8 minute read
Winterproof Your Planters
STORY AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY LAURA LAVENDER
Dressing your house with outdoor plant displays and décor is a gift to your neighbours. While many houses dress in their finest during the holidays, the décor doesn’t have to end when the Christmas tree decorations are put away. We can still celebrate the beauty that is winter with elegant outdoor plantings around our front door. However, living where the temperature dips (or even plummets) during the winter months means we must take some time to consider outdoor plants, pots, and décor that can take all that winter might bring. Here are some ideas for winter potted displays that will look great until the snow melts.
Pots
First of all, we need a container to display our potted arrangement. Not all outdoor pots are cold weatherproof, and we need to select with care. Icy cold can wreak havoc on pots, as when the temperature dips at night, then goes up again during the day, pots can crack when the water in them freezes and then thaws. The same phenomenon can create an event called frost heave in the ground, where the creation of ice in the soil can push plants and bulbs right out of the soil. In addition to the damage to plants, a frost heave can add even more pressure to pots.
Pots that can take the cold
For the most part, metal, plastic, wood, and fibreglass pots can survive freezing temperatures. With metal pots, especially cast iron, it is advised to keep them well painted as protection. Keep an eye out for rust on metal pots and take measures to remove it as the rust will eventually deteriorate the pot. With regards to plastic, it is best to avoid purchasing any new plastic due to the steep environmental cost. If you still have plastic pots in use, they can take a few seasons of freezing temperatures, but eventually, they will degrade in the sunlight and crack.
Wood containers are a good choice for a longer-term, cold-weather solution. Wood expands and contracts naturally, and can move along with frost movement of the plants and soil. Fibreglass and resin are cold-weather tolerant materials with the added bonus of being lightweight. Many coldweather gardeners list this material as their number one pot choice.
Bring these pots inside
Generally, terra cotta (clay), ceramic, and concrete are all materials that absorb water and will crack in the freeze and thaw cycle as water in the pot turns to ice. We can sometimes find ceramic outdoor planters that are labelled frostproof. These have been fired at very high temperatures which saves them from the risk of breaking. Additionally, some concrete pots are mixed with resin to make them (supposedly) frostproof. However, who knows if the manufacturer is intending for a light frost, or for minus 30°C with the wind chill?
Plants
If you are looking for a living plant to add to your outdoor décor this winter, this is the time to choose the hardiest, most tolerant of specimens. Here are some ideas to help keep your outdoor plants alive all winter:
• Choose a sheltered spot. Keep potted plants near the house doors, out of the wind, where they can benefit from residual heat from the house. A sheltered porch is ideal. • Give the plant lots of room in the pot to give it lots of insulting soil. • Avoid bare soil. Mulch with any of your favourites: tree bark, compost, evergreen branches, moss. • If especially cold weather is predicted, protect plants with horticultural fleece, old blankets, or evergreen branches. (Don’t get rid of your Christmas tree just yet.) • Consider an anti-desiccant spray. These sprays protect evergreen plants such as rhododendrons, euonymus, and conifers from damage from the cold, dry winds of winter.
Look for an all-natural spray with pine tree resin. (Ardent
DIYers can make this spray by special ordering pine tree resin oil and mixing it yourself.)
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A few beautiful, cold-hardy evergreens: • Boxwood (Buxus spp.) Be sure to check hardiness zones as boxwoods vary. For example, Green Mound boxwood is Zone 5. • Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
Elegant, edible red berries on a low creeper,
Zone 3. • Blue Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca ‘Sanders
Blue’) is a narrow-shaped dwarf variety hardy to Zone 4.
Branches and berries
Cutting branches and berries to arrange for outdoor winter décor is an excellent, no-maintenance décor solution: The branches are preserved in the cold and come out of winter looking great. Sometimes willow branches will have sprouted roots, ready to be planted! • Willow species (Salix spp.) • Winter Berry, aka Canada Holly (Ilex verticillata) • Red Dogwood (Cornus sericea) • Birch branches • A mix of evergreen branches (or arrange some cut from your Christmas tree)
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A few easy winter arrangements
These containers are created by reusing the soil and pot from a summer planter. Take an old plastic nursery pot that fits perfectly inside your weatherproof pot and fill it with old potting soil from last summer’s container plantings. The potting soil provides a heavy substance to weigh down the pot and hold your arrangement. Another idea is to create a ball of chicken wire and place this in the bottom of your pot, along with a few rocks or bricks for weight.
1. White branches with short birch logs
This frosty-looking arrangement is made with naturally light-coloured, foraged birch branches, and small birch logs. Finish the wintery look with white twinkly lights, strung on a white wire for a cohesive look.
2. Willow branches tied with raffia or ribbon
This modern arrangement requires a huge armload of willow branches. A sleek monochrome container adds to the modern look. Tie the branches with a bow for an extra touch.
3. Twiggy branches with small lights
Large bunches of twiggy branches gathered in a wooden container have a rustic feel. Intertwine lots of small lights (choose some on a dark-coloured wire to blend in with the branches) for a festive wintery look that works all winter.
4. Evergreen branches
A generous arrangement of cut evergreen branches is lovely all winter.
Keeping the look a monochrome green makes it work all winter without being overly holiday-focused. White pine branches are a favourite of mine. A variety of evergreen species mixed together in a container is equally beautiful.
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Plan ahead now for your spring container garden
Gardening is all about planning for the future. After all this talk of winter, let’s do a quick project now to ensure we have abundant spring blooms. One idea is to plant bulbs in plastic nursery pots, bury the pots in the garden in an unused spot, and wait patiently for spring. I think daffodils are especially wonderful; they are tough, longlasting flowers and are resistant to being eaten by deer or other wildlife. Choose a plastic pot that will neatly fit into your display pot, if you have multiple pots of the same size, double them up for extra stability. Fill the plastic pot with good potting soil and arrange the bulbs “shoulder to shoulder” for abundant blooms. Top with potting soil, then dig a hole to fit the pot, and mark it with a label stick. Once the soil has thawed in spring and the bulbs have sprouted their first green shoots, dig up the plastic pot. If you have selected a plastic pot that will fit neatly into your display pot as mentioned above, you can simply pop the bulbs, pot and all, into the pot and wait for the blooming to begin.
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Personal lending products and residential mortgages are offered by Royal Bank Personal lending products and residential mortgages are offered by Royal Bank of Canada and are subject to its standard lending criteria. of Canada and are subject to its standard lending criteria. ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. 36425 (01/2020) ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. 36425 (01/2020) Personal lending products and residential mortgages are offered by Royal Bank Personal lending products and residential mortgages are offered by Royal Bank of Canada and are subject to its standard lending criteria. ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. 36425 (01/2020)Personal lending products and residential mortgages are offered by Royal Bank of Canada and are subject to its standard lending criteria. ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. 36425 (01/2020) At Home on the North Shore46 ah! Winter 2021–22 of Canada and are subject to its standard lending criteria.
