Greens keep containers colorful all winter
With Thanksgiving behind us, it's time to bid farewell to the mums, ornamental cabbage and kale, and gourds from hanging baskets, urns and window boxes. But these containers don't have to remain empty and lifeless in the winter.
Add an assortment of greens, cut from your own evergreens or purchased at your local garden center. Containers filled with greens set a festive tone for holiday guests and keep color in your containers all winter.
There are hundreds of containers already “planted” with lush greens on the benches of your local garden center if you aren't confident to design your own, but with a little practice your greens arrangements can look as beautiful as those by professional designers. Follow these steps.
If the soil in the container has roots from previous plants running through it, the stems of greens can be inserted directly into the soil. Those roots will hold them in place. Fill empty pots with soil or other filler material, leaving 4 inches at the top for blocks of water-soaked oasis. Purchase these at craft stores or garden centers. Once oasis is saturated with water, it is very easy to cut to fit snugly in containers.
If evergreens in the backyard are in need of a haircut, head out with a pair of pruners. I cut many branches from my yews and junipers every winter but before you cut, do some research to make sure no damage is done to a favorite tree or shrub by ill-timed pruning.
Garden centers have crates overflowing with an assortment of lush greens if the backyard doesn't provide them. No matter where greens come from, make a fresh cut on stems before inserting them into pots. This allows them to continue to uptake water from the soil or oasis until it freezes.
Begin by adding height. Choose any type of greens with rigid stems, like spruce, yews, white pine, Douglas fir or balsam. Place vertical elements at the back of the pot if it sits up against a wall or in the middle if the container is viewed from all directions.
Next, choose a green to soften the edges of the pot. Cedar is an ideal choice for draping over sides. Red western cedar is lovely but unadorned; incense cedar sports golden yellow beads at the end of lacy foliage; and coned cedar features clusters of small cones. If width is desired, use balsam, juniper or white pine.
Fill the middle of the design with greens of assorted textures and varying shades of green. White pine has soft, fine texture; blueberry juniper offers coarse texture. Silver and Fraser firs are silvery-blue; yew is dark green.
Evergreens don't have to have needles to be included in arrangements. Boxwood, oregonia, red huckleberry, magnolia and holly are all beautiful combined with other greens.
After the greens are in place, add embellishments like pine cones, lotus pods or seed heads collected from the garden. Sticks, if desired, are next. Red or yellow twig dogwood and curly willow are popular choices. Natural elements can be left natural, sprayed lightly with paint or dusted with glitter.
The final step is to add berries — real or artificial. Winterberry and pepperberry are widely available natural options. Artificial berries are available in any color of the rainbow, but be sure they are meant for use outside so they hold up in harsh winter weather.
To keep greens containers looking their best, water them in periods of warm weather to keep the soil or oasis moist. Once they freeze solid, no watering is required. Periodically remove any greens that brown prematurely.
• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist, garden writer and the garden center manager at The Planter's Palette in Winfield. She blogs at gardenwithdiana.com.