My fall container compositions need a switch out. The mums look tired, the veggies have given up and the grasses have not fared well in the enormous gusts of wind. Time has been escaping me lately and I am thinking that I should just transition my containers along before the next shift in the wind comes and I am chiseling away at icy soil.
Gathering Inspiration from Winter Landscape
I have been hypnotized lately by all the fabulous plant life along the highway. Moving quickly
And paying attention to the road, you really only get a textural impression- dense cones of reds, wispy gold threads, linear slashes of browns.
Though the color palette will be different. I want my winter containers to be all about long lasting texture. This year, I will steer away from the ornamental pull of classic cut greens and opt for something more garden-like: a party of mini conifers, evergreen woodland treasures, heath, and heathers.
I am envisioning red sticks slashing across the composition, grid-like webs of birch branches weaving in and out of crisp green bristles, wiry stems spinning around the base of the planting and pillowy patches of mosses resting in the negative space.
Fall to Winter Container Garden plant materials to consider:
Maybe they might inspire your winter containers, too:
- Birch branches – both big and small. Cluster together smaller branches; they can create a frame, or larger branches might be used as stark, beautiful trees when used upright.
- Conifers of all sorts. – These can be cut from a wide variety of shrubs or small plants. Look to roadsides, neighbors’ yards (and of course, our own gardens), the woods, and anywhere that beautiful greenery persists in the cold of winter.
- Moss – Walking in nature provides an opportunity to view and collect pieces in a variety of shapes and colors. Make sure not to over-collect and leave some to continue to grow wild. Also, a small variety of live mosses can typically be purchased in floral shops and garden centers.
- Boxwood – Boxwoods that are used for shape and therefore need regular prunings in late fall and early winter is perfect opportunity to prune and use the trimmings to fill a container.
- Berried Branches – My favorites are winterberry (red) and Callicarpa (purple) but there are many other shrubs and trees that provide other colors and sizes of enduring winter berries.
- Colored Branches – Dogwood branches come in a variety of colors (red to yellow and even red fading into yellow). Other naked branches tend to be shades of brown, but in a pattern, woven, or in a cluster, they might be more visually striking.
- Seed heads – Look to the garden for inspiration – grasses and many flowers have enduring shapes and intriguing textures.
- Winter plants – Heathers and hellebores are constant options. But also consider bulbs like snowdrops and perhaps new shrubs (like winter blooming viburnum bodnantense) that can be later relocated to the garden to grow to their full size. Wintergreen can be used to add shine and color – and did you know the berries actually take like wintergreen gum (that is where the flavor’s name came from).
And Now to plant shop! – Roanne
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