DIY Outdoor Hanging Basket Ideas For The Holidays: A Super Simple Tutorial For Christmas Hanging Baskets

Want some simple outdoor decor using fresh greenery this Christmas season?

Bust out your summer flower hanging baskets and try these easy Christmas arrangements in your hanging baskets!

I started decorating for Christmas immediately after Thanksgiving. This year, with my son almost two, I was excited to jump into the spirit of the season by decorating the inside and the outside of our home.

I walk my dogs every day — so it’s easy for me to get inspired by Mother Nature and all of the beautiful colors and textures she provides for us.

I really wanted some fresh greenery around the house, so I thought I should try to use materials that I had readily available — without having to spend a small fortune.

I had a double shepherd’s hook and coconut-lined hanging baskets from my summer plants. All I needed was some festive greenery to put into those hanging baskets for the holidays.

After a trip to Hobby Lobby, I realized that I could easily replicate some of their hanging basket ideas using real greenery from my own backyard without having to spend a dime!

 

Materials Needed

Here is a list of the materials I used to create these fresh cut hanging Christmas arrangements:

• Shepherd’s hooks
• Hanging baskets
• Potting soil
• Pruning shears
• Pine cones
• Crystalized twigs (from Hobby Lobby)
• Leyland Cypress clippings
• Winterberry clippings
• Pine tree clippings

  

 

How To Make Outdoor Christmas Hanging Baskets

These hanging baskets take less than 10 minutes to make once you’ve gathered all the materials.

Here are the steps I used to make these outdoor Christmas arrangements:

1. I filled the hanging baskets with potting soil.
   
2. I cut the Leyland branches to approximately 12 inches and created a stem by cutting off any excess branches near the bottom. (I used about 12 Leyland Cypress branches for each basket.)
   
3. I held the Leyland branches like I would dump spaghetti into a pot and put them in the center of the basket — folding them down to lay and fill in the perimeter.
    
4. I cut Pine tree branches down to bunches with a stem and plugged in these pieces anywhere I thought could use the lime green color.
    
5. I filled in the gaps with the red Winterberry for punches of color.
    
6. I decided I wanted to add some white in these Christmas hanging baskets — so I spray painted some pine cones and added 3 per basket.
   
7. I added 1 crystalized twig (left over from a previous project) to the center of these Christmas arrangements.
   
8. I hung the baskets on shepherd’s hooks — just off the side of the front walkway and steps.
   
9. I added water to the soil to help keep everything hydrated as long as possible, and I continue to water every few days.

 

The Bottom Line…

I absolutely love how these outdoor Christmas arrangements turned out! They add a festive and welcoming touch to our home.

I think I’d like to line the walkway with a row of these because I have several more shepherd’s hooks and hanging baskets just begging to be filled.

The best part about these Christmas arrangements is they didn’t cost a thing, and they will just return to the earth after the holidays. No storing… and no adding to the landfills!

Since these are the first ones I’ve made, I have no idea how long these outdoor Christmas arrangements will last — but I do suspect they will fair better in the cooler states versus somewhere like Florida.

I will be keeping the soil moist, so they should last throughout the holidays. But if not, I can easily refresh the baskets with fresh clippings, as needed.

I hope this Christmas hanging baskets tutorial inspires you to take another look at your surroundings and see what Mother Nature provides for arrangements that you can create… Merry Christmas!