Although the garden is nearly bare by the time December arrives, it still bears magnificent color, which can be used in natural holiday decorations. Martha likes to gather foliage from her garden to decorate the front of her house during the Christmas season. She chooses arborvitae, an evergreen in shades of deep green and gentle gold, to form the wreaths for her front door -- a large one-sided wreath that will sit flush against the door, and twin six-inch wreaths that will hang at the upper corners of the door frame.

To decorate the large wreath, Martha uses strands of crimson cranberries instead of a classic bow; she also hangs several strings of cranberry garland over the door between the smaller wreaths. Fresh cranberries are ideal for outdoor winter decorations; the cold weather keeps them vibrant.

You may be able to find the ingredients for your decorations in your own yard. If not, visit your local garden center, florist shop, or Christmas tree lot. If you do collect greenery from your yard, keep in mind that evergreens that have needles should not be heavily pruned. A pine-tree branch cut back to the trunk will never recover. Instead, trim the smaller offshoots down to the main branch, shaping the tree as you go.

Six-Inch Wreath
Tools and Materials
24-gauge floral wire
2 six-inch double-wire wreath forms
Arborvitae, or other greenery

Six-Inch Wreath How-To
1. Tie floral wire to 6-inch double-wire wreath form, wrapping the wire around the frame twice to secure. Wire small bundles of greenery to the wreath form, pulling tightly on the wire as you work.

2. When the entire form is covered, finish by tying off the wire, leaving a few extra inches before cutting the end. Form the end of the wire into a loop, twisting it around itself, to make a hanger.

Large Wreath
Tools and Materials
27-inch tubular straw wreath form with cardboard backing
U-shaped floral pins (about 250)
Arborvitae or other evergreen sprigs
Wire cutters
28 feet of 24-gauge floral wire
A few bags of fresh cranberries
A long length of double-faced satin ribbon

Large Wreath How-To
1. Place straw wreath form on a table, cardboard side down. Do not remove plastic wrap. Use floral pins to attach sprigs of arborvitae or other greenery all the way around, covering the pins with the greenery as you work.

2. After the entire wreath form is covered with greenery, use wire cutters to cut a 2-foot piece of 24-gauge floral wire. Twist one end of the wire into a loop. String cranberries, one by one, onto the wire, piercing each berry from end to end. Finish the strand with another loop. Repeat this step until you have 14 lengths of floral wire strung with berries.

3. Attach the cranberries to the wreath by laying a strand diagonally over the wreath and pushing a floral pin through each loop end into the cardboard backing. Continue wrapping the berries around the wreath, crisscrossing them in front, making X shapes. It should take about seven pairs of berry strands to cover the entire wreath.

Cranberry Garland
Tools and Materials
6-pound-test monofilament
Metal washers
Tapestry needle
A few bags of fresh cranberries

Cranberry Garland How-To
Cut a piece of monofilament to the desired length, and tie a metal washer to the end to form a "stop." Thread the tapestry needle with the monofilament, and pierce berries, stringing them onto the line one at a time. Finish the garland by tying another washer at the end.