A welcoming winter planter or serveral make a wonderful statement for your exterior entry.
Putting them together is Fun and can be totally Free! Make it a family adventure with some outdoor acitivity in the woods.
Here is what you need
- Soil, or snow-maybe some cardboard or plastic filler to fill up the container with and give you something to stick the twigs and boughs into
- A container-plant planter or plastic/metal garbage cans work well.
- Some cedar or pine boughs you can collect during an adventure in the woods. Take some big garbage bags to collect them in or a toboggan for transport
- Tall thin twigs-brown, white or red (dogwood) will do-whatever species you find is fine. You may need some strong scissors to cut them off with. You can spray paint them gold or silver for a little holiday glamour if you like. Or add in some of the cool twiggy style lights you can now buy that just plug in.
- Birch tree fallen limbs are nice to add if you have some or can find some. If you like the look you can also buy them at Home Hardware in Fernie. They have them for sale and the ones they have are great for indoors too as they are heat treated to remove any potential bug problems. You can also substitue the birch for other tree limbs.
Once you have placed the taller twigs/tree items into the center, do the perimeter with the cedar or pine boughs. Then, add in anything else ornamental you like-colorful Christmas balls, bows, pine cones. Make them as natural or colorful or festive as you like.
And go as big or as small as you space warrants.
If you are doing 2 and they are flanking either side of a doorway, it is nice to keep the look and feel balanced.
There are no rules to how tall the twigs should be or how much greenery to use. You decide what you like and go for it!
If it stays wintery and cooler, you can expect your planters to look great the entire winter. By spring especially if they are exposed to sun, the boughs will turn brown or the needles will begin to fall off and it will then be soon time to think about summer planters!
Compliments of Sue Hutchinson Bawden – Inspired Spaces Design & Decor