It is a sad day for every gardener when fall becomes winter and growing outdoors is no longer an option. However, that doesn’t mean our porches have to be left bare, only to be decorated by snowfall and ice!
Christmas porch pots are a great option for winter decorating and are made similarly to floral arrangements. With various cuts of evergreens and other festive sprigs, you can create a spectacular display for your porch, complete with decorations, lights, and more. Keep reading for a how-to guide on creating a porch pot, as well as three recipes for themed designs.
How to Make a Porch Pot
To start, choose the pots that you’d like to fill. You can use tall pots on either side of your door, smaller pots down your front steps, or whatever you used during the summer. Either soil, sand, or floral foam is suitable to fill your pots and should be pre-soaked with lots of water. Once you’ve finished your porch pot and leave it outside, the water will freeze and hold all of the stems in place.
Next, choose greenery and decorations for your porch pot based on the theme you’d like to create. There are a few recipes listed below for examples!
Using multiple evergreen branches and sprigs is a good idea for adding dimension to your porch pot. Use clippings of cedar, pines, fir, juniper, and spruce. It’s also fun to add branches, berries, and decorations.
When placing your sprigs and stems, you can follow the same theory as floral arranging: you’ll need thrillers, fillers, and spillers to create a well-rounded and robust arrangement. Thrillers would include decorations, large branches that make a statement, such as curly willow or tall bright sprigs. Fillers are bushy and fill in the gaps between other stems. Spillers droop over the edge of your pot to ground the arrangement and create a nice, rounded look to the overall design.
Christmas Porch Pot
This is a great opportunity to bring your interior Christmas decor outside. Match indoor and outdoor decorations so that guests get a sneak peek of what’s inside as they walk up to your door. For a classic Christmas porch pot, use evergreens, and add various natural ingredients such as holly berries and pinecones. You can also add candy canes, Christmas lights, ornaments, ribbons, or homemade decorations. Classic colors of red, white, and green work best in this arrangement style.
Winter Wonderland Porch Pot
Winter wonderland themes typically include a monochromatic design with white and silver components and blue lights to accent. For this recipe, start with birch branches and add in evergreens sprayed with white or silver paint. If you don’t want to paint the greenery, fill out the arrangement with many other white and silver accents to achieve a similar aesthetic. Use silver ribbons and ornaments, fake snow, silver-painted branches, and more! Finish it off with little blue Christmas lights for a magical wonderland porch pot!
Rustic Holiday Porch Pot
If you want a cozy, rustic vibe, add all your usual greenery and then choose decorations that have beige, gold, and red color schemes. Burlap, jute, and dry wheat stalks or grasses are great additions to a rustic winter porch pot. Consider adding a birdhouse, battery-operated lantern, or little statuette in the middle of the pot for a cute centerpiece. You can also decorate with dried oranges and twigs or homemade decorations from the kids. Finish off with lights, and you’ll have a cozy, welcoming arrangement!
Tips to Extend the Life of Your Porch Pot
- Soak all of your greens in water overnight before making your arrangement. This will give the greens a good chance to soak up all the water they need and give them a good start before they are put outside.
- Cut your greenery stems on an angle just before placing them in arrangements. By doing this, you increase the surface area of each stem, allowing it to absorb more water.
- Spray with water frequently, particularly when it is sunny out. This will help the plants absorb the water and make sure an ice layer doesn’t build on the leaves.
- Try an anti-dessicant if spraying with water seems too overwhelming during the busy holidays; it will seal in moisture.
Visit us at Ted Lare Design & Build for premade porch pots of many varieties! Of course, we also sell supplies if you want to make your own as a festive activity with the family!
