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A French-Inspired Garden and Home by Judith Stringham
Showing posts with label boxwood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label boxwood. Show all posts

Peach Trellis Christmas Greenery

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Peach colored trellises in the style of French Country tuteurs are decorated with Christmas greenery for the holiday season. Fresh boxwood wreaths hung with sheer lavender ribbons sprinkled with silvery glitter dots are festive Christmas outdoor decorations in an unexpected color. 



Christmas greenery on a peach colored trellis in the style of French Country tuteurs
The lavender ribbon color complements the peach colored trellises and adds just the right amount of sparkle to say Christmas instead of Spring or Summer. 
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French Country Mirror | Decorated for Christmas

Thursday, December 12, 2019


With a snippet of fleur de lis gold and white ribbon and a small preserved boxwood wreath, you can dress up a French country white wood mirror for Christmas. 
French country mirror decorated for Christmas with a small boxwood wreath hanging from a gold and white fleur de lis ribbon
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ... everywhere you look. And one of the easiest ways to give everyday mirrors some holiday cheer is to add a small wreath hanging from a ribbon. 
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Refresh Boxwoods for Christmas | French Country Style

Wednesday, December 19, 2018


Preserved boxwoods can be refreshed by painting them white or gold to give them French Country style for Christmas. 



Refresh Boxwoods for Christmas for French Country Style
I love preserved green boxwood wreaths, topiaries, bouquets, and balls, but I like to use other colors for Christmas instead of traditional red and green. White, gold, silver, and blue are my favorite colors for Christmas so decorations will blend with the everyday colors in my home. 

Green boxwood is almost a neutral because it goes well with all colors, but this Christmas I took a leap and painted preserved boxwood. I was not sure how the boxwood would look, but after liking how the first painted boxwood turned out, I updated three more preserved boxwoods with paint. 

See how I changed FOUR preserved boxwoods to white and gold . . .  just in time for Christmas decorating. 
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Winter Greenery After Christmas

Wednesday, January 18, 2017


winter-greenery-after-christmas

When the landscape is bare, and plants are dormant for the winter, a little indoor greenery gives color to our homes and gives life to our spirits. Winter greenery after Christmas adds a little joy to everyday living. 

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Christmas Dining Room Dressed in Boxwood

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Dressing our homes with greenery has its roots in the Druid culture, followed by the Romans, then the Germans, and by the English Queen Victoria whose husband was German. Even before Queen Victoria, residents of Williamsburg in America dressed their houses with elaborate wreaths made from fruits and greenery including boxwood.


The love of boxwood continues today in homes all across America, including in mine.  This Christmas season, boxwood is throughout my house, beginning with the dining room.



Fresh boxwood hangs from the china cabinet and nestles a hand-carved swan on the English pine table. Simple greenery that evokes a Christmas feeling without fanfare or sparkle or glitz, but with the same spirit felt by our ancestors throughout history as they hung greenery as reminders of life in the darkest days of the year surrounding the winter solstice.



Found at a street fair in New Hampshire in the late 1980s, the swan normally resides on a ledge atop one of the sets of French doors in the living room.  



This Christmas he sits atop boxwood in a rustic flat basket.  



A small preserved boxwood star tops the wire Christmas tree holding old Christmas cards hanging on the arched-top coat closet door. 



A full fresh boxwood wreath hangs on the center of the china cabinet. 



Small peeks through the center of the wreath give glimpses of china, glassware, Christmas gift boxes, handmade paper angels, and Christmas ornaments. 



A handful of rolled pages from a French alphabet children's book lie in a bowl inside the china cabinet and are tied with small snippets of gold and white music-printed ribbon. 



One of the armchairs holds a new gold and white Christmas pillow embroidered with a deer and a tree with just a little glimmer.



The details are beautiful and are subtle gold touches to the room that is mostly decorated with only a handful of natural boxwood greenery pieces. 



Small details like the gold piping around the cushion make a big difference in how the room looks and feels. Often people cannot pinpoint why a room appeals to them, but chances are finishing touches like the gold piping add to the room's appeal. 



