One of my favourite parts of the holidays is decorating! I love to come up with a theme and use that as inspiration for both my exterior and interior holiday decor. This year Norm, The Nutrcracker provided both the inspiration, as well as the colour scheme of Silver and Gold. Also, it didn't hurt that there is a Christmas Carol called "Silver and Gold" that was a favourite tune I used to play on the piano!
For the porch, I decided to go with a slightly more manicured, circular shape (or soft rounded) planter this year. As there are a lot of hard lines and rectangles in the porch design and planters, I wanted some contrast.
For the outdoor patio planters, I have perennials planted (perennial fall planter info here), so the winter greens are more of a top and side cover to add body and colour, as well as to protect the exposed plants from frost and snow.
Using greens really does liven up an outdoor space. It doesn't take a lot of time or cost if you forage your yard or neighbourhood, like I do. Here's what you'll need to get started.
Silver and Gold Holiday Outdoor Planter DIY
For The Porch Planters
Materials
*Planters
*Quality Potting Soil & Compost mixture
* Oasis (submerged in water, soaked for 30 minutes prior to use) - this will provide the stability for your planter's centre.
*A mixture of greenery. This year I used:
-Fir (base)
-Cedar
-Pine
-Juniper (I love the little blue berries, however these branches are the first to go yellow and dry out, so use sparingly if you want the planter to last into the winter)
-twigs or bare branches (I sprayed them with a shimmering glitter spray)
-green holly (in the yard planters)
*faux embellishments (gold wicker balls on picks & gold magnolia leaves on picks)
How-To:
Step 1: Get The Planter Ready
Fill planters with earth and compost. Mix to combine. Place soaked oasis in the centre of the planter, ensuring it is nestled into the soil.
Step 2: Create the Base With Fir Branches
Use fir branches to create a circular base by taking smaller branches and inserting them into the earth and sides of the oasis, folding (shaping) branches down over the outside of the planter. You want the branches to drape. Step back and take a look for holes on all visible sides. You want to fill in any gaps as you go.
Step 3: Add Twigs & Cedar
Create middle height with glitter twigs/branches, then start filling in the planter centre with cedar for some contrasting height and texture/colours change from the fir.
My little helper (below) always keeps an eye on our projects!
Step 4: Add Pine & Juniper
Use the juniper branches to nestle around the twigs/branches. The hint of blue in the berries adds a nice contrast to the otherwise green planter. Pine branches can be used throughout to add texture and to fill any gaps or holes.
Step 4: Add Embellishments & Silver and Gold Glam
Place gold wicker ball pick in a central pattern, varying the height of each ball. You can use any embellishments you might have - Christmas tree ornaments glued to skewers would work here as well. Make sure the size of the ornaments matches the scale of the planter - bigger is better!
Finish by adding a bit of height to the back of the planter with sprayed faux gold magnolia leaves.
For The Yard Planters
I used a similar process to the porch planters, starting with the base fir and then adding cedar, pine and holly. I worked my way around the existing perennial plants keeping the ornamental cabbage (this is an annual, however it is still going strong, so I kept it), and white dusty miller (a perennial) visible for colour. The perennial Oktoberfest natural grasses add the height.
At the beginning of January I usually remove the holiday-like embellishments (aka the glam), but leave the greenery as it provides a bit of colour to the dreary, grey winter days here in Vancouver. Remember to water any covered greenery planters once every week or when dry to keep the needles from falling off. I remove the winter branches in early spring to allow the new season's growth to start!
Let me know what you think in the comments below or post any pictures of your holiday planters to #mykuratedlife.
Wishing you a very Happy Holiday,
Krista xo
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