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The Impatient Gardener

Containers, Garden

HOLIDAY CHEER FOR OUTSIDE

December 1, 2014

My favorite holiday decorations are the ones I do outside. It’s partly because they brighten up what is otherwise a pretty dreary landscape, but also because the decorations outside, particularly the containers, provide the most decorating bang for the buck.I love how with a few collected (and some purchased) materials you can create something that is really beautiful. These containers will last all winter and I won’t get sick of them, like I tend to do after a couple weeks with indoor decorations. I think they make the whole house feel more welcoming.

I took advantage of some unseasonably warm weather over the weekend to decorate three containers at home and another two at work. Although I purchased some of the materials for the containers, it would certainly be possible to create containers like these completely out of found materials (save for the lights).

holiday window box with steel ring: The Impatient Gardener
Holiday window box with lighted steel ring at night - The Impatient Gardener

 

Holiday window box with greens, dogwood twigs, silver dollar eucalyptus, faux berries -- The Impatient Gardener

I rely on evergreen boughs and dogwood twigs to fill the bulk of the container. Although I’m not a Black Friday  shopper, I swung by Home Depot Friday afternoon to pick up a couple $5 wreaths and scored an entire shopping cart full of the bottom branches of trees that people had purchased that day for free. I also collected some cedar cuttings from our own trees and purchased the rest of the evergreens: Douglas pine boughs and a small amount of incense cedar.

The dogwood twigs were harvested from my parents’ yard, where they grow alongside the lane, and I purchased the silver dollar eucalyptus.

Holiday container with birch, dogwood, greens, pine cones-- The Impatient Gardener
Holiday container at night
pine cone, birch, berry, dogwood container detail -- The Impatient Gardener

And it pains me to admit that I also purchased the birch branches. The face of the matter is that it’s hard to find slim birch branches that people will allow you to harvest (for goodness sake, don’t go cutting down someone’s young birch tree!). And although I think you could probably take any relatively straight branch of the right diameter and paint it white for the same look, it just seemed easier to pick up some 6-foot birch branches on sale at the nursery/craft store and cut them to the size I needed.

I pilfered a trellis from one of the clematis for the urn in the center of the garden and put a “column” of red dogwood twigs in the center for some color.

I do have a few tricks that I’ve picked up over the years from other gardeners and designers who nicely share such tips on their blogs. I cut thick styrofoam to size for each container and, if needed, use staked pounded into the usually frozen soil below to hold it in place. Then I can easily and securely fit all the greens in and they won’t budge. Here’s how to do it.

I also learned a great trick from Deborah Silver to create nice bunches of branches by bundling them together around a stake and using wire ties to hold them together. That way you only have to drive the stake into the pot. You can see how I do this here (a few years ago before I discovered the foam trick).

 

In the large planter by the front door, I also used some extra large pine cones I’ve had for years.

pine cone, birch, berry, dogwood container detail -- The Impatient Gardener

For the window box, I used a steel ring that I had not yet “planted” in the garden for the centerpiece, along with some faux berries, saved from last year, eucalyptus and more dogwood. I wrapped lights around the ring and then stuck a whole bunch of lights at its base to give the illusion of the center of the ring glowing. I’m happy with the effect viewed from outside, but I’m positively in love with the ambiance it brings to the inside.

Holiday window box from inside -- The Impatient Gardener

There is more decorating to be done outside and certainly inside, but for now, early in the holiday season, these containers bring all the cheer I need. And they also satisfy a gardener held hostage by winter. What sort of decorations do you do outside?

christmas containers holiday window box winter
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
14 Comments

About Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

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previous post: THE HAPPIEST OF THANKSGIVINGS TO YOU
next post: BIDDING FAREWELL TO MORE TREES

Comments

  1. Ms. Wis./Each Little World says: December 2, 2014 at 12:22 am

    They look good from outside but I .ove the I side view!

    Reply
    • Landscaper Outlet says: December 10, 2015 at 8:21 pm

      Us too!

      Reply
  2. Heather - New House New Home says: December 2, 2014 at 1:07 pm

    That window box is stunning!! Especially at night. I didn't catch it in the article, but is it a barrel ring? I have one sitting in the garage just waiting for a purpose – think I found it!!!

    Reply
  3. Andrea Garrett says: December 2, 2014 at 4:47 pm

    Erin,
    These are stunning!! Oh, you have inspired me. I can hardly wait to start collecting for my window boxes. Beautiful!

    Reply
  4. Shannon says: December 5, 2014 at 1:53 pm

    These are all gorgeous! I like how you light everything up at night. How do you keep all the greenery alive throughout the season? I live in TX.

    Shannon ~ bohemianjunktion.com

    Reply
  5. [email protected] says: December 5, 2014 at 4:09 pm

    Love the steel ring thingy. I have a couple of wine barrel bands that I'm going to do this with now! Thanks so much for sharing.

    Reply
  6. Tina-Ann says: November 3, 2018 at 8:12 am

    LOVE THE METAL RING! Where can I get!?!

    Reply
    • Maggie L Levine says: December 10, 2018 at 7:09 am

      I am going to use a grapevine wreath. You can try an embroidery wreath also.

      Reply
  7. Norma says: November 6, 2020 at 8:58 pm

    So beautiful,! I have one questions. When you fill the window boxes. Do you water them to keep the greens fresh?

    Reply
  8. Susan says: August 29, 2022 at 9:22 pm

    If the greenery is real, doesn’t it die during the winter months?

    Reply

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The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

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Erin Schanen 🌿 The Impatient Gardener
In a few days ‘Rosy Teacups’ dogwood is going In a few days ‘Rosy Teacups’ dogwood is going to be absolutely spectacular. There are so many bracts!
I just love doubledile viburnums that present thei I just love doubledile viburnums that present their flowers on a serving plate all neat and orderly. This is ‘Shoshani,’ which I got from Classic Virburbums.
When choosing plants for a container I think it’ When choosing plants for a container I think it’s best to start with one “hero” plant. It can fill any role in the container, but it should be the one that’s non-negotiable in your mind. The one you love the most. Then work from there to decide what plants you need to make the design work. For me, and in particular when it comes to this urn in the middle of my patio garden bed, which is a riot of color and texture that borders on chaotic, texture is the key. So I designed this container with an out-of-box hero plant (Lemony Lace elderberry) and then chose a few other plants to create a simple but bold design that will stand out from everything happening around it. See the whole design and how I chose the plants in my video today (easy link in stories).
On the far edge of the property there is an only l On the far edge of the property there is an only lilac that in our 20 years here has done nothing more than produce a few sporadic blooms. The other night I looked out and saw it full of blooms (well, more than it’s ever had) and immediately made myself a bouquet. To be honest they are almost too fragrant. I need to have a window open to have them inside or it’s full-on Yankee candle (an apt description borrowed from a friend). I absolutely love them in this mustard vase from @wakefield_handmade
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