Foraging for festive decorations along canals and rivers

Foraging can yield beautiful and festive décor to turn your home into a natural winter wonderland this Christmas.

What can you forage along our canal and river banks?

Whether it’s a handful of pinecones or a wreath of holly, ivy and mistletoe, foraged Christmas decorations are a beautiful and environmentally friendly way to get your home ready for winter.

You’re looking for festive colours – rich greens, deep reds and delicate whites – and our towpaths and riversides are full of foraging potential at Christmas.

A small bunch of orangey-red crab apples grow on a bare branch.

Red berries grow amid spiky holly leaves.

A bright red berry amid green leaves with serrated edges.

Pine cones nestled amid the needles of an evergreen fir.

These tall, spiky plants have thorns along their stems.

A small bunch of orangey-red crab apples grow on a bare branch.

Seeds, berries & cones

Fruits and berries add a dash of colour to your festive fun.

Crab apples: Abundant in the early autumn, crab apples are best collected from September to November. Look for small, yellowish fruits near hedgerows on rural canal stretches or along the Great Canal Orchard between Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
Holly berries: Ripening in the late autumn, you can find holly berries and their prickly leaves between November and January. Look for glossy green leaves and bright red berries.
Ivy berries: Forage for ivy berries in December, when you’ll see them climbing trees and walls near towpaths. It’s often found in any wooded canal stretch.
Rose hips: Rose hips are best harvested after the first frost. Rose hips are the bright red fruit of wild roses found on hedgerows near canals.
Hawthorn berries: Find these clusters of small red berries lingering on leafless branches. Like rose hip, hawthorn berries are best collected after the first frost.
Sloe berries: These blackthorn fruits are known best for being used in gin, but they also make good decorations. Sloes are small, dark blue-black berries that should be picked in December and January.
Pine cones: Cones drop in the autumn but can often be found throughout winter near coniferous trees, especially in parks or forested areas.
Teasels: These spiky, dried seed heads add texture to decorations. They’re found along towpaths, meadows, shrublands, hedgerows and woodlands.

Hands hold a Tuppaware with freshly picked sloe berries.

Create festive foods and drinks

Forage for wild ingredients to create unique and seasonal drinks with nature’s bounty

Bright white berries grow amid round green leaves.

Holly leaves with a light dusting of frost on a cold winter's day.

Bracken turns golden brown in autumn and winter.

Bright white berries grow amid round green leaves.

Foliage & herbs

Holly, ivy and mistletoe make up the rich green base of your Christmas décor.

Mistletoe: This classic winter foliage is best collected in December. It grows as a parasite on host trees, like apple and lime, near canals with orchards. Look for round, green clumps with delicate white berries.
Holly and ivy leaves: These traditional Christmas plants are best collected in November and December.
Rosemary, bay and sage: You might find these fragrant herbs in canalside community gardens if you don’t grow them yourself, but they’re rare in the wild. They’re hardy through winter but can be harvested at any time.
Bracken and ferns: Dried ferns turn golden brown, adding a rustic touch to your festivities. Harvest along woodland stretches from November.

Small green cones growing from an alder tree.

Golden brown oak tree leaves.

Leaves, twigs & branches

Gold and silver branches offer a rustic, natural look.

Willow branches: Willow trees line many canals, their drooping branches skimming the water. Branches are easiest to collect when leaves have fallen in the autumn.
Oak twigs: These distinctive golden leaves add a rustic touch; look for dropped twigs after leaf fall from November onwards.
Silver birch twigs: Look for fallen or pruned twigs in winter to add a graceful, silvery look to your decorations.
Dogwood (red stems): Its vibrant red stems stand out in winter along canal hedgerows. Collect in December when the vivid red colour peaks.
Alder cones: The tiny, cone-like seed clusters from alder trees are great for natural crafts. They’re best found in winter when the cones mature and drop.

How to use your foraged finds

Once you’ve gathered your festive foliage, berries and branches, transform them into charming, eco-friendly Christmas decorations.

Xmas wreath on a table with two people touching it

DIY Christmas wreaths

Use a wreath frame or an old coat hanger to craft a base. Weave in your branches and foliage, then embellish with pinecones, berries and ribbons for texture and colour. Hang your handmade wreath on doors or windows for a natural festive touch.

Natural tree ornaments

For a rustic Christmas tree, paint pinecones, tie twigs into star shapes or string berries together with wire. You can also use mistletoe and dried fruit slices, like oranges, for added colour and charm.