At a time of year when it is can be tricky to get outside as often as we might like, there is something particularly special about having the fresh pine scent of a natural Christmas tree close at hand.

But it doesn’t have to stop there, yes we all like a bit of tinsel and a gaudy bauble or two at Christmas (my daughter would be the first to protest if we didn’t) but we can also draw some inspiration from our plants and bring a bit of our gardens indoors.

Harvesting foliage, stems, berries and seedheads from the garden can be done last minute or in plenty of time for Christmas if you are very organised and have saved seedheads from plants that have flowered earlier in the year like alliums to create a simple, beautiful and cheap way of decorating your home.

Evergreen foliage from conifers, shrubs or climbers make the perfect, green background for wreaths or table displays, while colourful stems from trees and shrubs such as birch, salix and cornus look lovely in vases, simply tied in bundles or strung with Christmas lights.

Pick stems of plants with berries, there should still be plenty enough still for the birds to feast on, store them in buckets of water somewhere cool until you are ready for them. Echinacea, eryngium, rudbeckia, teasels and pine cones can be used for their warm tones of russet and chocolate or sprayed silver, gold, white or crimson.

The key to ensuring home decorations are as chic as possible is to keep your displays simple. Don’t mix too many different things together; use just a couple of ingredients rather than jumbling up lots of elements and repeat the look in pairs or groups for the most striking effect. Supplement your garden harvest with ribbons and fragrant oranges and cinnamon and your decorations will smell as good as they look.