r o m sound to sea 



Crafting Coastal Plants 

 Into Yuleticle Trimmings 



Give your home or beach cottage a 

 natural touch when you decorate for 

 the Christmas holidays. Use some of 

 the plants that adorn your lawn when 

 you begin your yuletide trimming. 



Susan Ferguson, assistant horticul- 

 turist at Tryon Palace in New Bern, 

 says any number of coastal plants, 

 many of which are native, can be 

 shaped into wreaths, arrangements, 

 garlands and Christmas tree decora- 

 tions. 



Wax myrtle, an evergreen, is 

 excellent for base greenery in arrange- 

 ments or wreaths. It is adorned with 

 gray-white berries and has a mild, 

 pleasing fragrance. 



For better effect when using wax 

 myrtle, Ferguson suggests cutting 

 away the new growth, or tuft of green 

 stems, that extends beyond the berries. 



Along the northern coast from 

 Cape Hatteras to the Virginia line, 

 bayberry makes an aromatic addition 

 to holiday decorations. The semi- 

 evergreen loses most of its leaves in 

 the winter, leaving behind attractive, 

 fruit-laden branches of whitish berries 

 on the female plant, says Lundie 

 Spence, Sea Grant's marine education 

 specialist. The berries have long been 

 used to scent candles. 



Ferguson cautions against using 

 wax myrtle or bayberry in decorations 

 that will be jostled frequently, such as 

 on doors, because the berries will fall 

 off as the plant begins to dry. 



If red is your accent color, then 

 you can't beat the tried-and-true 

 hollies for livening up the holiday 

 home. 



"The native hollies have various 

 red and yellow berries," Ferguson 

 says. "They're planted widely, and 

 they fruited heavily this year." 



Yaupon, an abundant native 



coastal shrub, is a member of the holly 

 family. It sports beautiful scarlet 

 berries that hug close to the stem. 



Nothing smells better during the 

 holidays than the fresh essence of pine 

 and cedar. And pine trees are as 

 abundant along our coast as candles at 

 Christmas. 



The pine can be woven together to 

 form a garland, used as a mantel 

 topper or inserted in arrangements as 

 base greenery. But if it's going to be 



used indoors, it should be in water or a 

 block of wet floral foam. Otherwise, it 

 will yellow, Ferguson says. 



Outdoors, the pine performs better 

 because the air is usually cooler and 

 carries more humidity. 



Red cedar, abundant along the 

 coast, can be used much like pine. It is 

 adorned with a round, bluish-black nut 

 that many people mistakenly call a 

 berry. 



JoAnne Powell of the N.C. 

 Maritime Museum says she decorates 

 her home with swags of mixed 

 greenery tied together with a red bow. 

 It's simple, but attractive, she says. 



Grady Wheeler Jr., the Beaufort 

 floral designer famous for dressing up 

 Tryon Palace and the Governor's 

 Mansion at Christmas, says he likes to 



use the branches of the Chinese tallow 

 tree for holiday arrangements. 



Although the Chinese tallow is not 

 native to North Carolina, some home- 

 owners along the coast have added it 

 to their gardens. It's distinctive 

 because its seed pods burst open in 

 late fall to look like popped popcorn. 



Magnolia, camellia and boxwood 

 foliage are also excellent for holiday 

 decorating, Ferguson says. But 

 magnolia stems must be kept in water, 

 otherwise the leaves will curl up like 

 cigarettes. 



For a special party, cut a few 

 lengths of greenbriar or catbriar vine. 

 It's prickly, but its twiny appearance 

 adds extra charm when woven around 

 mirrors or at the base of the punch 

 bowl or other arrangements. It only 

 lasts a short time, Ferguson says, so 

 save it for special occasions. 



Or use ivy, Wheeler says. Just 

 because ivy is used year-round 

 doesn't mean it can't be a Christmas 

 greenery too. 



Don't forget the herb patch when 

 it comes to decking the halls. Mint, 

 rosemary and sage can be used to 

 spice up holiday trimmings. 



Once you have the base greenery 

 in place, then it's time to dress things 

 with splashes of color. 



Pine cones, left natural or sprayed 

 gold, can embellish a wreath or 

 arrangement. In coastal North 

 Carolina, pine cones come in a variety 

 of shapes and sizes. The abundant 

 long-leaf pine sports mammoth 12- 

 inch-tall cones, Spence says. Loblolly 

 pine cones are oval and 2 to 6 inches 

 in length. The cone of pond pine is a 

 tightly closed oval about 2 inches 

 long, and the Virginia pine cone is 

 small, round and open. 



The fruits of two other common 



18 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1992 



