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

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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!