Years ago, my firm offered a Christmas decorating service called Trees with Ease. It was popular, but with such a short decorating season, we limited the number of projects we could accept. I absolutely LOVED it, but the year I was too busy to decorate my own home was the year I decided to stop offering the service.

I can honestly say that between working at a flower shop during college, my own trees, and the trees of clients, I’ve decorated 100+ trees, not to mention wreaths, mantels, and outdoor containers.

I love the look of fresh evergreens in outdoor planters. They make an entrance feel welcoming when the garden has gone quiet. Here in Vermont, though, I want mine to look as good in November as they do in February. That’s a long assignment for a little greenery!

My approach is to keep the arrangement seasonal rather than specifically holiday-themed.

Plan the whole entrance first

Before buying bundles of greens, consider how the containers will work with your doorway, wreath, and lighting.

Here’s the order I find most helpful:

1. Choose the planter or urn.
2. Decide whether the entrance needs one container or a pair.
3. Select your wreath and main color palette.
4. Choose larger pieces, such as lanterns and birch branches.
5. Add ribbon, berries, pinecones, pods, and other finishing details last.

Choose containers that can withstand freezing weather and have drainage holes. Then look at their scale from the walkway. A pot that seems substantial in the garden center can look surprisingly small beside a front door.

Start before the soil freezes. Arranging branches is much easier when you don’t need an ice pick!

Use potting soil to anchor the arrangement

For this type of outdoor planter, use moist potting soil. DO NOT use floral foam. I use the same soil from the fall planters. Simply remove the debris from summer or fall plants.

Keep the soil level close enough to the rim that you can insert branches deeply without burying the lower foliage. I water the planter before I begin, because moist soil helps hold the greens in place. Once the soil freezes, it will hold all the branches in position.

Tall birch branches, lanterns or decorative orbs need a firm, secure anchor to be stable all season long.

Prepare your greens before arranging

A little preparation gives fresh greens a better start.

Buy fresh material. Look for bundles of cut evergreen boughs at garden centers, tree farms, or florists. Choose flexible branches with good color, and pass over bundles that are brittle or shedding heavily.

Re-cut the stems and soak overnight. Use clean, sharp pruners to freshen the cut ends, then immerse the greens in water before arranging. A utility tub or bathtub is useful for larger quantities. Let the foliage drip dry afterward. Do not soak magnolia leaves.

...DRUMROLL...

Here’s my secret ingredient: an anti-desiccant. I use Wilt-Pruf on all of my fresh greenery: wreaths, garlands, planters and even fresh Christmas trees! [WILT-PRUF AFFILIATE LINK]

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase through it, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Check before using Wilt-Pruf. Anti-desiccants help reduce moisture loss, but they aren’t meant to be used on everything. Some people recommend not spraying cedar, juniper berries, and blue spruce because it can affect the foliage’s protective coating or distinctive color.

If you use Wilt-Pruf, follow the directions on your particular bottle, including the dilution for cut holiday greens if using concentrate. Apply outdoors, protect nearby surfaces from overspray, and allow the recommended daylight drying time, around two to four hours. The spray must not freeze on the foliage during application or drying. That’s why I recommend doing this in November if you live in cold climates.

Build your winter planter in layers

As with any decorating, work from large to small.

1. Start with height and structure

Place birch, curly willow, or red-twig dogwood first, anchoring the stems deeply in the soil.

As a starting point, let the branches rise above the rim by roughly two-thirds of the container’s height. Then step back and adjust. This is a starting proportion, not a rule: the finished height should relate to the doorway and the surrounding architecture.

If you’re making a pair, establish the height in both containers before moving on.

2. Add an evergreen base with some spillage

The familiar thriller, filler, spiller formula is useful here:

• Thrillers provide height: birch, willow, dogwood, or an upright evergreen branch.
• Fillers build the body: fir and spruce are useful for creating a substantial base.
• Spillers soften the rim: flexible cedar, pine, or juniper branches can trail over the edge.

