By Tim McVey, Director of Floral Design — Perennial Gardens Bedford
The holiday decoration season in Westchester runs from roughly mid-November through New Year's — a six-week window that determines how homes and businesses look to every visitor during that period. Wreaths at front doors, garlands on mantels and stair rails, greenery in window boxes, and specialty work for larger estate installations — all of this requires planning that most homeowners don't start until too late. Our floral design workshop has been making holiday greens and wreaths for Westchester families and businesses for three generations, and this guide covers what's available, how timing works, and how to plan holiday floral work that delivers the intended effect.
What "Holiday Greens" Actually Means
The category covers several distinct types of work.
Wreaths. Circular or oval arrangements of evergreen material, typically hung at entries or windows. Range from simple evergreen wreaths to elaborate mixed-material statement pieces.
Garlands. Linear strands of evergreen material, used on mantels, stair rails, door frames, and archways. Measured in feet; typical installations run 6-20+ feet.
Window boxes. Evergreen arrangements filling permanent window boxes or planters. Often include berries, dried materials, and sometimes pinecones or ornaments.
Mantels and centerpieces. Table or mantel arrangements with evergreen base and seasonal accents.
Custom installations. Entry archways, chandelier drapes, specialty designs. Scoped per-project.
Potted greens. Live evergreen plants (cypress, spruce, boxwood) arranged decoratively and often placed outdoors.
The Evergreen Palette
Holiday greens draw from a specific palette of evergreen material.
Common evergreens
Fraser fir. The gold standard for wreaths. Excellent needle retention, blue-green color, pleasant fragrance. From mid-Atlantic and Southeast growers.
Balsam fir. Traditional choice with exceptional fragrance. Slightly less needle retention than Fraser but distinctive aroma.
White pine. Soft long needles, lighter green color. Different texture and character than fir wreaths.
Spruce (various). Blue spruce, Norway spruce. Bluish-green color, distinct from firs.
Cedar. Western red cedar, white cedar. Flat sprays, fragrant, architectural character.
Boxwood. Small-leaved evergreen for refined wreaths and garlands. Different aesthetic register.
Magnolia leaves. Large glossy dark-green leaves with bronze undersides. Dramatic, southern-inflected.
Eucalyptus. Silvery-blue foliage, fragrant. Used sparingly for textural contrast.
Juniper. Berries add color interest. Architectural branch structure.
The Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder catalogs most of these with growing and harvest notes.
Accent materials
Berries. Winterberry holly (red), bittersweet (orange), rose hips, juniper berries. Color accents.
Pinecones. White pine cones, spruce cones, decorative cone varieties. Texture and natural character.
Dried materials. Dried hydrangea, dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, preserved rose hips. Organic texture.
Ribbon. Traditional red, burgundy, tartan, velvet. Color and formal finishing.
Specialty elements. Ornaments, beaded garland, metallic accents, feathers. Customizable per design.
The Society of American Florists publishes industry guidance on holiday greens craft that aligns with our practice.
Design Styles
Traditional wreath
Fraser fir base, red berry accents, traditional red bow. The classic front-door wreath. Works essentially anywhere.
Woodland
Mixed evergreens (fir, pine, cedar), pinecones, dried materials, natural jute ribbon. Reads as if gathered from the woods.
Formal / estate
Magnolia, boxwood, eucalyptus, or mixed formal greens. Restrained palette, refined bow (velvet or silk), sometimes metallic accents. Suited to formal estate fronts.
Contemporary
Single-variety work — all eucalyptus, all boxwood, all cedar. Minimalist restraint. Often no ribbon, just the greens.
Mixed materials
Combining multiple evergreens, berries, dried materials, and specialty elements. Dense, generous, abundance-oriented. Reads as celebration.
Corporate / formal commercial
Restrained, consistent, without seasonal kitsch. Often same materials and design across multiple locations. See our corporate events page.
Scale Considerations
Holiday greens should match the scale of their setting.
Front door wreaths. Traditional residential sizes range 20-36 inches. Grand estate entries benefit from 30-42 inches. Small apartment or second homes may suit smaller wreaths (16-20 inches).
Garland on mantels. Typically runs the full length of the mantel, draping over the edges by 6-12 inches. A 6-foot mantel needs 7-8 feet of garland for this effect.
Stair rail garland. Covers the full length of the railing. Typical residential stair runs 10-15 feet of garland per flight.
