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December 20, 2012 · Leave a Comment

This Holiday Decoration is for the Birds

How to

holiday decoration finished

Not perfect, but fun.

twig ballsSince the summer, when I went on a garden tour in Hudson, Wis. (a highly recommended tour) and saw these twig balls, I’ve been interested in making some kind of twig decor. You can buy them in many nurseries and garden centers, but I wanted to try my hand at making them. First I checked youtube, where I found one decent video, but when I tried to replicate the instructions, it was a complete fail. My twig circles kept boinging open.

orb with greeneryI gave up until I went to the Rice County Master Gardener holiday party, where one of the gardeners (Karen) showed me how she did the circles. Using large branches (willow or red twig dogwood work well), she lashed two branches together at the thick end using 18 gauge wire. The branches should be facing the opposite direction, so you have one very long branch, which is tied in the middle.  Then, bend the branches around so that they form a circle. You can twist them around each other and then lash the ends together, using wire. Make four circles using this method. The circles need to be very close in size. Then, fit the circles together to make an orb. You may need to use a bit more wire to keep everything together. My orb was not nearly as neat and shapely as Karen’s but it was an something close to an orb.

computer and grapefruit ornament for holiday decorationI decided it might make an interesting outdoor ornament, if I dolled it up into a bird feeder. I started by adding greenery, which was pretty easy to wind into the twigs. Earlier this week, I watched a video from the Daily Connoisseur on making ornaments using dried citrus. This was very easy to do and cute. I took my dried grapefruit ornaments, added dental floss, so they could be hung from the orb, spread them with peanut butter (make sure the citrus slices are not too thin — one of mine broke during the peanut butter speading), then dipped them in bird seed. I also used a margarine tub top in the center of the feeder/orb. The top is also spread with peanut butter and covered with bird seed, and I used duck tape to attach the tub top to the branches in the center of the orb.

holiday decoration with bird seedI added a thick holiday ribbon at the top of the orb so it could be hung from our maple tree out front. I’m not sure how long this will last and I plan to monitor it today because the wind is supposed to pick up. What fun projects have you done this holiday season?

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Did I mention how exquisite the plant material is Did I mention how exquisite the plant material is at Longwood Gardens in Philadelphia? I’ll be doing a full blog post soon about this and some of the other gardens we visited but as I’m heading home I’m cherishing all the great people on the Garden Fling tour, the amazing organizer @karl_gercens_ and the beautiful places we saw. 
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#gbfling2023 #grateful #phillyfling #pennsylvaniafling #gardenbloggersfling #gardenbloggers

#baileynurseries  #cobrahead #crescentgarden #dramm #ealicata #gardenrant #thegreatgrowalong #longwoodgardens #monroviaplants #nwfs #northwestflowerandgardenfestival #picklewix #provenwinners #sandiaseed  #teakcloseouts
Philadelphia gardens are full of lush and lanes, t Philadelphia gardens are full of lush and lanes, tree snags and lichen. Perfect accent for our rainy garden tour. #gbfling2023 #americasgardencapital #lichen #fallgarden
Wait for it! The best gardens have secrets within Wait for it! The best gardens have secrets within them. #gbfling2023 #americasgardencapital #gardensecrets #paths #gardendestinations
Just 15 seconds of water sounds to ease you into y Just 15 seconds of water sounds to ease you into your weekend courtesy of @longwoodgardens fountains. Have a great one! #watermusic #gbfling2023 #phillyfling #americasgardencapital #soothing
I’ve loved this container in the front of our ho I’ve loved this container in the front of our house, but things are looking faded, so it’s time for a refresh. Out went the Persimmon supertunias (love them, but they have done their duty) and a new cuphea I’m testing (great plant.) In go fall celosia in bright yellow and bronze orange garden mum, both from @shopbachmans. I kept the Queen Tut papyrus for its spikey texture. We’re ready for fall! 

#fallcontainer #fallplanting #fallcelosia #gardenmums #mngardener #fallinMinnesota
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Just another morning in the garden with my monarch Just another morning in the garden with my monarch friends. Have a peaceful, joyous Sunday! #communitygarden #monarchbutterfly #weekendvibes💕 #pollinators
What’s the difference between having enough sun What’s the difference between having enough sun and plenty of sun in the garden? These two Tithonias tell the tale! 

Plus don’t forget to stop by the @mnhort booth in the dirt wing of the Horticultural building at the @mnstatefair! I’ll be there Sunday from 1 to 5 pm and would love to hear how your garden is growing! 

#sunorshade #veggarden #communitygarden #howmuchsundoyouneed #tithonia #mexicansunflower
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Ground cherries look like tomatillos but taste lik Ground cherries look like tomatillos but taste like tropical fruit.
They are an acquired taste but I love them, especially in a spicy jam. 

For this recipe, I mixed

2.5 cups of cleaned ground cherries, 
half a cup of water,
1 cup sugar
a few stray strawberries from the fridge,
 juice of a small lemon, 
a 1-inch piece of ginger
1 tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg

 Boil away until it is thick. Store in the fridge and use as you would any jam. 

#communitygarden #groundcherries #mngardener #cookfromthegarden
What a fabulous day, touring gardens with garden c What a fabulous day, touring gardens with garden communicators from all over the U.S. and beyond! Minnesota gardens looked good today. Than you, @gardencomm_gci for visiting the Twin Cities!
Ribbit! Saw this beauty enjoying a beautiful garde Ribbit! Saw this beauty enjoying a beautiful garden in Washington County today. #daylily #gardentour #mngarden
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