Decking the Halls: Festive Plants to Celebrate the Holiday Season

by Janet Melrose, Sheryl Normandeau

Overview

A beautifully illustrated guide to the plants of Christmas and the holiday season, Decking the Halls makes for a perfect gift and is sure to delight the home decorator, dedicated gardener, and curious plant-lover alike.

Seasoned gardeners with twelve books under their belts, Janet Melrose and Sheryl Normandeau bring their passion and expertise to the trees, shrubs, vines, fruits, and herbs of the holiday season in this gorgeously illustrated guide. Opening with the stories and traditions behind the most iconic Christmas plants, indoor and out, the delicate illustrations and well-researched tales tap into the joy and wonder of Christmas. Plants are central to adorning our homes with holiday cheer and filling our kitchens with the scents of the season, and Janet and Sheryl walk readers through the many ways you can bring in the greens: from Christmas tree selection and care, to trying your hand at wreaths, garlands, and arrangements with helpful how-to illustrations, to the aromatics that enliven the traditional culinary delights of the holidays.

A perfect holiday gift or stocking stuffer, this luxurious hardcover illustrated book is a pleasure to hold. From seasonal forest plants to kitchen herbs, from tiny berries to towering trees, Decking the Halls shines a light on the uplifting greenery that helps us weather the darkest months of the year.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771514644
Publisher:	TouchWood Editions
Publication date:	11/25/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160

About the Author

Janet Melrose is a garden educator and consultant, and an advocate for Calgary’s Sustainable Local Food System. She is a life-long gardener and holds a Prairie Horticulture Certificate and Home Farm Horticultural Therapy Certificate. She has a passion for Horticultural Therapy and facilitates numerous programs designed to integrate people marginalized by various disabilities into the larger community. She is a regular contributor to The Gardener for Canadian Climates magazine. She lives in Calgary where she runs her education and consulting company, Calgary’s Cottage Gardener.

Sheryl Normandeau is the co-author of the Guides for the Prairie Gardener series and author of The Little Prairie Book of Berries. A life-long gardener, she holds a Prairie Horticulture Certificate and a Sustainable Urban Agriculture Certificate and is a freelance writer specializing in gardening writing with hundreds of articles published. She is a regular contributor to The Gardener for Canadian Climates, The Prairie Garden Annual, Herb Quarterly, and many more. She lives in Calgary.

Read an Excerpt

INTRODUCTION

As gardeners, how do we mark the change of seasons? Spring is hectic with seed sowing and enjoying the lively return of birds and insects and perennial blooms. The world is filled with sound and colour, and the soil is warm in our hands. In the summer, we spend hours on our knees weeding. We lug watering cans around the garden and watch our plants as they mature. We harvest fresh delights such as green peas and crisp beans, and bring the flowers of zinnias and lisianthus into our dining rooms. Our evenings are spent on lawn chairs, enjoying the fragrance of evening-scented stock and lavender. In autumn, we clamber to get the pumpkins in before the heavy frosts, and watch deciduous leaves change colour and fall to the ground. For us in cold climates, the growing season always seems shorter than we would like—suddenly, it's over for the year, with beds tucked away under a covering of mulch and the tools hung up in the shed. Gardeners anxiously anticipate the shortest day of the year, for its arrival means that we are in a time of renewal and rebirth as we celebrate the upcoming festive seasons and the return of the light. Spring is not far away!

You might be forgiven for thinking that there is nothing left to do in the winter but tend our houseplants. But fear not, there is a whole other gardening season at this time of year. Whether it is growing amaryllis, or planting up a holiday poinsettia, ivy, and holly, there is plenty to do. Bringing in the greens is an ancient practice at this time of year where we decorate our homes with wreaths, garlands, arrangements, and more. Then there is the tree to be the focal point of our homes for the Twelve Days of Christmas. Festive baking and cooking with all those spices and herbs fills the house with smells that evoke Christmases long gone. 

This seasons is one filled with poignant memories, ongoing traditions, and a wealth of meanings as we celebrate the turn of the year by drawing on centuries of symbolism and practices. As you read about these traditions and beliefs through history and over cultures, you'll recognize a pattern: the human need to bring colour, light, and peace into our lives during dark times. From the warmth of the Yule Log to the significance of Persephone's pomegranate, the Druidic rituals surround the oak tree to the Arthurian connection of the Glastonbury thorn, hope and renewal are themes that run through all these stories, and plants are a huge part of the cycle. 

Join us as we explore the world of gardening in the dead of winter!

—from Decking the Halls

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter One: The Trees, Shrubs, and Perennials of the Season

• The Yule Log
• Oak Tree
• Birch
• The Glastonbury Thorn
• Holly and the Ivy
• Mistletoe
• Christmas Rose 
• Wintergreen

Chapter Two: Bringing in the Greens: Decorating the Home

• The Christmas Tree
• The Christmas Trees of North America
• Balsam Fir
• Concolor Fir
• Douglas Fir
• Fraser Fir
• Grand Fir
• Scot's Pine
• Christmas Tree How-Tos
• The Greens We Use
• Wreaths
• Garland
• Outdoor Arrangements
• Indoor Arrangements

Chapter Three: Houseplants to Celebrate the Season

• The Plants
• Houseplant Arrangements

Chapter Four: The Sweet and Savoury Smells of the Season

• Plants with Flavour
• Traditional Staples and Treats of the Season
Recipe: Janet's Favourite Recipe for a Simple Mulled Wine
• Recipe: Janet's Cranberry Sauce
• Recipe: Janet's Traditional English Stuffing

Conclusion: And a Partridge in a Pear Tree