For this year’s holiday door decoration, try a thick bouquet of greenery instead of the traditional wreath. Arrangements can be a simple as a cluster of magnolia leaves tied with ribbon or as elaborate as several kinds of evergreen foliage intertwined with toys or ornaments.

When selecting greenery for a holiday cluster, keep in mind that most evergreens with thick leaved, waxy foliage will hold up well after cutting. Southern magnolia, Japan cleyera, rhododendron, Holly, Japanese pittosporum, sweet olive, and loquat will last for several days without water; so will a number of short needled evergreens, including hemlock, deodar cedar, and pines. The foliage of some evergreens, such as rhododendron and southern magnolia, will last for several weeks.

The cuttings of other evergreens such as gold-dust plant, boxwood, mahonia, and yew will last longer when their stems are inserted in a block of florist’s foam saturated with water. Just wire the foam into the base of the arrangement. For additional stem support, surround the florist’s foam with chicken wire.

When pruning your evergreens for holiday decorations, be selective about where you make your cuts so that you do not destroy the shape of the plant.

Additional materials you will need for your foliage cluster are narrow gauge florist’s wire, a roll of green florist’s tape, U-shaped florist’s pins, scissors, and a block of florist’s foam if the greenery needs to be kept in water. For more interesting arrangements you might collect various objects such as toys and ornaments to wire in with the foliage. Or, with the greenery, use natural materials such as fruit, pine cones, magnolia seed pods, and nuts. Dried foliage, such as eucalyptus, is also nice for creating contrast in color and texture.

For trim, you will need ribbons of various textures, widths, and patterns. If you want a background for the arrangement, consider using a flat basket, woven tray, or fan.

To assemble the foliage cluster (once you have decided on the shape), first choose several large branches to form the core of the arrangement. Use florist’s tape and wire to hold the branches together, or insert the stems in a block of florist’s foam and secure with tape and wire. Gradually add other pieces of greenery, wiring or pinning them in place as you develop the shape.

Wire in bows, toys ornaments, or other objects as desired. You can also combine several types of foliage to provide interesting contrasts in color and texture.

If you are using a background such as a basket or fan for the door decoration, attach the completed foliage cluster to the background with florist’s wire. When the arrangement is finished, use wire to hang it from a nail or from the door knocker.