Faux real?

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is upon us. Have you already bought your tree? 

I was flipping through the October issue of Styleathome magazine and an article about holiday decorating caught my eye. Styleathome is a Canadian shelter magazine. I receive it as a bonus for subscribing to House and Home. At some point I’ll get cut off, but I’m enjoying my free subscription while it lasts.

Speaking of getting cut off, an entire page is dedicated to buying an artificial tree. “Say goodbye to cold-weather chopping (or shopping), hail-storm hauling, set up struggling and shedded needle sweeping. Faux has never felt so appealing!” Say what?

I can't stand faux (aka fake) greenery of any kind, including trees, garlands, plants and flowers. I especially despise silk floral arrangements. This is my personal opinion. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all. Tasteful dried arrangements and wreaths are just fine in my book.

So what do I like? Let’s start with boxwood. Whether planted in your garden, in pots on a doorstep, in a garland or wreath, boxwood is one classy evergreen. Unfortunately, boxwood both real and fake is not cheap. And neither is my go-to garden shop -- Boxwoods. The greenhouse at Boxwoods is packed with living plants to choose from. My fave are the live plant compositions. You can bring your own container or select one from an impressive array in all shapes, sizes, colors and textures. They will line it, fill it with plants and surround it with moss. The outcome is always lovely. Tell them what you want, and they’ll give you a few options at different price points.

Upside: Boxwood’s compositions and topiaries can last for months with some TLC. I’ve managed to keep a few topiaries presentable for over a year. Downside: the shop is in Buckhead.

Boxwoods

I’ve seen some good-looking wreaths and garlands made with boxwood, magnolia leaves, bay leaf, herbs and berries online at Wisteria, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table. I bought this rosemary, bay wreath three years ago and it still looks and smells good.

Sur La Table $49.95

Gotta go faux? Check out Ballard Designs selection of "forever greenery," including a boxwood wreath that is made of fabric leaves for $89. It looks faux real.

If you haven’t bought your tree yet, please consider shopping Tradition Trees. The Toco Hills shopping center is the closest location. For each tree sold with the below voucher, Tradition Trees will donate $5 to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. You can print this page or email me at maureen@berhold.com for a full-size copy.