Garden Blog

Make pots a personal expression

I’ve taken to saving some of my normal pruning chores around home until this time of year in order to have some snippets to add to the winter dйcor.

Providing a medley of greenery, I’ll prune branches of Japanese yew, White pine, Arborvitae, Mugho pine and Norway spruce, all of which have put forth a tremendous growth this year and all of which hold up nicely in pots through winter. If I can scavenge a few bits of Blueberry Juniper, its silvery foliage and dark fruit will combine will with the other greens.

The above will be the base for my arrangements. The following will add a touch of zest. Our Gray dogwood shrubs can always use some thinning and their clusters of white fruit are a welcome natural addition to the home – grown greenery. The leaves of both the Red and White oak turn a rich, burnished brown and hang on their branches. They’ll add substance and depth to the composition.

I love grasses in a winter pot for the same reason I favor them in the garden – for their wispy texture and sense of movement. Their tawny color adds a light touch. Fistfuls of Mischanthus, Northern sea oats, or Switch grass would do the trick.

In a back corner of our property is an ancient Crabapple tree that is without fail laden with large red fruit. A few branches from this tree will add the required red to the affair. It’s fun to use material at hand to make the pots a personal expression, unique and fresh.

by Steve Kelley