Yes, details make the difference between a room looking finished and a room looking like a work in progress. These four photos illustrate some of the details in the dining room dressed in boxwood. 
  1. The boxwood shines because it was lightly sprayed with plant polish, Green Glo.  Plant polish is what makes plants from florists look so healthy and shiny.  Look for it at grocery stores with a plant section, or at discount stores like Michaels and Hobby Lobby.  Try it, and you will never have an unpolished green plant again. 
  2. A gold cup hook screwed into the back of the china cabinet door provides an easy way to hang a wreath from the china cabinet.  Face the cup hook down, and use a ribbon to secure the wreath to the hook. 
  3. Wired-edge ribbon makes creating bows and curly ribbon tails easy, easy, easy.  What did we ever do before wired edges on ribbons? 
  4. Gathering centerpieces in a container (basket, box, bowl, ... ) anchors the arrangement and gives it a finished look. 


One of the things not finished at my house is wrapping the presents.  



The little green holly decorated bag holds tape, tags, and tissue paper reminding me there are less than two weeks left until Christmas.  Plus, there is still more boxwood to hang in other rooms. 



One room down, and more to go. 

❦

Take a peek at how I revived the water-damaged finish on my English pine table.  
Pine Table Refinished

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~~~~❦~~~~ 
Please join me at these inspiring sites...

MONDAY
Amaze Me Mondays @ Dwellings, the Heart of Your Home
Something To Talk About @ Karen's Up On the Hill 
Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House


TUESDAY
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
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Boxwood ~ Fresh, Dried, Preserved

Thursday, April 23, 2015


New growth outside and real greenery inside 
revive my spirits each Spring.  

Boxwood is one of the plants I love using
more than one way to provide that greenery for Spring renewal.

Preserved boxwood from HomeGoods

Boxwood ~
fresh, dried, preserved 

Boxwood is not a new plant for homeowners and gardeners. 
Fresh boxwood with its delightful fragrance and easy-to-train nature 
have made it a very popular plant worldwide. 
Here in the United States, boxwood gardens appear at historic grand gardens, 
and in France, sculpted boxwood also appears in renowned public gardens. 
A French connection always piques my interest. 
See links at the end of the post to visit boxwood sites in both 
the old and new worlds. 



I've recently developed an interest in trying to grow boxwood shrubs 
outside both for how they look outside and for cutting sprigs to bring inside. 
Sculpted boxwood in an urn gives the front entry a touch of the French look I love.  




The first day of Spring gets so much attention, 
that I realized recently that I forgot that Spring lasts until mid-June. 
Spring does not come for just one day and then leave the next. 

The boxwood shaped tree hasn't forgotten however. 

At the beginning of Spring, 
the boxwood tree was moved from the protected covered area 
to along the sidewalk where it could get sun and rainwater. 



The tree-shaped boxwood has new growth everywhere 
and continues to thrive in the ongoing Spring sunshine and temperatures.  
The winter was harsh with snow, ice, and frigid temperatures even into March 
making me fear that the new little potted boxwood tree would not survive. 
There are a few dead sprigs, but all the new growth will 
fill in the dead spots quickly. 



A real bird's nest made by some sweet little bird in the Bonjour bucket 
welcomes you inside to see more boxwood greenery.    



Inside, the front entry has a new nursery potted boxwood 
with its light fragrance and lots of new growth in a plant stand. 
For less money than the cost of a Trader Joe's wreath, 
a small boxwood shrub is a Springtime fresh look that can be used inside, 
and then relocated to outside long before Spring disappears in mid-June. 

There are also formerly fresh, but now drying, boxwood wreaths 
on a back door and on the little chippy green wooden folding chair. 



The wreaths were fresh from Trader Joe's at Christmas time. 
One was on the front door and the other at the top of the kitchen plant stand. 

