!#7# Holiday Decorating - Tips For Easy Containers

!±8± Holiday Decorating - Tips For Easy Containers

Here's an easy way to dress up your outdoor containers for the holidays using a variety of cut evergreens. This arrangement provides a lot of visual interest due to the variation in texture and color. All of these greens will hold up well throughout the winter. They look especially pretty under a light blanket of new snow.

For each container you will need the following materials (this assumes a pot with a 12-14 inch diameter, so just use more evergreens if your pot is bigger):

6 branches of Frasier fir or balsam (16-18 inches long)
6 branches of white pine (14-18 in.)
3-4 branches of cedar (12-14 in.)
3-4 branches of juniper (12-14 in.)
3 branches of winterberry for color- either natural or artificial (artificial will last longer and can be re-used next year)
3 branches red twig dogwood or curly willow (1½ - 2times the height of the container)

Optional: pine cones, boxwood

Instructions:

· Fill the container with potting mix up to within a couple of inches of the top. If the container still has dead annuals left in it from the summer, just cut off the tops and leave the root mass in the pot. This will help hold the arrangement in place.

· Working from the outside in, start with the Frasier fir and stick the branches into the soil about an inch from the edge and at a 45°angle so that they drape over the side. The Frasier fir branches will look best put in face down as they will arch nicely. The silvery-blue color of their undersides will provide a nice contrast to the green of the white pine. Space the branches evenly around the outer edge of the container.

· Next place the white pine branches in the spaces between the Frasier fir but a little closer to the middle of the pot.

· Continue working inwards, adding the cedar and juniper. Boxwood can also be used to fill in gaps.

· Once the base of evergreen branches is in place, add the winterberry in a triangular shape for color.

· Then add the curly willow or red twig dogwood to provide vertical movement.

· Pine cones can add additional interest...wire them to small sticks and intersperse them in the arrangement.

Tips:

· Make sure you are using containers that can withstand cold weather, like metal or concrete. Don't use terra cotta or ceramic as they can easily crack in cold weather.
· The branches of the evergreens should not be taller than the height of the pot. The exception is the red twig dogwood or curly willow, which should be about twice as tall.
· Holly and magnolia are not ideal for outdoor arrangements as they will dry out and shrivel up in the cold.