Winter Container Gardens and Outdoor Arrangements

Add a bit of greenery to your front steps, window box or patio with a winter container.

Select a container that is suited to the winter weather. Concrete, iron, wood and fiberglass containers are best suited for year round use.

Use a pot with drainage holes and fill it about 7/8 full with a well drained potting mix or for added weight use sand. Water thoroughly.

Use greens to cover the pot and create a nice base for your winter display. Place some branches upright and others at a 45 degree angle so the greens drape over the edge. Secure the stems by placing them at least 4 to 6 inches in the soil.

Add colorful dogwood and birch twigs for color and curly willow for a bit of whimsy.

A bit of white paint on allium seedheads and red painted lotus pods are real standouts against the greens.

Or try twisting and bending red twig dogwood stems in this year’s container for added intrigue.

A bit more information: All the ingredients you need for a beautiful winter container just might be outside your backdoor. So get out the pruners and take a walk though your yard and look for nature’s ornaments. Fruits like rose hips, winterberries, crabapples and others add color to the container. And the fluffy seedheads of ornamental grasses make a nice vertical accent and add a bit of motion to the arrangement. And, if you have no backyard, take a trip to the garden center as they will have plenty of items for your winter containers.