Deck the halls with boughs of holly and whatever else you can get your hands on; it’s Christmas dagnabit! In all seriousness, it’s been kind of crazy here at TV with all the different kinds of greenery we’ve been using to decorate the set. The garlands in the prep kitchen windows are a mix of noble fir, juniper, and incense cedar. The craft room’s garland is made solely of princess pine. Last Friday I jumped into an herb wreath-making segment with Martha that was scheduled last minute. I hope the basic idea of how to make a wreath out of anything came across. They really are that simple. The scents of the bay laurel, rosemary, and eucalyptus we used reminded me so much of growing up in California. It perfumed the entire studio.

This week Jim McCann from 1-800-FLOWERS made holiday arrangements with Martha. I supplied some more unusual clippings for them to play with, like golden arborvitae, privet berries, and Brazilian peppercorns. Growing up I had a giant Brazilian pepper tree in the front yard that was the foundation for the tree house my brother and I played in. So you can imagine my excitement when I came across it as a cutting in the flower market. I thought it complimented the red and white striped amaryllis really well. I think we all try to do that here: take something from our upbringing and work it into the Martha brand. I suggest taking a second look at that shrub outside your window and bring some clippings inside. I bet it could stand being cut back a bit, and if it’s bare, well then just add some glitter.

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1 of 15

1 Red winterberry

2 Privet berries

3 Orange winterberry

4 Brazilian pepper

5 Noble fir

6 Seeded eucalyptus

7 Western cedar

8 Incense cedar

9 Golden arborvitae

10 Holly

11 Juniper

12 White pine

13 Hypericum

14 Variegated holly

15 Magnolia

Tags: crafts, Holidays, nature
Posted by Aaron Caramanis on December 17, 2009 in Photo Galleries, TV Crafts