Winter can be a difficult time for gardeners. There is less to see and do in the garden when temperatures drop. Many plants go into dormancy, or even die. Cold weather doesn’t have to mean your containers must be empty, though. Here, we’ll share a few tips for winter containers to ensure your planters look beautiful throughout the cold season.
There are a number of plants that maintain their attractiveness and leaves despite the cold. You can also do some things to make your container plants more resistant to cold during the long winter night. Even in the middle of winter, with some TLC you can still have beautiful and lush planters.
If you’re unsure where to start winterizing your planters, we’ve compiled some tips and ideas to help keep that front porch looking inviting and alive, even during the coldest months. Here are some tips on what to plant, how to maintain them and more. Keep your winter planters alive with these 13 simple tips.
Evergreen Foundation
Although it may seem obvious to some, using an evergreen as a base in your containers will help you maintain the look of the live plants throughout the year. Shrubs such a boxwoods, arborvitae, and laurels provide a great backdrop for seasonal container plants all year round.
You can use this plant to fill the middle of your large container arrangement. Keep your garden looking green year-round. Consider a dwarf mugo pin for smaller containers. These shrubs with many branches and feathery leaves make great container plants. Boxwoods are able to be shaped in stunning topiaries that give a dramatic yet manicured look.
Winter creeper makes a wonderful option for evergreen containers. This compact evergreen comes in variegated forms to add color interest. It is perfect for front porches or other spaces where containers are used.
Consider Cold Weather Vegetables
Many people overlook the importance of vegetables in winter containers. Winter vegetables include many favorites. Enjoy the cold weatherIt is best to keep your pot warm. Veggies like kale, lettuce, cabbage, and other leafy greens taste better after they’ve experienced some frost. Consider adding these plants to your pots when you remove your warm-weather perennials.
You can add a beautiful winter planter with ornamental kale or cabbage. These varieties come in shades of purple, blue and green. Consider adding some romaine leaves to your planters for more vertical interest.
Frost-tolerant root vegetables have beautiful foliage above ground. Early spring is the time to plant some carrots and onions for winter greenery. Brussels sprouts are interesting to look at, and they don’t mind the cold, either.
You Can’t Go Wrong with a Classic
Poinsettias will fill your winter pots if you live in an area with a milder climate. These colorful bracts and leafy plants are perfect for winter containers. The perfect addition to any outdoor holiday décor.
Poinsettias are frost-sensitive and should be kept indoors to avoid freezing temperatures. You can leave poinsettias out in the open if your zone is 8 or higher. Just keep them covered. You should bring them inside before the expected freezing temperature.
Create a Mini Forest using Evergreens and Moss
Moss can be a beautiful plant. Some mosses are resistant to cold. Moss will become dormant when the temperature drops below 40°F, but it will retain its color throughout the winter.
Moss at the base of small evergreens can give off an enchanting vibe. You can decorate the porch with moss pots filled with small evergreens during the coldest winter months. Even if they are covered with snow, the mosses retain their vibrant color and healthy.
Pop of Color Pansies
Pansies, which are in the same family as violets or violas (both of which can tolerate cold temperatures), are one of the cold-tolerant flower species. These pretty flowers are tolerant of cold weather despite their delicate appearance. The pansies can tolerate frost and thrive in temperatures below freezing.
Pansies, and related flowers, are cold tolerant to 25°FTheir foliage will start to fade and they will become dormant. Their roots are hardy to 20°F, so in very cold climates, bring your pansies indoors if the temperature is slated to drop below this point.
Fill in With Ferns
Winter containers are a great choice because many types of ferns can withstand frost or are evergreen. The unique textures and interesting shapes of these plants go well with other evergreens. The leatherleaf is a particularly hardy fern.
Plant your evergreens as early as possible to give them time to get established before the frost. Plan ahead and plant evergreens in containers in the spring or summer to have lush greenery. Through the winter chill, and all-year texture.
Ornamental Grasses Can tolerate the cold well
Many ornamental grasses can tolerate frost and are very cold-hardy. Add these plants to containers for a new look during the cold months. Reed grasses, sea oats and Fescues are all hardy plants, some even thriving in zones 3 or 4.
Blue fescue has blue-green leaves and tall, wispy stems. Winter container gardens make a statement.. The plants are interesting because they move when the wind blows through them.
Select a Camellia
Camellias have always been a favorite. They are most beautiful when other flowering plants hide under snow. Winter roses, camellias, bloom through the colder seasons in shades of pink, red, white and sometimes yellow.
For early-season flowers, Consider the following: Camellia sasanqua. Camellia shrubs are smaller, but they have more blooms. Around October, they begin to bloom and continue through early winter.
C. japonica The mid-winter flowering varieties are perfect. Despite being slightly larger than other shrubs, they still make excellent large container plants. They are also surprisingly cold-tolerant. These shrubs have large blooms which make beautiful cut flowers. They look stunning floating in water in a bowl on the dining table.
Holly can be used to add a festive flair
Some holly trees and shrubs can reach a height of 50 feet. They may be able to grow in pots when young, but they will not survive. In a few years, even the largest containers will be outgrown. Depending on what you need, this may be perfect.
Smaller varieties like ‘Little Red’ or ‘Japanese Holly’ are great for growing in containers permanently. These smaller varieties rarely grow higher than 10 feet and produce red berries which glow against the backdrop of glossy, deep-green leaves.
Holly’s festive appearance makes it a great addition to holiday decor. Small white flowers in the spring and summer attract bees. And, during winter, bird watchers can plant these plants.
Keep Your Planters Under Cover
Pot coverage is one of those tips that container gardeners who are experienced will say they often overlook. Even plants that aren’t frost-tolerant will survive cold temperatures if they’re covered. Many potted plants are killed by freezing rain or snow, not by the cold temperatures themselves.
Many outdoor plants have a thin dewy layer. The moisture in the leaves can freeze when the dew collects and falls on them at temperatures below freezing. damaging or altogether killing your plant’s foliage.
If you can keep moisture off your plants, you may find that they are more resistant to cold than you thought. You can extend the life of your potted plants by moving them under a porch, or another structure. Row fabric can be used to protect delicate plants. If you cover them, you may not need to bring your plants in during very cold nights. But you will be able to enjoy them for longer.
Insulate your containers
This is an excellent way to prolong your potted plant’s life. You can do this in several ways, including by covering the top soil with a thick layer of straw or mulch. This helps to insulate the roots of your plants. How to keep them from freezing.
Pot insulators are available at retail outlets, or pots can be wrapped with insulating material. You can also place your potted plants inside a large tub, pond liner or other container and cover the pots in mulch or leaves. This will keep your roots warm.
Choose Larger Containers
The bigger the container you use, the more soil can be added around the plants. The soil acts as a insulatorProtecting the roots of plants. Consider the size of your planters when selecting them. Bigger planters also mean more and larger plants, and who doesn’t like that?
Don’t Forget to Water
This may seem to be counter-intuitive. Water your plants well before a frost.. Keep your containers hydrated to help insulate roots. Wet soil stays warmer than dry soil, which can have pockets of freezing air that do more damage to your plant’s roots.
Watering regularly throughout the colder months may be a good way to preserve the plants you have in containers. Watering your plants, even if dormant in the winter months, can help them survive a temperature that is too high.
Final Thoughts
Gardening and enjoying plants doesn’t have to end just because the weather doesn’t support many of the plants we enjoy during the warmer months. You can rotate plants into your planters that will thrive in the cold. There are many other plants that can be used in winter landscapes, besides cold-hardy or evergreen ones. Winter containers can survive the extra cold with these tips.