What's Blooming

The tone for the Historic Area for December is in part dictated by the decoration of the facades of the buildings by the landscape staff of Colonial Williamsburg.  This decoration has become a holiday tradition at Colonial Williamsburg and reflects a Colonial Revival tradition rather than a true colonial tradition. In the eighteenth century, Christmas was a more sober, religious observance than it is today, and fruit was too valuable to use as a door decoration.

This effect is created primarily via a layering of appropriate materials starting with holiday greens. Frasier fir (Abies fraseri) and boxwood are the primary green materials that make up the fresh green wreaths that are used as a base upon which are added the innumerable other elements, dried and fresh, which are added to give each doorway, or façade, its distinctive appeal. In addition to the hundreds of decorated evergreen wreaths that are used, over 2000 yards of white pine (Pinus strobus) roping are used to frame doorways and windows and to drape over railings and transoms.

Once the greenery base is established, embellishments of every sort are added. In the past, fresh fruit was the primary element added to a base of greens. But with the extraordinary length of the modern holiday season, and the depredations of squirrels and even deer, dried items are now the highlight of most of the holiday decorations and the palette is a large one.

Most popular are dried larkspur (Consolida orientalis), yellow yarrow (Achillea fillapendulina), celosia (Celosia cristata), tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), strawflower (Helichrysum bracteatum), milkweed pods (Asclepias Syriaca), scabiosa (Scabiosa atropurpurea), marigold (Tagetes patula), globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa), love-in-a-mist seed pods (Nigella damascena), false saffron (Carthamus tinctorius), dried sage (Salvia officinalis), dried dock (Rumex acetosa), dried lavender (Lavendula officinalis), wormwood and southernwood (Artemesia Absinthium & A. Abrotanum), dried sunflower (Helianthus annuus), globe thistle (Echinops ritro), and poppy seed pods (Papaver sominifernum).   

Many berries are also added to holiday decorations: bayberry (Myrica cerifera), bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), rose hips (Rosa species), Indian currant (Symphoricarpus orbiculatus), eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) American holly (Ilex opaca), trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) and American beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana).

Designers are also encouraged to include items in their decorations which echo the colonial use of the dwelling that the decorations adorn. For instance, at the Dubois Grocery, you might find a lemon juicer hiding amidst the decorations. At many of the laundries located in the domestic yards behind the major dwelling places, soap balls are often weaved into decorations. At the Bluebell Tavern playing cards traditionally make up part of theme used there.

And very eye catching items, such as dried pomegranates, oranges studded with cloves, red twig dogwood (Cornus sericea), grapevine wreaths, artichokes, chinaberry, cotton, Osage orange, corn husks, browned magnolia leaves, dried quince slices, dried sumac flowers, dried bay leaves and gingerbread figures, testify to the breadth of materials that can be used to make the holiday decorations intriguing yet still retaining the authenticity that the Historic Area demands. Residents are encouraged to use any plant material that is growing in the Historic Area in their compositions for the Holiday doorway decorations. Residents compete in a holiday doorway competition which is judged by three judges who award a combination of eight professional and amateur awards.