22
Winter 2014
Don’t want your pots to look Christmassy? Try curly willow, natural birch branches or magnolia. Red berries are eye-catching in winter pots, but real berry branches are expensive, with too many berries falling off before they ever make it to the planter. “Dare I mention that I’ve used some great fake berry branches from Michael’s?” says Wilbur. And don’t be afraid of a little glitz. “White branches, pine cones dusted with fake snow, twigs with a little glitter – if used carefully and in the right combination these elements can be stunning.” Add some lights - Wilbur prefers warm over the bluish, and loves tiny lights on slim wires. With some Internet sleuthing it’s possible to find outdoor light strings, powered by batteries, with timers. Weave them through boughs, up branches or obelisks, and around wreathes. The twinkling is magical. RESOURCES Sweet Dirt Designs 914.588.8818, www.sweetdirtdesigns.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SWEET DIRT DESIGNS
assortment of cut boughs but don’t ignore the riches of your own yard: Spruce and pine boughs, red twig dogwood branches or even long slender cuttings from River Birch work in planters. Before you start dreaming about your winter pots, make sure they are able to sustain freezing temperatures. If your planter is ceramic or terra-cotta it shouldn’t be exposed to winter elements. Some resin and fiberglass planters crack in the cold too, so a call to the manufacturer may help determine if your containers can stay outside. Most others should be fine as long as they have sufficient drainage. Ensure this by checking that drainage holes are not plugged with dirt or roots. Raising the planter off the ground is also helpful. Inconspicuous rectangular rubber Pot Risers are an ingenious solution. Some learned-the-hard-way advice from Wilbur: If you don’t get to your winter pots until late in the season, be sure that whatever was in them previously is removed, roots and all, before the temperatures drop. Hacking out frozen roots is no fun and often impossible.