We love a decorated home for the holidays—it’s so rewarding to put up the tree and deck the halls! While you’re in the holiday spirit, don’t forget to decorate your front porch! It’s easy to transition your summer porch pots into gorgeous holiday planters. Plus, you can use similar themes in your indoor decor for a cohesive aesthetic! Here is how to get your planters into shape for the holidays.
We’ve discussed the “thriller, filler, spiller, and chiller” method in summer contexts, but the same general rules apply when designing winter planters! To recap, thrillers are the tall, focal points of your planter design, typically something that catches the eye. If they’re tall, you’ll want to place these in the middle and near the back. Fillers are dense, bushy components that cover exposed potting medium and make the planter robust and full. Spillers are elements that spill over the sides. Finally, chillers take things the extra mile with bold shapes and colours; this is where you can add some personality to make your planters extra “you” and extra special.
While the basics of planter design are the same in winter and summer, your medium to hold everything together is a little different! Nothing in your planter will need to grow, so your primary focus is ensuring nothing falls out or flies away in the wind.
To keep everything upright, secure, and sturdy, here are a couple of options you can try:
Give your planter a good jostle to make sure nothing will fall off easily, and you’re good to go!
We have some amazing Christmas themes with plenty of supplies available at Royal City Nursery. Here’s how you can transition those designs into planters for a cohesive look that carries from your front door into your home!
Try a Nordic-themed planter with wood, white, silver, and soft textures! We recommend these components:
Thrillers: birch or poplar branches, white-painted branches, frosted spruce branches
Fillers: evergreen boughs, pinecones, frosted berry branches
Spillers: plaid ribbons, felt banners, dangling ornaments
Chillers: a Swedish gnome, faux fir or large silver ornaments
For a traditional planter, stick to the classics: green, red, and gold! Here are some elements you can use:
Thrillers: red twig dogwood branches, a tall branch of greenery, gold-painted branches
Fillers: spruce boughs, pinecones, eucalyptus
Spillers: cedar cuttings, red holiday ribbons, berry branches
Chillers: red or gold ornaments, lights, a nutcracker, or a snowman decoration
Bring a bit of sugar plum magic to your front porch with a gorgeous, rich-toned planter. We suggest:
Thrillers: orange sprays, dried ornamental grass, spruce branches
Fillers: magnolia leaves, berry branches, deep blue florals
Spillers: copper ribbons, cedar boughs, sparkly decorative strands
Chillers: blue, orange, or copper ornaments
Once the holidays have passed, you can transition your planters to a winter design by removing any of the holiday-specific decorations, and adding more fresh greenery and natural elements. You’ll have a great foundation of spruce boughs and branches that you can build upon with more greenery or neutral-coloured ribbons and decorations. If you love the holidays and want to keep the magic around as long as possible, keep your planters as they are until spring!
If you’re looking for more information on how to make holiday planters in Ontario, visit us at Royal City Nursery! Our experts can recommend quality products and give tips on building unique planters that will dazzle your guests and create holiday magic.
