And now, without further ado…
Constructing Your Holiday Planter
For this project, you will need a few basic pieces of equipment. I used a small, rectangular planter box for mine.
You can use literally anything for your container: an otherwise empty outdoor container, an indoor-only item, an old wooden box you’ve been searching for a use for, or a glass vase.
You’ll need some material to hold the greens in place. This could be simple potting mix.
For this project I used floral foam blocks, available via Amazon, cut to size and placed inside the planter.
It is important to note that the foam is very light and your container will likely be top heavy.
Solve this dilemma by placing a few rocks and stones in the bottom of your planter to weigh it down.
Decorative glass marbles, available via Amazon, also give an attractive look in translucent containers.
Flat Clear Marbles for Vase Filler
And remember… your design is supposed to be a display of unity and balance. Nothing should be too overpowering.
The whole shebang should look natural, as if it wasn’t designed and simply fell into place of its own accord. That means it isn’t perfect!
Collect your supplies and lay them out for easy access. For this project I used the following (in order of quantity, from most to least):
- Fraser Fir greens collected from a shop’s Christmas tree trimmings
- Emerald Giant arborvitae cuttings collected from a neighbor’s yard
- Southern Magnolia leaves and tips pruned from a tree in my backyard
- Red twig dogwood branches carefully culled from a huge specimen in a local park
- Berry-producing branches from a Nellie Stevens holly in the front yard of my employer’s home
- Golden euonymus from a shrub in my backyard
- Cattails from a pond at a local park
- Norway Spruce cones from a client’s backyard
Keep in mind that greens and foliage should not be gathered in protected areas such as nature preserves and state parks that have enacted restrictions against taking specimens home, sometimes with a hefty fine attached.
Not sure what types of conifer cones you have? Read my handy guide to conifer identification.
Step 1 – Prepare Florist’s Foam
Cut the foam blocks to size and cram them into your container. If you’re using a potting mix or some other sort of planter filler, disregard this step.
The blocks do not need to fit perfectly. I filled the open space with some potting mix and stones to weigh the container down.
Step 2 – Place Filler
Place your filler greens. For this container I used Fraser fir greens as a base background to the whole affair.
Cut the branches at a 45-degree angle to make it easier to punch through the foam blocks or potting mix.
These initial greens are meant to serve as a background for your container and don’t need to be meticulously selected and arranged.
Place them in unspecific patterns so that your design has a full background of green foliage.
This should be taller than all of the rest of the greens in the container so that it can provide a good backdrop for everything else.
Step 3 – Fill the Middle
Fill in the middle ground with your secondary filler greens.
In this example I utilized a few arborvitae clippings to serve as a bushy filler. I used almost as much arborvitae as I used Fraser fir.
The trick to this step is to add a bit of variety to both the color and texture of the container. After all, these two greens make up the bulk of what’s in the design.
These should be placed at a middle tier of height in the container. This layer of greens could spill out over the edge of the container to add a flowing, fluid look to the design.
Try to leave a gap of open space in the front and center area of your container (see Step 5).
Step 4 – Colorful Additions
Time to add some color! It’s tempting to go overboard here, but remember that sometimes less is more, and just a little bit is enough.
Most of this container will be evergreen-based, so a little bit of color adds a lot and shouldn’t be abused. I used exactly four sprigs of holly berries to distribute color evenly around the container.
The branches and leaves continued growing past the berries so I snipped them off, leaving the berries in full effect.
I fully expect these to be picked off and eaten by birds in the next few weeks.
The berries on a Nellie Stevens tend to be a bit more orange than red. If I had a choice, I would have used winterberry instead.
Step 5 – Greens Up Front
Insert and arrange the “front and center” greens that will be featured at the front of your arrangement.
In this project, I used the tips of a Southern magnolia.
They tend to maintain their green luster for a long time and the velvety brown underside of each leaf is a nice complement to the green that dominates the bulk of this design.
I stuck these branches in at sharp angles and manipulated the leaves to look as if they were spilling over the sides of the container.