I'm saving them to reuse next year as painted wreaths. 
I've never tried this before, and the wreaths may not last until Christmas, 
but I'm enjoying them as air-dried boxwood for now. 
Those $10 wreaths from Trader Joe's are a real bargain 
that I'm stretching through Spring, or longer. 



Preserved boxwood wreaths are so beautiful that I use them 
year round, not just at Christmas. 

This one hangs in the kitchen sunspace, but only for a short time. 
Sunshine and late Spring warming temperatures will cause it 
to fade and to dry out. 
Soon I will move it back into my bedroom to hang 
out of the direct sunshine and on the door of a French armoire. 

Boxwood in all its natural states,
fresh, dried, and preserved, 
brings new spirit and green throughout my house. 

Wishing a sunny bright Spring for everyone 
where ever you are planted...  

❦
See the following links for boxwood information 
and visits to beautiful gardens. 
The American Boxwood Society 
Colonial Williamsburg ~ Our Boxwoods 
Chateau Villandry Gardens ~ France

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And Spring cleaning continues at my house... 
Wait 'til you see my mudroom makeover! 
A catch-all mudroom is becoming an organized 
fun place to store tools, flower vases, over-sized pots, 
and vintage bits and pieces. 

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Please join me at these inspiring sites...

MONDAY
Amaze Me Mondays @ Dwellings, the Heart of Your Home
Something To Talk About @ Karen's Up On the Hill

