Twinkling Trees

Oh Christmas tree! If you're looking for simple-but-charming holiday decorating ideas, think trees. The selection of tabletop-size, live trees of all kinds has never been better. Just follow our project directions - they're easy as 1-2-3.

1. Shop: Visit a garden center, nursery, or even a mass merchandiser and choose from an exciting array of dwarf evergreens, herb topiaries, and shapely ivies for your decorating as well as gift-giving pleasures. Tempt your fancy with wee junipers and arborvitae, fragrant rosemary and santolina, or the newest varieties of variegated ivy in miniature tree forms.

2. Decorate: Start by purchasing prettily-potted plants, or slip your selections (still inside their nursery pots) into vintage containers, such as sap buckets or classy urns. Then whisk them off for trimming with lengths of ribbon, a few bright baubles, or a little tinsel.

3. Display: Set your tiny trees here and there throughout the house, where they'll surprise and delight you through the holiday season. These potted plants set the stage for a festive, small-scale landscape and they're easy to maintain. If you live in a climate where freezing temperatures don't threaten plants, place potted trees outside the front door to greet visitors. Better yet, pot up extra trees and give them to all your favorite people.