Decorating a Flowerpot for the Holidays

Decorating your front porch for the holidays can be as simple as adding some cuttings from your own yard to your summer flowerpot. This segment demonstrates steps to creating a beautiful holiday accent for your home.

Produced by the Department of Communications at Kansas State University. For more information, visit our website at: http://www.kansasgreenyards.org

Transcript:
Decorating a Flowerpot for the Holidays

Today, I’m going to show you how to use cuttings from your own yard, or that you may purchase at a garden center to decorate your own pots outside for the holidays. You can decorate pots that you’ve had your summer flowers in, or if you want to buy or purchase a pot specifically to use for this purpose, you can do that also.

If you’re going to use this outside, you’ll want to add some weight to your pot. If you have your own pot that you’re using, that you had your summer flowers in, it may already have some soil in it – that you can leave and use. If you’re starting with an empty pot, a good medium to use is sand.

First, you’ll need to edge your pot. You can do that by taking cuttings of your greens. These are some cedars. We have a cone cedar and an incense cedar. We like to use these around the edge because they drape real well.

Then, you’ll want to add some height to your pot. You can use various things to do that. You may want to use some red twig dogwood. It adds a nice color complement to it, and some nice texture. You can take something as simple as branches or trimmings off your trees. This one has been spray painted white to add a little interest. You can use any color such as gold or silver – whatever you prefer.

However, on this pot, I’m going to use a spruce topper. That’s the top of a small spruce that’s been cut. It’s easy to work with in the sand. All you have to do is just insert it, and then you’ll want to fill in more around it.

This is winterberry. But you can add anything that will add a little more interest and color. Another suggestion, that looks nice and works well, are pinecones. We’ll finish sticking these branches in – and there you go.

This feature story prepared with Frankie McCready, Family Tree Nursery, Olathe, KS.

For more information, visit your local county extension office or visit our website at KansasGreenYards.org.