Christmas Outdoor Container - How To DIY

I've had several requests to break down the steps in making one of these outdoor arrangements for planters.

Here, I have made one with a silhouette tree in the background. I have a lot of black iron accents at my home. I enjoy using this, since after Christmas, the iron evergreen really pops out during the snowy winter months ahead.

This is a square container. Note, when using a square container, you generally need to have more material to fill the corners.

First - use sandy, or sandy soil to fill your container. It's far more dense, more forgiving when you have to insert and re-insert your greens. Plus it freezes into a solid block, once the sand is moist and the temps dip below -5. You can use potting soil, but generally it's too light and cannot weigh down the pot well enough during windy conditions. Stick with sand if you can.

Second - arrange your focal points. Those that give height and attention to your design. Here I chose birch stems with varying heights and an iron tree silhouette. The great aspect of sand is it holds birch stems really well.

Fun evergreen tree silhouette.

From far left: BC Cedar, Green Boxwood, red-twig dogwood stems & white pine. I find these to be the staple greens I use most often. They hold their colour well through winter. They are widely available and aren't as expensive as some of the other greens out there. 

 Tools needed:

• Sharp pair of pruners
• Working gloves that aren't cumbersome
• Saw to cut the birch stems down to size (or buy already cut)

I begin by layering one green at a time. Start with white pine. It has bulkier stems that are harder to insert after the container is full of material. Begin with taller (longer) pieces to go around the birch stems and weeping, shorter stems to line the base. This develops a 'skirt' which flows over the container edge. Be sure to tuck each stem in well and leave about a 6 inch end to insert well enough.

Here is a coin phrase when it comes to containers. "You need a) a filler, b) then a spiller, then c) a thriller." Will get to that in a minute..

Can't say enough about fresh cuts. ANGLE them, making sharp points. a) they insert better this way and b) once the stem is in contact with moist sand, a fresh cut will continue to draw moisture up the stem. Making your design last longer.

Depending on the quality of white pine you find, many of the stems will look like this. With the bulky nature of the stem at the base, you can't shove this in the container without it looking...poorly.

Cut in sections. Leaving long lengthy shoots for the centre of your design. Mid length for bulk and small lengths for filler and spill overs.

Here I used about a half a bundle, working with tall bits, and shorter bits to fill in the spaces evenly. I didn't fill it entirely, not yet. More to fill in.

Next is BC Cedar. This adds texture, richer green colour and some really great spill over effect.

This is where lots of folks go wrong. Like the white pine, cut back your cedar fronds like this. Depending on the size of container, of course. Some container sizes require the full length, but for the container size demonstrated here, I was able to cut the fronds in 3. Cutting these boughs allows you to work easily with the material without it getting too bulky and floppy.

Insert them between the white pine. So that stems and cut ends are not visible.

You can't even tell this is only a third of the cedar bough.

This creates a layered effect and it adds bulk and texture for a fuller look. The tips and good looking bits should be at the top of the planter, by the birch stems. While the smaller, more gnarly bits get tucked under the white pine bits.

Green boxwood is next. I love this! Oregonia is another variegated form as well. It's lovely too. This really adds luster and shine to the design and again bulk. A little goes a long way. And just like the white pine and cedar, cut this back to smaller bits and arrange accordingly. HINT: when you buy these bundles, look for a lot of stems at the base of the bundle (by the elastic). You'll get more longer bits that way. Many more stems for designing length.

There - again, I used only a half a bundle of each green for this planter.

Now the fun bits. Here is where colour is key. I use red-twig dogwood stems for height and colour variation.

Insert where you need colour contrast and height.

Accessorize: a) ornaments you skewer onto to stems, b) cones, c) coconut husks, d) rattan balls.... you name it, you can get accents on sticks these days at your local garden centre nursery, craft store or dollar store.  I tend to favour more natural accents, but everyone to each his own.

I purchased these artificial berries years ago and reuse them year to year. Great investment.

Tuck in your pieces where you want them to go and you're done. With accents, usually odd numbers work best in combinations. With the amount of greens mentioned above, I made these two containers for about $70 retail in materials. The good thing: I bought reusable accents, birch and the containers will last year to year. Those costs will be avoided for next year's designs.