Archway installations. Scaled to fit the architectural opening. Custom installations typically.
Window box greens. Fill existing window boxes with 18-30 inches of vertical material above the box.
The Timing Framework
Holiday greens orders follow a specific timeline.
Early planning (late October - early November)
Optimal time for custom estate-level work. Multi-location corporate orders. Any installation requiring specific rare materials. Scope conversations happen here.
Mid planning (early to mid November)
Most residential customs scoped. Delivery windows assigned. Material ordered from growers. This is when our internal planning locks in.
Order placement window (mid November - early December)
Most residential orders placed. Materials arriving at the workshop. Production beginning.
Late orders (early to mid December)
Accommodated when possible. Materials may be depleted for specific varieties. Design flexibility narrowed.
Final week (mid to late December)
Limited to what's in the workshop. Last-minute residential orders accommodated if capacity allows.
Delivery and installation
Late November - early December. Delivery begins for early orders. Some customers want greens up for Thanksgiving through New Year; others want fresh-delivered Dec 10-15.
Mid December peak. Most residential delivery happens here. Fresh arrangements, peak condition material.
Late December. Replacement for any early-installed material that's declined. Top-ups for specific features.
Post-holiday removal. We handle removal of evergreen installations for clients who prefer full-service. Not typically a separate scope — included in original installation.
Materials Sourcing
Our holiday greens come primarily from:
Regional growers. White pine, balsam fir, cedar, and specialty boxwood from Northeast and Mid-Atlantic growers.
Mid-Atlantic fir. Fraser fir from North Carolina growers. Industry-standard wreath material.
Southern growers. Magnolia from Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia. Eucalyptus from California or Oregon.
Local inventory. Our garden center carries some greens directly, plus we source specific items through regional wholesale operations.
The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County publishes regional guidance on winter landscape plants that often informs our sourcing choices.
Custom vs. Standard
Standard wreaths follow proven designs — Fraser fir with red berries, white pine with pinecones, boxwood with magnolia. Consistent, reliable, familiar.
Custom wreaths start from scratch — specific material requests, unique palettes, unusual accents, personalized color schemes. Scoped per consultation.
For estate clients and corporate installations, custom scope is typically standard. For individual front-door wreaths, standard designs work beautifully and cost less.
Corporate and Multi-Property Holiday Greens
For corporate holiday work and multi-property installations, scope expands beyond single-wreath considerations.
Consistent aesthetic across locations. Companies with multiple offices benefit from coordinated holiday greens that match brand aesthetic across locations. Same material palette, same design approach, same installation standards.
Installation logistics. Large-scale holiday installations require scheduled installation at each site, often on specific days before the holiday window opens.
Corporate removal. Post-holiday removal is typically scoped into the original contract for corporate clients. Our team handles removal in early January.
Multi-year relationships. Many corporate clients and large estates book holiday greens on multi-year contracts, streamlining annual execution.
For corporate holiday floral work, see our corporate events page.
Caring for Fresh Greens Between Delivery and Holiday
For orders arriving in early December intended to be fresh through New Year's, simple care extends their presentation.
- Keep outdoor wreaths out of direct mid-day sun when possible.
- Spritz interior arrangements with water periodically to maintain humidity.
- Position away from heat sources (fireplaces in use, radiators).
- Avoid drafts from doors or vents that accelerate drying.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a wreath last in Westchester winter conditions?
Well-made evergreen wreaths hold their character for 4-6 weeks outdoors in our climate. Fraser fir has particularly good needle retention and can look fresh into mid-January if conditions are favorable. Interior installations (garlands, mantels) hold longer — 6-8 weeks.
Can I re-use wreaths year to year?
Most evergreen wreaths are single-season. Some permanent-material wreaths (with artificial greens) can be reused, but they read differently than fresh material. Some clients order fresh wreaths annually and compost the previous year's for continuity.
When should I order?
For standard residential wreaths, early November is ideal. For custom estate work, late October. Last-minute orders (December) have limited variety but can usually be accommodated.
Do you install greens at the property?
Yes, for larger scope installations. Estate wreath hanging, mantel and stair-rail garland installation, window box filling — all can be done by our team. Scoped as part of the project.
For holiday greens, wreaths, and installations in Westchester — from single front-door wreaths to multi-room estate-scale work — Perennial Gardens has served Westchester holidays for three generations. Our floral design workshop and garden center coordinate the material and design work. Reach us through the contact page to schedule your order.