At this point you should be running out of room in your design to add new material. That’s okay, because the final steps require only a few accents.
Step 6 – Add Accents
I’m a sucker for a nice yellow-and-gold hue, so I threw in the new growth from a golden euonymus as an accent to contrast nicely with all of the green going on.
Like in Step 4, the trick here is to add just a bit of color so that it grabs more attention in opposition to the sea of green.
I only used four branches, and I removed the bottom leaves from the stems before inserting them into the foam blocks.
This bright, bold punch of color should be front-and-center and shouldn’t reach above the background row of greens.
Other options to use here are a variegated boxwood, a blue-green splash of eucalyptus, or some Gold Thread cypress.
Or, you know, whatever color you like to see – this is your planter, after all!
Step 7 – Focus on Earth Tones
Remember that nice touch of earthy brown provided by the magnolia leaves? We’re going to couple that with a few other shades of brown and add some accents.
First I placed three cattails in the back of the display. I love the color of these things and have always found them incredibly interesting.
As the season wanes I expect to see them shedding seeds in a puffy display.
The trick here is to complement the subtle brown notes of the magnolia leaves, and throw a new shape and texture into the mix.
Sure, they look like corn dogs to some but that’s alright!
Additionally I added three Norway spruce cones. These break up some of the smooth green elements and complement the shape of the cattails.
I can’t overemphasize the importance of adding a range of colors as well as textures for varied interest, and to really make your arrangements pop.
Step 8 – Finish with Height (or A Frilly Garnish)
Ah, the final stage: adding the red twig dogwood. These branches should be placed in a radial pattern, starting at about 10 o’clock and finishing through to 2 o’clock.
A little bit is enough; these branches should complement the design without overpowering it.
They add some height and delicate structure to the whole container, bringing your focus in and drawing it towards the other elements.
Think of this step as the frilled edges, that last dash of subtle icing, or the cherry in a cocktail.
Speaking of which, if you’re in the mood for another holiday project and the kitchen is calling to you, head on over to our sister site Foodal to check out their guides to decorating holiday cookies like a pro, and making homemade maraschino cherries.
Now Display That Thing!
I placed my finished product on the porch column of my front steps. If you plan to display your arrangement outdoors, these greens should be protected from the worst of the winter weather.
If you keep your final piece indoors, you’ll have a different set of issues to contend with.
When it’s cold outside and the heat is on, be prepared to witness it wilting in the warm and dry indoor air.
Wilt-Pruf Protective Coating Spray
The cooler air outside should help to preserve your arrangement’s integrity on the front stoop, deck, or patio.
I recommend using a product like Wilf-Pruf protective coating, available via Amazon, to maximize the life of your creation.
These concoctions are called “anti-desiccants” and will lock in the moisture of your greens and preserve them far longer than they might if left to naturally decay.
A Note on Watering
When it comes to keeping your greens looking fresh and vibrant, you might be tempted to water the display. That’s not going to help the greens and oftentimes can be detrimental.
First, understand that the material you’re using is going to brown, wilt, and lose its freshness. It’s a process you can’t prevent, but you can work around it.
To maintain freshness in your greens, lightly mist them every few days during warm or dry weather (and in warm and dry conditions, which you will find indoors in the wintertime).
Additionally, it can be helpful to keep outdoor containers protected from very wet or snowy conditions. These babies just won’t look the same after a night spent out in wind-blown sleet or an ice storm.
Ultimately it’s a losing battle, and your wonderful creation will be more brown and crispy than green and festive after a while.
Some people, myself included, enjoy that look of naturally fading material; others are inclined to replace the crispified (is that a word? It is now!) greens with fresh stuff from whatever sources they have. The choice is up to you.
Remember that if you used foam blocks in your container it will be top-heavy.
When I placed my design, I weighted the container down with rocks and stones and tied the container safely in place with florist’s wire, available from Amazon.
This stuff is great. I use it to suspend bird feeders, support any outdoor project, and to tie together greens and branches into door swags.
It is available in pre-cut lengths as well as spools.
