim, angled downward and outward so they hang below the basket. Then the bulk foliage, filling upward and inward. Then the detail last, pushed through the foliage.
Doing it the other way round means the trailing stems go in over the top of everything and never sit right - the artificial range covers stems and displays.
Vary the depths
The single move that separates a good arrangement from a flat one.
Cut or bend the stems to different lengths so the material sits at several depths rather than in one plane across the top. A real evergreen is never flat, and depth is what the eye reads as natural.
Cones, berries and detail
Sparingly, and in odd numbers. Three clusters of cones spaced around the basket looks considered; cones evenly distributed everywhere looks like a wreath factory.
Push them in deep enough to sit among the foliage rather than perching on top, and wire anything that might blow out.
Lights
Battery lights are the practical choice on a basket - no cable down the wall and nothing to trip over.
Check they are rated for outdoor use rather than assuming, and mount the battery pack somewhere you can reach to change it without taking the basket down - a rise-and-fall hook makes that trivial. A pack buried in the middle of the arrangement is a mistake you make once.
Weave the lights, do not wrap them
Thread the string through the foliage from the inside so the wire disappears and the lights sit at different depths.
Lights wrapped around the outside read as lights on a basket. Lights woven through read as a basket that glows, which is what you are after.
Ribbon, if you want it
Outdoor ribbon rather than paper-backed, which goes to pulp in the first wet week. A bow at the top of the chain, or a length trailing with the foliage, both work.
One bow is a detail; four is a theme, and themes are harder to carry off.
Weight it down
An artificial basket is light, and light things swing hard in a December gale.
Put a brick or a bag of gravel in the base under the foam, and use a deep or closing hook so it cannot jump off - the hooks range covers those, and the hanging guide covers fixings.
Colour scheme
Two colours plus green. Red and gold, or white and silver, or a single accent colour against dark evergreen.
Three or more accent colours is where a festive display starts to look like everything was bought at different times, which is usually true and does not need advertising - the artificial flowering range covers stems in single tones.
Where to hang it
Beside the front door, at the height it will be seen by someone standing at the step. That is the one basket everybody sees - the brackets range covers getting it there.
A pair either side, if the doorway allows, doubles the effect for very little more work - and set both from the door frame rather than the ground.
Extending the season
Strip the festive detail in January and you have a plain evergreen basket that carries on until spring. Nothing needs replacing - you simply remove the cones, ribbon and lights.
That is one basket doing December through to March - the winter range covers what carries the rest of it.
Storing it
The real advantage. Take the whole arrangement out intact if you can, stand it upright in a bag somewhere dry, and do not put anything on top of it.
Crushed foliage does not recover. Stored properly, the same display returns for several years - the watering range covers it, and free UK delivery applies over £20.
The short version
- Fit the base tightly and wire it if loose - everything else depends on it.
- Trailing stems first, bulk foliage second, detail last.
- Vary stem depths; a flat plane across the top is what reads as artificial.
- Weave lights through from the inside rather than wrapping them round the outside.
- Strip the festive detail in January and the same basket runs through to spring.
Frequently asked questions
Why build a festive basket without live plants?
Because December weather defeats a living one. Cold slows everything, wet compost freezes, and you cannot water in frost. An artificial arrangement looks identical on 6 January as on 1 December.
What order should I build it in?
Trailing stems first around the rim, angled down and out; then bulk foliage filling upward and inward; then cones, berries and ribbon pushed through last. Doing it in reverse means the trailers never sit right.
What lights should I use?
Battery lights rated for outdoor use, with the pack somewhere you can reach without taking the basket down. Weave the string through the foliage from inside rather than wrapping it around the outside.
Will it blow about in a gale?
It can, because an artificial display is light. Put a brick or a bag of gravel in the base under the foam, and use a deep or closing hook so the basket cannot lift off in wind.
Can I use it again next year?
Yes, and that is the main advantage. Take it out intact, stand it upright in a bag somewhere dry and put nothing on top of it - crushed foliage does not recover, but uncrushed lasts years.
