I thought it would be fun to share in pictures how we create our holiday planters. This is a fun project to do at home and a great way to be creative. I use the tried and true planter method of “thrill, fill and spill”.

1. Floral foam is my best friend this time of year. I leave 3/4 of the dirt in the outdoor planter and fill the top 1/4 with wet floral foam. I then decide on what I would like to use to create the “thrill” in my planters. In this case I used birch poles.

2. In this planter I used Western BC cedar inserted into the floral foam and I worked my way around the edge of the planter. The plan is to have the greens looking like they are spilling over the side of the planter (spill).

3. I add another evergreen with a slightly different colour and texture for contrast. In this case I added ‘Blue tip’ juniper to the BC cedar. Red dogwood branches have also been added for a shot of colour (fill).

4. Keep changing it up. Varity is the spice in a good planter… In this picture I have added some ‘Fraser fir’ to the mix (fill).

5. Time to add some height with greens.

6. I like to add different textures to the center. In this planter I used Magnolia leaves and Euonymus. As an eye catcher I have used a large pine cone (fill).

7. Bling. Depending on how you feel about sparkle, this would be the time to add it. I used large silver sparkly wicker balls for that festive holiday feel (thrill).

Every planter I create is different. Putting different combinations together is tons of fun. Some other ideas of items to add to your planters are Ilex berries, holly, curly willow branches, birch logs and holiday ornaments. Have fun being creative!