Last week, we were lucky enough to go the Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina for supper. The grand hotel was all decked out for Christmas, with sparkling trees and gleaming mirrors and giant toy soldiers standing guard in the lobby. It was a beautiful sight to see: no detail was left unattended, right down to the sumptuous planters that adorned the outside doors.
These planters were lush with spruce and pine branches; large pine cones; bright, cheerful Christmas balls; and curly willow branches. What a festive way to greet each guest that came through the doors! As I studied these planters, I thought that you and I could borrow the idea and make some of our own planters to adorn our homes.
We have many of the raw materials here; grab your garden snips, bundle up warmly, and head out to the garden. Snip some spruce or juniper branches, or maybe some yellow or red dogwood. Any kind of branches will do! If you live out in the country, you have a wealth of raw materials at your back door, including rustling grasses , wild rose branches with the rose hips still attached, or the tall elegant beauty of bull rushes. Be sure to use a variety of colors and textures to add extra interest. Next, find a suitable container: choose whatever size container will fit in your space, and make sure that it is a container with a bit of heft to it. If you choose too light a container, it will tip over easily.
Now we have to have some medium in the planter to anchor our branches. If you have a bag of soil in the house, soil would work just fine. So would sand. You could even use oasis (the kind for dried arrangements). Start add your branches to the planter, just as if you were making an arrangement in the summer. Anchor your branches firmly in the medium. You might want a cascading effect, perfect if you have juniper branches. Or maybe you want a more upright design with spruce branches. Fill up the container completely so that you can't see your medium at all. Be sure to add some bare branches in the middle of the arrangement; they add that rustic, outdoorsy look. Once you have it the way you want it, the fun part begins: adding the "finishing touches".
You can use almost anything you want: bright Christmas balls, bought branches with glitter; or pine cones. You could add a few showy silk poinsetta, hydrangea, or amaryllis blooms. Maybe you might even want to string in some mini-lights, if you planter will be close to a plug. Anything goes!
It's that easy: you can make it as big or as small as space allows. But whatever you put together, rest assured that it will send a welcome and caring message to anyone who comes to your door, just as cheery pots of flowers do in the summertime!
What a great week it's been: the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society had a directors meeting this past week, followed by a meeting of the planning committee. These are the folks who come up with the ideas for speakers for the coming year. I won't tell you any secrets just yet, but it will be a great year, with lots of fun, informative speakers and projects ahead.
Till next time, good luck with your planter - who says gardening has to end just because it's winter? Have a great week!
