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Arranging Winter Greens for Outdoor Planters

It’s a really sad time when I have to pull all of my summer plants and flowers from the pots every Fall. The yard and porch go from looking very happy to looking bare and lifeless. I have been really itching to add an urn in our driveway at the entrance of the woods. And thought this would be a perfect time to show you how to arrange winter plants in my planters. I have been adding greenery to all of my planters for the winter months for years. So I thought I would pass along this little trick so you could make your yard and porch pretty again.

Arranging Winter Greens for Outdoor Planters

I start by removing all of my flowers leaving only the dirt in the concrete planters. Gather your winter greens by cutting from your neighbor’s pine trees. ???? I’m kidding. Sort of. We usually know someone with pine trees and shrubs and ask politely. This time we happened to snip some from Deb’s parent’s bushes. We gathered three different varieties. I like to get several different colors of pine and all different textures…. some are droopy and some are straight. The more variety you grab the better your winter green arrangements will look.

I start by cutting off all of the little branches at the CUT end of your greenery pieces which will give you a stem. Stick that stem into the dirt several inches down. Normally, I choose the droopy branches to start with and line the entire edge of my concrete planters. And then keep adding different stems deep down in to the dirt building the arrangement. Usually three or so different kinds look the best but you can use all of the same kind if that’s all you have.

Adding Extras

You can add bows to this arrangement if you want. But I thing that gives it a more Christmasy look. I prefer the winter look because I don’t have to mess with it until spring. I have already added a few sticks and artificial red berries into the arrangement to give it more of a woodsy look. Adding a few plastic snowflake ornaments to the branches look really pretty, too. The possibilities are endless.

WATER and let be….

The last step is watering your newly potted winter greens. As the temps get colder, the dirt will freeze your greens in the container and keep them there all winter long. I have never had any issues with pots breaking but I only use the heavy concrete and iron urns. I have also cut my hanging ferns from their pots and did the same thing down in the dirt and made hanging winter greens.

I hope this inspires you to make your own winter arrangements for your porches and patios.