Categories: Outdoor

24 Colorful Outdoor Planters for Winter & Christmas Decorations

Published by
James marcus

How to make colorful outdoor planters for winter & Christmas decorations. Best porch pot decorating ideas with evergreen branches, berries & pine cones!

Most of us think that colorful outdoor planters are only possible in spring and summer. You might be surprised how easy it is to create beautiful winter planters and colorful porch pots perfect for Christmas outdoor decorations!

Even in very cold winter climates, nature has plenty to offer. We already shared these 20+ gorgeous DIY fall planters you can create here. In the following 24 inspiring and beautiful examples, we will look at :

How to choose pots and urns, use a variety of evergreen plants, greenery and branches, colorful berries, seed pods, and other decorative elements such as ribbons and ornaments to create winter planters and gorgeous Christmas outdoor decorations which last for weeks and months!

A step by step video tutorial on how to make winter outdoor planters

A great video tutorial below on how to make a gorgeous Christmas planter urn using mixed evergreen conifer branches such as juniper and cypress, adding Red Twig Dogwood and Holly Berry for a pop of color.

Best plants and greenery branches for winter planters and Christmas outdoor decorations.

Here are the most popular plants and elements used in some of my favorite winter outdoor planters: conifers such as Pine, Cedar, Spruce, etc. and evergreen trees and shrubs such as Magnolia, Eucalyptus, Boxwood, Holly, Privet, Redtwig Dogwood, etc. ( Source )

Christmas urn ideas

A tall urn is a really nice decorative outdoor planter for front porches and back patios. To add a splash of color, use colorful berries from red, yellow to purple, and bright colored branches such as White Birch, Red Twig Dogwood and yellow Twig Dogwood. ( Source )

Actually, you can create a mini version of these planters for a Christmas table decor centerpiece using the same elements! Below is a super easy Christmas centerpiece tutorial!

Make a gorgeous Christmas centerpiece in 10 minutes! Tutorial and video here!

Choosing containers for outdoor winter planters and porch pots.

When choosing a container for an outdoor winter or Christmas planter, we need to consider the following-

Size: Is it the right scale for the space? Material: Can it withstand the outdoor winter temperature, snow, rain, etc? For example, when we lived north of Seattle for 6 months, many terra cotta pots we brought from California cracked due to rain and freeze.

Vintage milk tin porch pot

Materials like metal milk containers or half wooden wine barrels are all durable choices for outdoor winter conditions. ( The vintage milk tin original image source is lost. Please let me know if you find it!)

Get Creative: If you can find something you absolutely love, such as a real or faux stone urn, go for it. There are also many possibilities by putting durable plastic pots inside something more stylish.

Farmhouse basket outdoor holiday planter

Pam at House of Hawthornes used a gorgeous harvest basket, filled with a mix of cedar, spruce and curly willow branches.

Easy DIY Christmas patio planter

A galvanized tub filled with conifer branches and berries makes a beautiful farmhouse porch planter in the winter, and a great DIY solar fountain in the summer on a deck. ( Source )

How to make a Christmas planter arrangement.

Here is a wonderful tutorial on how to create your own outdoor winter planters with birch logs, magnolia and conifer branches in large garden containers.

Outdoor decorative planters for winter and Christmas

You can use soil and/or floral foam to support the mix of birch logs, willow branches, evergreen cuttings, berries etc, like in this winter planter.

Modern winter & Christmas outdoor planter ideas

If you want to create Christmas outdoor decorations in a modern style in front of your home, choose a dark tall planter, add beautiful accents like white birch branches, green magnolia leaves, red berries, and big pine cones. Here’s a beautiful example of the birch – magnolia – conifer mixed planter.

DIY colorful winter planters for Christmas outdoor decorations.

The color red can really add Christmas cheer to your winter outdoor planters and door decor. ( Source )

Christmas planter decorations by the front door

You can create a beautiful winter planter without using plants! Start with a nice container such as an urn filled with conifer branches and red berries such as Holly branches, and add more festive style to the Christmas porch planter with ribbons, bow, and big pine cones. ( Original image source lost, please let me know if you find it!)

Farmhouse style outdoor winter porch pots

A vintage watering can makes the perfect outdoor pot on a small porch for the holiday season. ( Source )

This charming winter porch pot is decorated with realistic looking Red Cardinals like these! and a bird house. ( Source )Next, let’s look at some more creative elements to add to our winter and Christmas outdoor planters!

Decorative Christmas outdoor planter ideas

Kimberly‘s painted red branches in a Christmas planter urn are beautiful alternatives to branches with red berries.

Decorating large planters for winter & Christmas

Large chartreuse green ornaments are gorgeous accents in this all green winter planter palette!

A classic urn planter filled with bundles of evergreens and red berries and a colorful bow is beautiful as Christmas outdoor decorations. ( Source )

Decorating planters with no plants

Mix pinecones with other accents like dried lotus pods and colorful Christmas ornaments to create festive winter planters. ( Above 2 images: source lost, please let me know if you find them!)

Mix of colors and textures to create beautiful winter outdoor planters.

There is so much variations even in evergreen branches. The above winter planter has cedar, pine, and fir all mixed together beautifully. ( Source )

Save this post for spring! 16 colorful container gardens for shade areas with plant list for each!

Front door winter outdoor planter ideas

From silver green Spruce, forest green Fir, to bright green Magnolia, this evergreen planter will look beautiful all winter and beyond Christmas! ( Source )

Add lights to your winter and Christmas planters.

Add magical glow in your outdoor planters with waterproof outdoor fairy lights such as these, or solar string lights like these. ( Source )

Another beautiful example of outdoor Christmas urn with lights. ( Source: traditionalhome.com )

Window box outdoor planters in winter.

Now you have beautiful winter planters by the door, it is time to decorate the window boxes for Christmas! ( Source: A | B )

Fall and winter planter transitions.

Ornamental cabbage, kale, pansies and daisies are cold hardy plants which are great to plant when the weather is transitioning from fall to winter, or winter to spring. They thrive all winter in warmer climates. ( Source )

Can’t get enough container gardens? Try these 24 stunning container planting designs with plant lists!

24 stunning container planting designs with plant lists!

In addition to the planters, here are some more creative DIY outdoor Christmas decoration ideas for you!

Gorgeous Outdoor Christmas Decorations: 32 Best Ideas & Tutorials

Happy creating! See you next week!

This post was last modified on 02/11/2023 17:15

James marcus

Garden Courte is a blog written by [James Marcus], a passionate gardener and writer. She has been gardening for over 20 years and has a deep understanding of plants and how to care for them. In her blog, she shares her knowledge and experience with others, providing tips and advice on gardening, plant care, and more.

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Published by
James marcus

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