Combine a minimum of three types of evergreen material for fullness and variation. Think about what each branch looks like: the shape, fullness and structure, rather than trying to give every variety a fixed job. For example, magnolia may be a nice textural filler in one instance and, in another, add height and structure.

Let your inner artist out! Let the greens flow beyond the container so the arrangement feels generous. Vary the angles as you insert them. A pot full of branches pointing straight up will not give you the lovely, soft drape of a ‘spiller.’

3. Add texture and a focal point

Once the evergreen shape is established, introduce contrasting foliage, pinecones, or a lantern.

Repeat a material in a few places so it feels connected to the arrangement. A single piece of contrasting foliage can look accidental; a few thoughtfully placed stems help your eye move through the planter.

Magnolia or holly can provide a different leaf shape and texture. More tender florist foliage, such as pittosporum, is better treated as an optional accent than something to depend on throughout a Vermont winter.

If you’re using a lantern, position it securely and leave enough room for it to be seen. Use an outdoor-rated LED candle near greenery.

4. Finish with accents and lights

Add outdoor ribbon, berries, ornaments, or lights after the main arrangement is complete.

Use lights rated for outdoor use, tuck the wires discreetly through the greenery, and follow the manufacturer’s directions for connections and battery packs.

You may find that the branches, greens, and pinecones are enough. There’s no requirement to add a bow simply because it’s December.

Step back and check the shape

After every five or six stems, stop and look at the planter from the walkway. Most people will see it as they approach your house, not while standing directly over it.

Check the overall silhouette. Does it have enough width? Can you see the focal point? Is one side heavier than the other?

For a pair of planters, work back and forth: height in both, body greens in both, then decorative accents. Completing one before starting the other makes it much harder to keep their scale consistent.

Because mother nature is the original artist, it’s nearly impossible to create identical planters, so I used to tell my Trees with Ease assistants the goal was to create cousins, not twin sisters.

TIP: Depending on the greenery I have available and how fresh everything is, I’m not above using some artificial greenery to help add structure and fullness.

Keep the Christmas layer removable

My preference is to skip overtly holiday-themed decorations so the planters work all winter.

If you enjoy a more festive December entrance, keep that layer easy to remove. Bows, ornaments, and Christmas picks can come out after the holidays, leaving the branches, evergreens, pinecones, and warm lights in place.

My favorite accents are sugarcones, pheasant feathers and seed pods. They’re not holiday-specific but add a lot of interest and texture.

Choose your wreath with the same idea in mind, and the whole entrance can transition into January with very little effort. 

Care for your planters through winter

Water the planter right before you build it. During stretches of thawing weather, check the soil and water if it is drying out and can drain freely. Don’t water frozen soil. Outdoor containers may need additional watering during prolonged above-freezing weather.

Keep an eye on the greens, too. Sun, wind, the freshness of the original material, and the weather all affect how long they look good. Replace tired stems as needed rather than expecting every branch to make it through to March.

The aim is a welcoming entrance that still feels intentional in February, when the holidays are long over and Vermont winter most certainly is not.

Your Planter Checklist

Height and structure (thrillers)
☐ Birch branches
☐ Curly willow
☐ Red-twig dogwood
☐ An upright evergreen branch, such as pine

Body (fillers)
☐ Fir
☐ Spruce
☐ A third type of evergreen for variety (you need at least three)

Drape (spillers)
☐ Cedar
☐ Pine
☐ Juniper

Texture and focal point
☐ Magnolia leaves (do not soak)
☐ Holly
☐ Pinecones
☐ A lantern with an outdoor-rated LED candle

Finishing touches (add last)
☐ Outdoor ribbon
☐ Berries
☐ Seed pods, sugarcones or pheasant feathers
☐ Outdoor-rated lights

Supplies
☐ Moist potting soil (no floral foam)
☐ Sharp pruners
☐ A utility tub or bathtub for soaking
☐ Wilt-Pruf  **This is super-important for dry, cold or warm climates OR if you want your greens to last as long as possible**