Be sure to water til freeze-up. When mild breaks in weather occur, give them another drink. I even heap a bit of snow now again and let it melt towards the back of the container. Works just as well. Will last until March.

Enjoy! And Merry Christmas, everyone! xo

Outdoor Christmas Urn Container - One Sided

Here I made a Christmas Urn Design that is one sided.

One bonus to making one sided Christmas urns: less material is needed. With this design, all the accents are on one side, making a bolder view from the front. You use less materials and yet have the effect of seeing all the accents from the street.  They are easier to make and faster to assemble. Great for urns that are situated next to the front door or garage - where the containers are right up against a wall/door.

Accents:

• magnolia stems
• red dyed strobus cones
• red dyed nut
• spray of outdoor Christmas balls
• red twig dogwood

Boughs:

• white pine
• western cedar
• silver fir 
• oregonia (variegated boxwood)

Try it!  All materials are available at Plant World.

Outdoor Winter Container Designs

The first couple of frost hits is the sign to prepare for winter containers.

Some folks empty out their containers - soil and all to prepare for Christmas decorating. No, no.... I just snip off the tops of my annuals and the leggy stem bits that are left after a good frost. The soil with roots, as long as it's not frozen and not too woody, is an ideal medium to sustain evergreen boughs and cut stems for decorating.  If the soil has become frozen, bring it indoors overnight to thaw, or drench with boiling water to thaw out. The roots of your annuals help stabilize cut stems in place, when arranging.

 

Like the above demonstration class; if you're starting from scratch and you don't want to fill an entire urn or container, (or you can't keep a ceramic pot with soil overwinter) just use a smaller insert pot and fill with sand. In the above photo, we used 6-9inch fibre liners. When filled with sand, the sheer weight of sand will help to prop up the insert and will also freeze like an ice cube when in your decorative outer pot. Two great aspects regarding a smaller container: 1) the smaller the pot, the less materials needed and 2) the tighter the stems will be to withstand strong winter weather.

Materials needed:

• Pair of sharp pruners

• Comfortable pair of gloves that allow you to design with good tactile ability

• If you are working indoors, wear a bib or apron to avoid sap from coming in contact with your clothes

• At least 2-3 selections of evergreen boughs. (my preference is white pine, western cedar and boxwood, although you can use any kind).  For a 6 inch pot, 3 bundles will do.

• Leafy stems (magnolia, eucalyptus, boxwood, oregonia, holly, euonymus). 2 bundles ea.

• Colourful branches (dogwood, red willow, pussy-willow, birch stems, alder stems) 20 stems.

• Accent pieces: (cones, pomegranates, osage oranges, rose-hips, sumac pods, outdoor ornaments...etc). Minimum 7-10 pieces

•  If you are working with an insert, use sand and dampen it well enough to make sure it stays firm and holds moisture for the stems

To begin, decide on how decorative you want the urn. Sometimes, simpler is more attractive. Too much material and it becomes an eyesore. Here in the photo below, it seemed fitting to have a simple design given the ravine backdrop.

Here, I only used 3 items (white pine, red dogwood and some ivy).

Next, decide on the shape, height and position of your insert/container design. One trick to lessen the material used, is to design a flat sided container. These are great for containers that are propped up against a wall or backing on to something else. Accents and more expensive materials only need to be displayed at the front of these designs. You will need almost triple the amount of accents if you want a 360, all around arrangement.

Begin with the tallest boughs at the back, working and cutting your bough branches down slightly in size as you come to the front of the container. Be sure to make a fresh cut on ALL your bough branches. This allows the boughs to draw up whatever moisture they can during the winter - keeping them green.

With all around designs, you need to start with the tallest material (usually your stems, like dogwood) in the center. Working your way around the stems with filler - evergreen boughs. Once you get a sort of triangular shape, begin adding your accents to bulk up the design.

Pretty easy.

Water your urn inserts and or planters once every week. It may seem odd to water them in the winter, but it just maintains the green and keeps them looking fresh.

Here is a design from last year.

Check out these other designs

More here and here!