Planter boxes can be a great way to brighten up your drab deck over the winter. Large or small, they allow you to continue gardening, enjoying the beauty of your yard long after the ground freezes.
To create winter planter boxes
Start by taking a walk around your yard. You know that juniper you’ve been waiting to prune? The hydrangea thats flopping on the walkway? The sedum flowers that helped you enjoy butterflies this summer? These are all great choices for winter planter boxes. Take cuttings of anything that will last throughout the winter. Evergreens and plants that maintain flower structure when dried would be good for winter planter boxes. Then just stick your cuttings into the dirt.
Start with the tall pieces in the center or back, depending on where you’ll be viewing the planter from. Junipers or any taller evergreens. Then design the ‘skirt’, the plants that hang over the planter around the edges. Cedar, cypress, soft pines work well here. Then add some eyecandy to add beauty to your planter boxes. Hydrangea and sedum flowers dry and look great all winter. Anything with berries such as holly look great too.
Tips to make your winter planter boxes Great!:
Make colors pop with the help of a little spraypaint. A squirt of red spraypaint can really help your sedum flowers look their best. You can also spray hydrangeas gold or silver, or whatever color you love.
Drill holes and glue sticks into pinecones and arrange them as desired.
Spray on fake snow and add a bow for a Christmas feel.
After everything is arranged, you can wet the soil and it will freeze, holding everything into place for a sturdy arrangement that will withstand the entire winter.