After wandering out to the garden and finding a piece of chicken wire, but not real chicken wire, I was inspired to create a seasonal masterpiece.

Here is how it unfolded. I found the green wire in a roll right where I left it: on the ground beside the pea patch. What happened to summer and why didn’t I pick up this fencing for my peas and put it away? Good questions all. So the non-chicken wire needed to be put away but I realized it might make a great centerpiece for my now dead pot on the front step. (At the time of the wire discovery I had not yet taken out my begonias from their protected front pot but they seriously needed to go.) So of course it made sense to remove the begonias because they were dead and build a bit of a masterpiece in their place: a tribute to the season.

I stood the roll of wire on its end on top of the soil in the now-empty pot.  And then I gathered up a variety of materials from the garden.  I gathered evergreens and deciduous branches from a recent removal project my husband, Keith, had been working on.

The garden wire is repurposed as a centerpiece for the now-empty pot. The existing rope lights are removed from the rail and wrapped around the wire to keep it together

First, I jammed the rather tall (1.25 metres?) deciduous trimmings from Keith’s project into the hole at the top of the wire roll. Then I started jamming in various bits of foliage through the side gaps in the fencing. I even clipped a few special pieces from the bottom of my very soft and pretty white pine. Evergreen shrubs and trees including boxwood and pine, spruce and fir can be trimmed any time the wood is not frozen, so I can assure you no living tree was harmed for this project (except for the massive swath of trees Keith was removing for his project but that wasn’t gardening so it didn’t really count.)

I worked from the bottom of the roll of wire up to the top alternating materials in a rather random way. If I had received any serious presents lately I would have stolen the bow from them and stuck it right on the base of my arrangement. Note to self: save some of those pretty ribbons and bows for future projects.

When I was done my project was pretty but it looked a bit like the leaning tower of Pisa so I went to the garage and found some bungee cords. I hooked two of these into the wire core and stretched them to the rail of the porch for sturdy anchoring.

I clipped bits and pieces from my garden for my inspired masterpiece. This white pine is hard to grow in Calgary but easy on the west coast.

Then I removed a rope of lights from the rail – they had been there too long anyway and people mock people who leave their lights up year round. I know this because I do it myself sometimes…. I mean I both mock and leave lights up.

I found a long extension cord, plugged in my lights and stood back to admire my work. Then, of course I quickly organized a party so I could have someone come over to admire my handiwork. That party is coming up and now Keith and I are both wondering if I should have let the sleeping wire lay where I found it because now we are facing a cooking and cleaning binge to get ready for company so that our friends and neighbors can pop by to admire my outdoor/seasonal bouquet built from my pea fencing. Assuming they even notice it! Merry Christmas everyone!

PS This seasonI am planning ski days and a trip to Edmonton and Jasper for Christmas with a stop in Kelowna (not exactly a straight line but it will be a lot of fun.) Meanwhile, my lights on my masterpiece are on an automatic switch because I hope to light up the neighborhood with my craftiness and see you all in the New Year. I am speaking at both the Calgary and the Edmonton Home and Garden show in 2016 so look for me there!