Holiday Homes Tour | Apex NC

Yesterday my mother and I went on the Apex Historical Society's 21st Annual Holiday Homes Tour. After a decade of living in the Peak of Good Living, we were happy to finally participate ... and had a terrific time.

The tour is the biggest fundraiser each year for the AHS, and is held the first Sunday of every December. Every year, the Maynard-Pearson House is included in the tour. And this year it was joined by the home of Marcie and Craig Corry on Hwy 751; The Teacherage on South Hughes Street, which is home to Daniel and Cathy Martin; and The Log Cabin, and the home of Bobby and Rosalyn Cox. It was interesting to see the different styles each home offered.

But what really stood out for me was the way the homeowners incorporated so much natural elements into their holiday design. Today we'll be discussing the Maynard-Pearson House; Tuesday we'll discuss Cathy Martin and The Teacherage; and we'll wrap it up with Marcie Corry's cottage called Sunflowers on Wednesday.

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According to Apex Historical Society literature, the Maynard-Pearson House is a rural farmhouse built in 1872 by Mr. James Jackson Maynard and Civil D. Pearson Maynard on land given to them by their father. The pecan trees on the property were planted in 1902 and were a gift to John Phineous Pearson from NC Governor Charles B. Aycock. Judy Miles, a member of the Society, told me that the azaleas in the garden came from the WRAL grounds several years ago.

The home is certainly beautiful, but what really drew my attention was the holiday decorations in the windows and on the front porch. Mrs. Miles said that the gourds in the arrangements were grown in 2006, then dried, sanded down and varnished this year. Society members also spend the better part of the year gathering fallen leaves and pinecones, and other natural materials that are used to decorate the house and grounds.

Check out the swag around the front door, which is harnessed by grapevine. The grapevine has been soaked and shaped into a large arch, then hung above the door. Then it's filled with magnolia leaves, juniper and spruce, nandina leaves and berries, ribbons, gourds, and pinecones. The result is simply stunning.

Around the windows, similar treatment can be found. Grapevine wreaths are filled with clippings from boxwood, magnolia trees, pinecones, ribbons and baskets. Some branches were spray painted with white, silver or gold, and the effect overall was really pretty.

What struck me about the natural decorations was that anyone could create them from materials found about in the garden.

• What natural materials do you take from your garden to decorate?