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Outdoor Holiday Wreaths - Who Has the Best?

Not All Wreaths & Garlands are Created Equal: Find Out Which Ones Rate

By , About.com Guide

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As a Californian, I consider two wreaths to be pretty festive, but in the other parts of the United States and Europe, wreaths adorning each window and door is a common sight. Whether you use one wreath or a dozen, you want something that is beautiful, well-made, and will last for many seasons to come.

Balsam Hill's business is artificial holiday greenery: trees, garlands and wreaths. They know what they're doing, and customers have come back throughout the years to add to their collections.

Balsam Hill Denali White Wreath & Garland

White Wreath and Garland from Balsam Hill - Denali White Wreath and GarlandPhoto by Lisa Hallett Taylor
Why is this particular wreath and garland such a knockout combination? White is striking, especially from a distance and against a dark door. If you live in a snowless part of the world, white may give you a much-needed snow fix. I like the Denali combo because it gives me that bright, twinkling, indescribable something everytime I see it.
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California Bigcone Douglas Fir Garland with Lights

Wreaths and Garlands for Christmas - Outdoor Holiday Wreaths and GarlandsPhoto © Lisa Hallett Taylor
This Balsam Hill 10-foot garland is the California Bigcone Douglas Fir from the Napa Christmas™ Signature Collection. It features long, soft True Needle® foliage in a rich dark green hue and is embellished with large natural pinecones and pre-lit with clear lights. It's a classic and versatile garland that coordinates well with many of Balsam Hill's holiday greenery. For this Southwest-style entryway, I paired the Bigcone garland with Balsam Hill's Crimson Harvest Wreath. They both have a naturalistic look with pinecones and realistic needles and together make a winning combination.
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Crimson Harvest Christmas Wreath by Balsam Hill

Balsam Hill Pinecone and Red Berries Holiday WreathPhoto © Lisa Hallett Taylor

Balsam Hill's Crimson Harvest is not a $5 wreath you pick up at the drug or hardware store and festoon with all of the ribbon, bows, ornaments and knicknacks it can hold. Balsam Hill is a company that's exclusively in business to make holiday trees, wreaths and garlands. And they do a superb job. The Crimson Harvest and other Balsam Hill wreaths are among the best-quality artificial holiday foilage I've ever seen or inspected up close.

The Crimson Harvest is embellished with natural pine cones, twigs, faux cranberries and baby pomegranates. It's made of flame-retardant and non-allergenic materials and is a combination of Balsam Hill's Classic Needle and Pine Needle PVC tips.

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Treetopia Toasted Champagne Gold Wreath

champagne gold wreath by treetopiaPhoto © Lisa Hallett Taylor

Toasted Champagne Gold? It may sound like a New Year's Eve concoction, but this particular gold is fabulously ungawdy gold. It has that cool, subtle appeal like something from the early 1960s, but updated with all of today's modern tricks, including tiny white lights instead of those midcentury-era "gigantic" C7 and C9-size bulbs. Find out other reasons why you might want to check out this champagne beauty.

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Vickerman Co. Prelit Mixed Country Pine Wreath

picture of country pine christmas wreathPhoto courtesy of PriceGrabber
The Vickerman Co.'s Country Pine Wreath is a beautiful mixture of dark and medium-green pine needles of different textures, which gives it a realistic charm. The wreath is pre-wired with 70 small clear lights, so all you have to do is plug it in and enjoy your ring of glowing, green holiday cheer.
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Christmas Island Wreath: Floral Treasure

picture of seashell wreath christmas islandPhoto © Lisa Hallett Taylor

Don't let the name -- Christmas Island -- fool you. This wreath is suitable for any late fall or winter holiday: Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year's. Made by Floral Treasure, it is handcrafted with shells and has a fresh, subtle scent of evergreens.

Should you buy it? Read the review

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