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If you like rustic charm and relaxed, informal planting, this pot display is for you. With a traditional holly bush at the centre, and red berry lights for a little sparkle, you couldn't wish for a more festive container recipe. You should find all

foliage and anything else that takes your fancy.SecateursTwiggy stems from the gardenSprigs of conifer, holly or any other evergreen foliageCones, dried flowerheads, seedheads, slices of dried orange or any other decoration you choose

1) A sharply pointed outgrowth from a stem.2) A prickle, as seen on holly.

Plant spring bedding, including wallflowers and forget-me-nots, among tulipsLift, divide and replant congested clumps of perennialsNet holly berries to protect them from hungry birds if you want them for Christmas arrangementsPlant lily bulbs, including

cataloguesMow lawns during dry weather with blades set highBring garden hoses and sprinklers under cover for winter to avoid damage in freezing weatherCollect canes and plant supports, and store them in the shedSow a green manure crop over bare areas

sheltered spot if conditions turn very coldTake root cuttings of oriental poppies and other perennialsLook for early-flowering snowdrops to pot up and bring into the housePrepare soil well before planting new rosesCover branches of holly berries with netting

't be simpler or cheaper to create. Just use Christmas tree branches trimmed from the base of a tree, greenery gathered from your garden and a set of lights. We used pittosporum, miscanthus, ivy seed heads and a couple of phormium leaves.DecemberWinteran hour

, and sometimes better.SecateursKitchen towelPlastic or terracotta potGritty loam-based compostSieve (optional)autumn and early winter30 minutesChoose a healthy plant, such as sorbus, holly, cotoneaster or rowan, and check the berries are ripe by squeezing them

plant projectsCreate a Christmas holly pot displayMake a Christmas door decorationMaking a Christmas wreathCreating a winter display of aster and ornamental cabbageGrowing pansies for winter colour

. Plant trees to act as roosts, and berry-producing plants, such as holly, to entice thrushes into the garden. Create a pond to provide a habitat for frogs, newts and toads, all of which consume unfeasibly high numbers of slugs each night.More on molluscs