Gardeners are handy, versatile and resourceful. We can also use our gardening labours for other hobbies like cooking, jam making, wine making and crafts. And what better time of year than Christmas to expand our craft activities for the garden.

There is so much we can do but here are our top 10 Christmas craft ideas for gardeners.

1 Giant outdoor bauble

If you want to make a huge statement in your garden this Christmas, why not try a few giant outdoor baubles? You will need to buy a selection of large plastic footballs which you can pick up from most pound stores and these can be decorated with spray paint and glitter to look like a huge bauble.

The great thing about this is that the decorations are incredibly versatile. You can suspend them as hanging decorations or you might place them around the lawn and patio. Experiment with colours and textures and get the whole family involved.

2 Make a Christmas wreath

Is there anything more festive than a beautiful wreath adorning your front door? Not only this but it’s welcoming and gives your home exterior a rustic and traditional feel.

Making a wreath is easy and you can take the opportunity to get out into nature to source your craft materials. Branches and twigs from things like birch trees or even your own holly hedge work well and you could also put in some evergreen leaves.

You’ll paint or shellac your branches and can then add in ribbon, baubles, sprigs of holly and anything else that takes your fancy. Let your imagination run wild!

3 Outdoor festive mason jars

Mason jars have become popular in many crafts and Christmas is the perfect time to make use of them. You can take several different sizes of mason jar and decorate them in a Christmas theme. Perhaps as a snowman or Santa...or even as a Christmas pudding!

Inside, you’ll put some fairy lights or a battery powered tea light candle which will make the colours glow. Then you can place them on the front porch, around outdoor heated seating areas and on window ledges or the shed to brighten up your outdoor space.

4 Get creative with pinecones

If you’re fortunate enough to live near a woodland or have trees in your garden, there is sure to be an abundance of pine cones and these are ideal for outdoor Christmas crafts. One of the best ways to use them is to create a centrepiece for an outdoor table. Just because it’s winter that doesn’t mean you can’t get out the patio heater and enjoy some mulled wine in the garden.

You can decorate your pine cones using spray paint and glitter. You might also add some adhesive and pop a small star on the top of each one before placing them into a display bowl. Just be sure to clean the pinecones before working on them.

5 Create a candy cane walkway

If you have a garden path or driveway that could do with a bit of festive cheer, making candy cane poles is the perfect solution. You’ll need some open-ended plastic poles (old tent supports or small lengths of piping) and some battery powered light bulbs that are safe for outdoor use (check the IP rating.)

Take some red PVC or tape and wrap it around the poles to create a candy cane design. Then secure the light bulbs to the top of the cane and then pop them into the ground along the edges of the walkway. You might even decorate each one with a small, handmade Christmas wreath for even more of a festive vibe.

6 Make a Santa’s grotto

Do you have a summer house or even a shed that won’t see much use over winter? Why not turn it into a Santa’s grotto for the kids? You can use the previous candy cane walkway to lead up to the grotto before getting creative.

Adorn the outside of the summer house with wreaths, lighting and other decorations. You could even make your own DIY Santa’s grotto sign to stand outside. Inside, it’s time to let your creativity run wild; consider installing various models of elves, reindeer and the big man himself. Wrap cardboard boxes as presents and pop them under a tree. Don’t forget the lights!

7 Christmas themed plant pots

If you want a more subtle festive decoration in your garden, why not try painting some plant pots or containers to place on the patio? Terracotta pots work best for this and you’ll need to give it a coat of PVA glue before applying the paint.

We find that acrylic paints give the best finish and are much easier to work with. This is a great garden craft for the little ones to get involved with and they’ll enjoy painting Santa, Christmas puddings and much more on the pots. Then all you need to do is pop in an evergreen or fake plant and decorate your garden or patio.

8 Christmas light orbs

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a stunning array of lights but you’re not limited to only using luminous decorations brought in the local supermarket. Why not try making your own Christmas light orbs using chicken wire and fairy lights?

You will need to form your wire into a ball shape before covering it in your chosen lights. You can get creative with coloured lights or go for a white light for a simpler look. You might choose to make several different sized orbs for the lawn or even use them to light a garden path or the entrance to your home.

9 Outdoor pallet Christmas tree

Most of us have pallets hanging around or are able to get our hands on some. Pallets are incredibly useful for crafts and if you’re looking for an outdoor tree that will never die then this is the craft for you! You’ll need to cut a Christmas tree shape out of a strong wooden pallet to start.

Next, you can paint the tree. This is where you can get uber-creative painting on decorations or simply going green if you want a more subtle look. Once the tree is dry, drill some holes in for your lights then you can pop the tree on the front porch. Alternatively, you could make several to place around the garden.

10 Breeze block presents

If you have some old breeze blocks lying around the garden, these can be difficult to get rid of. But the good news is that they can be repurposed as an outdoor Christmas decoration. All you will need to do is grab some paint and decorate the blocks.

Next, take some frog tape to wrap around the blocks for the bow and then place the decorations around the garden. This might be a great complementary project to the pallet Christmas tree or the Santa’s grotto.

So, there’s ten ideas but I’m sure you can come up with more. Enjoy your crafts and your garden this Christmas.