It’s a phenomenon that spreads all across our country and it has already started this year. Most cities, small towns, event centres and households are turning their summer planters into beautiful winter display pieces using green tree tips, berried branches, large cones and vibrant stems of red, coral and yellow shrub dogwoods.
Collectively, they are called winter porch pots or winter baskets and they add wonderful value to our cities, neighbourhoods, and homes. At this time of year they stand up in our cooler temperatures but, to keep them looking great well into January, here are a few tips.
It all begins with soil that holds lots of moisture from winter rains and snow. If reusing your summer hanging baskets and planters, don’t remove the soil and roots. It is an ideal base to hold your winter stems. If we get our expected warmer and drier El Niño weather, you might need to spritz with a garden hose to keep the soil moist and the greens hydrated.
The type of greens you use, especially in drier areas, is important as well. The most popular greens are cedar, because of its semi-trailing habit and ready availability. It’s also the best filler in containers and baskets, efficiently covering up bare spots between other branches and spilling over the sides of the pots. Cedar does need to be kept hydrated regularly, however, to keep it fresh looking over longer periods.
True fir, or abies, branches are by far the most resilient, with the most popular variety being Noble Fir. It often has a touch of blue, adding richness in colouring, and the branches themselves are very symmetrical and even, making them ideal for so many décor items like wreaths and swags.
Balsam fir, abies balsamea, with its pleasant woodsy fragrance, is also a prized evergreen because of its dark green needles with the silver underside.
There are many other true fir varieties like Noble, Grand, Korean and lasiocarpa with unique colour patterns which stand up well in both severe cold and in dry, windy situations.
Pine branches also make a nice addition to porch pots. The most popular is the soft-needled white pine, or pinus strobus. Not only does it have a soft trailing habit, it too carries a touch of blue. Of all the greens it is the most perfumed and always adds an elegant touch to both baskets and pots.
Juniper stems are becoming increasingly popular for their spiky appearance and range of colours from gold, blue, green and even purple tones of winter colouring on some varieties.
Gold foliage certainly brightens up your pots this darker time of year and one of the best and hardiest cedar varieties is thuja Gold Ribbon with quite intense yellow colouring. It tends to lift the green and blues making them more visible and vibrant.
There are a couple of tree varieties that are seldom used and they take winter containers in a whole new direction. Japanese Hinoki cypress, with their slender, dark green spiralled foliage add a new element of design for a cool contemporary look. The uniqueness of these branches is so different from all the other native plants that they add a nice contrast.
My absolute favourite is another Japanese native, cryptomeria japonica Cristata. It is a rather large growing tree but produces the most unusual, twisted branch tips you’ve ever seen. These fasciated branch tips curl and swirl, looking for all the world like a rooster’s cockscomb. Talk about an attention getter. I like to see these used as focal points to truly draw attention.
All these branch combinations, well-designed, will look great but with a few thoughtful additions as finishing touches, great turns into amazing.
Number one are the hardy, vibrant, and long-lasting berries of deciduous holly, ilex verticillata. This is a winter shrub no garden should be without, because it now comes in many exciting colours besides red. Not only will it spice up your winter colour, it will also provide a natural food source for birds. In case no one lets you know, you do need a male pollinator for the female, berried plants. I love the fact that they stand up, just in soil, all winter long even in very cold temperatures. They are so much superior to the traditional broad-leaved holly.
Twigs also add an attractive finishing element. This is where shrub dogwoods shine with their brilliantly coloured stems. From shades of yellow, red and bicolour orange, they truly stand out. As the temperatures become cooler over the winter, these branches intensify in colour, making them almost electric in their vibrance.
Contorted willows add a certain sophistication to a greens arrangement. Now coming in traditional green, gold and red stems, they blend nicely into the mix. If the stems are a bit thicker they can support mini-lights which really bring containers to life on our dark winter nights.
The addition of larger natural cones or well-chosen ribbon or ornaments always add a festive finishing touch.
The beauty of all these combinations is the fact they last all late fall and well into late winter for long-term enjoyment with very little, maintenance. They also add great value and beauty to your home at a time when your landscape could certainly use a lift.