Here’s our Christmas front porch from last year.
I was SO ALL ABOUT IT.
We had just painted the bricks gray and I kept it simple with greenery and swags and evergreen trees by the front door.
Just between us though?
All the cedar swags were fresh cedar from the garden center.
The challenge with fresh greenery is that it looks amazing and smells amazing for a hot Christmas minute. And then? It starts looking a little faded and sad weeks before Santa and his reindeer show up to prance on the roof.
So this year I’m changing things up a little with faux greenery.
Have you seen the options on the market now?
The greenery looks so good and SO REAL.
So today, on DAY FIVE of “12 Days of Getting Ready for Christmas” I’m joining my amazing friend Leslie from My 100-Year-Old-Home to show you our favorite faux winter stems and garlands to decorate the outside (and inside) of your home.
1. Faux Eucalyptus
I’ve tried different Eucalyptus options—but this one is my favorite.
It’s a little more expensive, but there are tons of branches on each stem and the leaves are slightly farther apart and it has a light silver dusting that looks so real.
Here are a couple of other more affordable options here and here.
And if you are all about seeded Eucalyptus, here’s a pretty garland.
2. Faux Pine branches
I love this pine garland. Most of the ones I found don’t have enough pine in them.
But this one?
It’s super thick and looks so real.
I also love these pine stems here and here.
3. Faux Cedar
This garland is so realistic. It would be perfect to mix with another garland on a porch on inside on a mantel.
We have cedar in abundance here in Texas, but so many people are allergic to it.
I think with cedar, faux is better.
I love this stem here and here.
4. Faux branches
Never underestimate the texture of branches.
You can always shop the yard for branches to add to your decor.
Or here are a few suggestions for branches to use to decorate for Christmas:
I can’t wait for you to see the front porch decorated for Christmas this year.
I’ll give you a hint with these two words.
Buffalo check.
It’s going to be EPIC.
But in the meantime, I’m still getting everything ready for December. Here’s a recap of everything we’ve shared over the last 4 days:
KariAnne
DAY 1: 9 simple ideas to repurpose last year’s decor
DAY 2: Tons of easy recipe ideas and what to stock your pantry with for the holidays
DAY 3: My go-to sources for inexpensive craft supplies online
DAY 4: 30-minute handmade gift idea
Leslie
DAY 1: Nine Ways to Repurpose Last Years Christmas Decor
DAY 2: Creative Ideas to Stock Your Pantry for the Holidays
DAY 3: Favorite Places to Find Inexpensive Holiday Craft Supplies
DAY 4: Handmade creative gift ideas
disclosure: affiliate links are used in this post.
I guess it may be because I live on a fixed income these days ( UGH!!!! ... talk about exclamation points... 😉)... but I have ALWAYS used faux flowers/ greenery in my outdoor arrangements. That way, I can use them year after year ( because my tastes/decor rarely change or can't afford to change), or I may have to discard them after a few years, depending on how well they have held up to the elements, especially in winter. Glad you caught on.... 😉 👍😝...
Walmart has great faux eucalyptus leaves as well. Thank you for your wonderful ideas.
I bought the fresh from Trader Joe’s and it happened to mine also. It’s cool here and I had it in a covered porch! It got spots and dried and literally blew away,
Your faux eucalyptus looks great. I use GOOD faux green fillers and evergreens in my fall and winter outdoor containers and we live in Michigan with some harsh weather. I have found the sun is the hardest element on faux greens and flowers. They can fade quickly. We just don't have much sun in the winter, so mine have lasted for several years.
I have faux outdoor berries and stems i use year after year, your porch looks so festive. I have been gone for about 2 weeks and it was so nice and cool in Minnesota and came home and found it cool here, hope it will stay!
I love PB’s faux greens, florals, and succulents. I heard a YouTube gal say recently how unrealistic they were. I’m not sure to which PB she was referring (LOL) but, I’ve never met a PB item of ANY kind, much less the faux plants, that I didn’t swoon over. Glad your problem was solved. PB to the rescue. Darn it....now I want to go to PB.
Best of luck for your football team today 🤞 I love good faux greenery! Mixing it in with real greens and you can’t really see the difference. The everlasting eucalyptus looks great 🌞
I'm falling for the faux! Looks fab!! I hope your team pulls off a victory!!! xoxo
Great faux ideas. I would be more than happy to send you some of our brisk Minnesota weather today🥶. Okay not that bad....but we just had our last snow storm in mid April😳 I love Pottery Barn faux but I have also had great luck at specialty stores. We have a high end grocery store here that has amazing gift shops and their faux flowers and greens are comparable in price. Good luck on that game today🏈
Believe it or not, I actually really like the dried out, pale real eucalyptus. Maybe it’s a Massachusetts thing or maybe it’s triggering memories of my mother’s penchant for that 1970’s plastic eucalyptus. Scary, either way. 🤦♀️
Thanks for the Magnolia tip on the garland sale! I'm headed to the site right now. This is what I am thinking...buy the faux, and when using for a special dinner for my farm table, I will add in a snippet of real. It will be fuller and lovelier, and look all real in all it's glorious smells of greenery. Have a happy Friday, friend!
