A beautifully wrapped gift creates instant holiday cheer, and there is no better place to look for inspiration than in your own garden.

A garden is filled with floral gems and festive foliage to adorn gifts and add that special home-grown touch. And, better yet, foraged finds from your garden not only has no effect on your festive budget but is also a more eco-conscious way of gifting loved ones. Read further for a few of our top tips and tricks for foraging in your garden for your Christmas gift decorations.

Less is more when it comes to foraging from your garden! As a basis, wrap your presents with simple white or brown kraft paper - a versatile and eco-friendly wrapping option. Add some cotton or sisal twine or even plain raffia to your gift which will help secure your garden finds later on.

Now that you have your gift ‘covered’, it’s time to head into the garden to forage for gift-worthy greenery.

The type of botanical bits and greenery that you will be looking for depends on how long the presents will be waiting under the Christmas tree. It is best to collect items that are long-lasting that will still look fresh on the day of opening.

Some fresh greenery dries beautifully and others will wilt quite quickly but then there is also the added benefit of using already dried material which is just as lovely and can last forever.

Evergreen shoots like spruce, pennygum, slangbos, cedar, cypress and juniper are long-lasting and have a festive feel.

Herbs are a fragrant favourite and look best against a monochrome-styled gift wrapped gift. Herbs like rosemary, oregano, thyme and lavender are ideal and will have a lingering smell of goodness, but many other herbs can also be used!

If you’ve already gathered all your gifts and are ready for wrapping early, dried material will work best and will remain beautiful even as time passes.

Ideas for dried bits are unending! Look for seed pods like poppies and Scabious, twigs, pine cones, grasses like Bunny tails and Canary grass, even dried flowers like baby’s breath or Fynbos make for beautiful gift adorning.

For a minimalistic look, tie a single sprig of greenery or dried items with twine and secure with glue if necessary. For a fuller effect, create layers of a variety of natural elements, bind it together with twine, and tie it to the gift.

Tip | Before adorning gifts with your freshly foraged items, make sure you remove critters and bugs - you don’t want to surprise family and friends with unexpected six-legged guests.

To keep with the festive theme, use long single-stemmed shoots to create mini wreaths to tie on top of your gift. Rosemary, olive and indigenous Helichrysum work really well in this case.

Wrapping gifts with foraged finds from your garden does not only unleash your inner creative but more importantly, adds a very special handmade touch, demonstrating appreciation toward the recipient.