TUESDAY
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
~~~~~~~~~~

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French Christmas Mantel

Friday, December 12, 2014

Over time more and more French design elements 
have been added to my house. 
What began as a house in the country has 
slowly taken on more French Country, 
none more dramatically than the living room fireplace.  



And no time more completely than this Christmas 
with the design emphasis on natural greenery and gray cement. 



The wood carved mantel was added first, 
just a little over a year after the house was built. 
Prior to the carved mantel there was only a makeshift thin pine board 
set atop the massive beam supports built into the stonework 
while the search for a permanent mantel took place.  

That began the transformation from American Country to 
French Country 
 which set the stage for this year's Christmas mantel, 
a French Christmas Mantel. 


For over twenty-five years, various framed prints hung over the mantel. 
When I saw this mirror in a French Country design book 
I fell in love with it. 
Much to my delight, I stumbled upon it at a local shop about two years 
after I first saw it and bookmarked the page on which it appeared. 
How fast did I find the sales person to help me move it 
to the checkout counter? 
Faster than a New York minute! 



This is my favorite Christmas decorated mantel. 
The mirror, the boxwood wreath and boxwood bouquets, 
the gray floral-swag decorated vases, the cement rose bundles, 
and the hand-painted blue NOËL sign remind me of FRANCE. 



The hand-painted NOËL sign was made a few years ago, 
one of many joint projects completed over the years by my husband and me.  
So, seeing it every Christmas brings back all the 
special memories associated with making it and other projects. 



My husband routed the edges of a simple pine board. 
Then I painted the board white, flecked it with gold, painted 
the edges with a matching gold, and hand-painted the blue NOËL 
using a pattern made from a computer-generated font.  



Squint your eyes so you only see the Christmas mantel laden with fresh greenery, 
and perhaps, just perhaps, you could be in a PARIS apartment. 



An apartment in which fresh flowers adorn the mantel routinely...  
Roses in a vase echoing the wood carving on the mirror... 



An apartment in which only fresh greens adorn the mantel at Christmas time,  
releasing crisp evergreen scents that fill the rooms with their fragrance, 
providing the magical Christmas feeling just by their aroma... 



More freshness on the coffee table... 
An evergreen wreath sitting on top a concrete urn 
is a nest for a very large partridge. 



A carved wooden pedestal holding a candle could be part of 
a column in a PARIS apartment built in the 1800s. 
Squint your eyes once more to see the column. 



Soft candlelight aids in imagining the old PARIS apartment. 



Flickering candlelight provides light as the sun sets on 



a French Christmas Mantel. 

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Please join me at these inspiring sites...
SUNDAY
Share It One More Time @ One More Time Events

MONDAY
Amaze Me Mondays @ Dwellings, the Heart of Your Home

TUESDAY
Anything Blue Friday @ The Dedicated House

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French Country Christmas Garden Shed

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Do you have a favorite shop that you cannot wait to see 
decorated at Christmas time? 
A place you know will have special items you 
cannot find at other shops in your area... 



That is the kind of place where I want to shop. 







For years we had a very special store, Quilted Hearts, 
where I found special Christmas ornaments, gifts, and cards. 
All my friends and I were so sad when it closed. 

Each year we also traveled three hours south to historic Salado, Texas 
for its annual Christmas Tour of Homes. 
Once we finished the tour, we shopped in 
several small stores filled with unusual finds. 
Sir Wigglesworth, my favorite store, 
was owned by a talented artistic decorator. 
Her displays and merchandise were always very special. 
A few years ago this store also closed. 
Combining my love of Christmas and France, I decided 
to offer garden and home gifts at Christmas time 
and to create a special Christmas shopping event in my garden house. 

Welcome to a review of what's in the 
2014 French Country 
Christmas Event.


Freshness in green and white... 

Handpainted NOEL sign and 
fleur-de-lis linen towels 
in traditional Christmas colors...  





PAPERWHITES planted November 13 with 
the first peeks of white blooms on November 29... 





A trio of blue-tinged candles in a vintage French zinc seed pot... 



A vintage wooden sled from Europe 
showcases all things 'deer'... 

Candles, matches, kitchen towels, paper napkins, 
fabric deer ornaments, and a fun white reindeer candy/salad/soup bowl... 



A French wire basket holds fresh pine, a large sugar pinecone, and antlers...  
a simple nature-inspired centerpiece. 



It's the little things that make the difference in gift-wrapping. 
A small wooden deer clip with glittered antlers, 
brown deer-shaped ribbon, and a gold glass star 
make even the smallest package special. 

These little touches are the kinds of things I always enjoy finding. 




One of my absolute favorite finds this year is the fabric deer ribbon 
that comes in ivory, embroidered in brown with gold bells, 
and red, embroidered in dark gray with silver bells. 

Individually, they are beautiful package and napkin embellishments. 
Used in 'herds', they would make a one-of-a-kind table runner or placemat. 
No sewing needed... just use special iron-on fuser to fuse the deer to the fabric.  




Christmas joy in the kitchen comes from 
paper plates/napkins, Santa salad plates, Christmas coasters, 
foaming Christmas-scented soap, bird-themed wooden tray, 
kitchen towels, pot holders, and oven mitts. 




A pot holder paired with a wooden bird and a sprig of holly can 
make it Christmas in the kitchen the entire month of December. 






Hand-carved wooden bird ornaments... 



A Paris subway 3-D metal wall hanging... 

To read all these metro stops' names brings back wonderful 
memories of trips to Paris over the years. 
During the majority of the year, it is fantastic as 
art over a bed, over a chest of drawers, or over a desk where
daily memos, grocery lists, and French ephemera can be displayed. 

At Christmas time, it becomes a special 
Christmas card display board, highlighted by a Noël banner 
printed on golden metallic paper that is held in place 
with four of those wooden reindeer with glittered antlers. 

The banner is easy to create using a graphic from Etsy 
overprinted with letters using the font, Party LET. 





Wouldn't a greenery wreath around the spire add a Christmas touch to 
the large metal birdhouse? 





An old pale blue painted ladder makes a great display shelf for 
a bird's nest and a handcrafted burlap bird eggs print. 





Preserved boxwood wreath with a red-script ribbon... 
On a mirror, a painting, a window, or 
my favorite place, a French armoire door... 





Christmas and French-inspired garden and home items make my 
garden house a special place every December. 
If you are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, 
you are invited to come to the 
French Country Christmas Event 
where you may find something very special this Christmas. 

For those not in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, 
send an email if you would like more information about 
something in this year's Christmas Event. 

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