My daughter-in-love found some great eucalyptus at TJMaxx in the metroplex. I'm going to ours today to see if they have any here. It was REALLY REALISTIC looking - on both sides! My mother-in-law always keeps faux geranium blossoms around, and when her geraniums stop blooming or look sad, she just pops the faux blooms into the plants!
I like both...the dried eucalyptus can be saved and used in a wintery display. The faux foliage has come a looooong way since its beginnings. It's ALL good ! We are free to choose and there are oh so many choices...we live in an abundant world :)
Your story about the Eucalyptus fading in the heat and getting brittle made me remember when I made an elaborate Williamsburg style wreath with expensive. fresh fruit,hung it on the door of our new house in VA and watched the fruit cook in southern sun. This was in December but what did I know. Had moved down there from New England!! I learned to use faux fruit from then on and have loved it.
I'm totally okay with faux foliage, especially outside. But it can fade after spending quality time out in the weather. After it starts looking a little ratty, try some spray paint. A quick, light sweep of paint across the back or front, in a couple of similar colors, can create enough camouflage to blur the fading so it looks more natural again. (Or at least allow for a little more usage before it gets abandoned in the back of the shed.) I have even 'enhanced' dark green ferns with gold spray paint to give them some autumn, and stuck them with other things in wreaths, and they looked great. If it no longer looks as great as the day you bought it, you have nothing to lose by trying a little paint to freshen it up.
Great suggestion!
I really like what you found at PB. I had ordered what was supposed to be euchalyptus elsewhere online that actually looks like manzanita. Even my adult son says it does and we have some just outside on our property. Live and learn. My bad for not looking more closely at the pics. Enjoy yours.
I ALWYS spray a protectant on my faux foliage before I place them outside. (I also spray my outdoor pillows and cushions for added protection. It’s amazing how well things hold up and retain their color in full sun. In fact, I sprayed two buffalo checked pillow covers (put these over my outdoor pillows) with a water/fade repellant spray. Works like a charm and I saved money by purchasing only the pillow covers. Happy fall!
Living in hot country is a challenge!!!!!! I am a fan of PB faux foliage!!!!! Enjoy melt proof Foliage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love it. I’m going with an Australiana theme for Christmas and our local shops are filled with beautiful faux eucalyptus wreaths garlands and decor. This looks beautiful. I have the opposite problem unsure how they’ll hold up covered in 110 degrees.
I buy the Trader Joe’s eucalyptus often and love it so but never tried to use it outside. Your faux looks so real and I am loving your fall neutral porch.
Love that your husband sees the “brilliance “ of your math! Makes perfect sense (or dollars) to me. LOL! Your porch looks great!
Okay... when I saw those crunchy eucalyptus leaves, it crossed my mind... for a just a brief moment, to unsubscribe.... NOT! You crack me up, girl! Love the new leaves, and your suggestions, as always!
I just found faux seeded eucalyptus garland at Hobby Lobby for 50 percent off (12.50). Today I noticed they have another eucalyptus garland for $34. but there is 50 percent off again this week so it's really reasonable.
Hello everyone, it's my first visit at this website, and post is truly fruitful in support of me, keep up posting these types of posts.
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Great faux list, thanks KA. We do the real deal here, but it is very cold in mid Ohio at Christmastime. The secret to keeping real fresh looking is misting them twice a day. Yep. It is a heckuva workout on the hands - I go through a whole large mister twice a day to keep them looking nice. It's messier for the inside ones so I only do those a few times a week - take them to the shower and mist them there and let them dry a bit before putting them back. OR I just cut more. I have 2 acres and a ton of evergreens on our property we are blessed with, so that helps for the little ones inside. I use faux in the harder to reach areas for sure and may need to refresh them this year. Thanks!
Always inspiring, friend!! Happy Thursday!
So pretty KariAnne!
You inspired me to order a new faux Garland from one of your vendors. I always use faux on my mantle with lots of little white lights and usually tuck in some real holly berries and ivy closer to Christmas. This year I have lots of pinecones of all sizes to add. A couple of lanterns with faux candles and I'm done.
Well, I just made a small investment! ;-) Thanks for the info and links, KariAnne! Hugs!
So pretty and so inspiring!! Love, love!!! xoxo
This is my first year decking the halls with garland. Seriously! Better late than never, right? I love eucalyptus and I think it’s the direction I’ll go. So fun! xo
[…] have missed it, today is Day Seven of the Twelve Days to Get Ready for Christmas. My dear friend KariAnne @ Thistlewood and I are sharing Twenty ways you can get ready for the holidays and today we are sharing our […]
Hi Karianne, I was looking for some ideas for this Christmas and reached here. Thank you for sharing these creative ideas for this festive season. I appreciate the efforts you have put into this work.