Winter Container Decorating

Winter container decor

It’s late January, and it is COLD outside. Not too many creatures stirring outside these days. Plants and a lot of other vegetation are hibernating right now. I like outdoor decorations, even simple ones year round. Hmm, what to do during Michigan’s winter months?

I have some proven ideas to share with you. For many years I have turned to using fresh greens like pine and douglas fir branches as a base. They stay green for most of the winter and typically need to be trimmed around the end of March. In the photos below, I used some boxwood from my own shrubs.

I stick them straight into the dirt before it freezes. In addition, I use decorative branches like birch or dogwood for height. I usually purchase them at a nursery like Bordine’s because many of the stems they sell have sparkle and glitter applied to them.

 I also use gold and silver plastic ornament balls glued to slender sticks during Christmas in the arrangements as well. I add lighted spheres to the mix, or strings of mini lights no longer than 50 lights in length. The spheres can be purchased at Michael’s or Target, but I get mine at Bronner’s in Frankenmuth. They are electric, so you will need access to an outlet nearby. They come in clear, red, green or multicolor and add a pretty winter glow after the Christmas lights are gone.

The following video represents a similar way to decorate, although they are more elaborate than mine. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wyA9z5UeNo