Easy Winter Planter

When creating planters at home, and for customers, I often use what is already available. I love the natural look of dogwood branches, evergreens, and paper birch. Any branches will work though. You can spray them with snow spray, glitter spray, or spray paint to jazz them up if you wish. Add bows, ornaments, snow men etc. to induce the personal touches you want to add.

When cutting or purchasing material, make sure to use long branches so you can sink at least 1/3rd of the length into the planter. As the soil in the container freezes, it will hold the branches in place until spring thaw. If you find the top layer of the soil has already frozen making it difficult to push the branches in place, you can use a bulb auger drill bit if you have one. Otherwise, you can use a fiberglass rod, sharp stick, or anything else that is hard with a pointed end to break through the surface so you don’t break your branches when inserting. 

The planter above is identical to one near it. It took me about 30 minutes to put them both together once I had all the material gathered. I used a 3 inch bulb auger from Power Planter on my drill to predrill large holes for the thick birch branches. I was able to push the red dogwood and juniper branches through with my hands since the soil was still pretty loose. I may wire some pinecones onto the juniper and add some snow spray to add a little extra detail. Or not… I haven’t decided. That is the fun thing with winter planters. You can add lights or other embellishments as you see fit.