Summer container plantingsmay get all the love, but winter container gardens are equallyif not moreimpactful.
Here, two simple designs to get you started.
Feel free to substitute and add items depending on the plant material available to you.
Credit: Jason Donnelly
What you’ll need:
Step 1: Fill a pot with soil.
Step 2: Create a focal point.
Arrange three narrow whitebirchbranches in the center of the container as a focal point.
Credit: Jason Donnelly
Push them down into the soil as far as they will go.
Use different lengths for a more dynamic look.
Step 3: Arrange evergreen branches.
Placefirbranches (or the sturdiest branches you have) around the base of the birch branches.
Tuck inpine, cedar, andjuniperbranches around the container until you have a full arrangement.
Mix up the different textures and shades of green as you wish.
Use cedar branches or any draping evergreen around the rim of the container to spill over the sides.
Step 4: Add natural accents.
Tuck in winterberry stems or any other ornamental decorations you’ve collected, such as dried hydrangeas or pinecones.
If the planter is against a wall, focus these accent pieces at the front of the container.
Small Winter Container Garden
Aminiature Christmas treealways looks adorable.
Fill your container to 3/4 full with compacted soil.
Press the soil down slightly so it stays in place and provides a sturdy base for your fresh evergreens.
Step 2: Plant small spruce tree.
Plant a small potted spruce tree in the hole.
confirm the top of the root ball sits level with the soil surface in the container.
Fill in any space around the tree’s roots with soil and firmly tamp down around the trunk.
Totransplant the treein your yard, wait until spring when the soil has thawed.
Onlyfertilize the treeafter you see growth in the spring.
Step 3: Fill in with evergreen branches.
Use branches to fill in around thesprucetree.
Be sure to stick shorter evergreens in front and taller in the back.
Step 4: Decorate the tree.
Decorate the small treein the center however you’d like.
Finish off the display with string lights or ribbon.
These containers are the perfect way to celebrate the natural textures and colors of winter.
Best of all, the materials will stay colorful and full all season long.
