Christmastime is here again! The joy of creating something beautiful at Christmas never gets old, does it? Today we’re excited to share with you how to make evergreen Christmas planters. These beautiful and festive displays are sure to bring a smile to your guests faces, as you welcome them into your home this holiday season!

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. When you click on our affiliate links and make any purchase, we may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. To read our full affiliate disclosure click here.

Inspiration for Making Evergreen Christmas Planters

We come from a long line of Christmas decorators. Though we didn’t always have much growing up, my mom always pulled out all the stops to deck the halls each Christmas season. She had a real knack for creating beautiful, yet frugal Christmas decorations each year. It’s no wonder we love to decorate!

So a few years ago one of our local greenhouses offered a class on how to make winter porch pots. It was a wonderful class and the end result was stunning! But it got me thinking; Can I make my own, more budget friendly version of this evergreen project? Where there’s a will there’s a way! So this year I decided to forage my own, completely free evergreens to recreate those beautiful porch pots for myself!

What You Will Need to Create Evergreen Planters

1. 2 large planter pots (plastic or resin) with soil
2. A pair of tree loppers
3. A pair of pruning shears
4. Several kinds of evergreen trees and/or bushes
5. Decorative pieces for each pot
6. Wide, wired ribbon (to make a bow)

Additional Options & Tips for the Project

• Use leftover flower pots (plastic or resin) from the summertime. No need to buy new pots or new dirt. Leaving the root balls in each planter is also fine. These will help with stability.
• If you do not have evergreens in your own backyard, consider asking friends, family, or neighbors if they wouldn’t mind if you trimmed a few of their evergreen boughs for your project. Trust me, you won’t need enough to make a difference in how each species looks!
• Use a variety of evergreens, including:

1. At least one larger, sturdy variety, like spruce.
2. At least one medium size, medium strength variety, like Scottish pine.
3. A floppy variety to frame the bottom of the planter, like white pine.
4. A whispy or fluffy variety, like thuja.
5. A bushy variety for filling in, like juniper.
6. Wild red berries, like wild honeysuckle.

Create Your Own Frugal Decor For Each Planter

Save lots of money for this project by creating your own decorative pieces to incorporate into your design! Get creative with those dried plants or weeds from the flower bed, garden, or fence row. This is a wonderful way to make unique decor accents and keep it frugal!

For example

To save money on decorative items, we used dried sedum flower heads and dried teasel! Simply spray paint them gold, or like us, paint on a bit of glue and sprinkle with gold glitter. The end result is beautiful!

A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Evergreen Christmas Planters

Step 1

Gather several trimmings of 3 to 5 different evergreen varieties. I used 2 large boughs, 3 or 4 mediums, 5 or 6 floppy framing pieces, and several smaller, bushy pieces to fill in and add volume to the planter.

Step 2

Prepare the soil by making sure it is loose enough to work with.

Putting The Evergreen Planters Together

The back of the planter

Place 1 or 2 of your tallest, most sturdy pieces of evergreen along the back side of the pot. Make sure it is secure.

The middle

As you’ve probably assumed, place the middle sized/middle strength pieces in the middle of the pot. These should sit securely against the large framing pieces at the back.

The front

The front of the planter should be lined with the flimsy/floppy pieces. Lining the front edge of the planter with this variety of evergreen will give it a “skirt-like” effect that is really impactful.

The fillers

Place the smaller, more whimsical, bushy pieces of evergreen into the planters last. These pieces will be supported by the stronger boughs, and make great fillers. Essentially what you are doing is closing any gaps or awkward holes and making the whole planter look more round and streamlined. These pieces also give more color and texture.

Time to Decorate The Christmas Planters!

Now this is where the real fun begins! Now that your evergreen pot is constructed, you’re ready to start adding those glittery, fun pieces to make the whole thing pop! A good rule of thumb is to use an odd number that zig-zags evenly, side to side, down the design to lead the eye to the focal point. Place a large bow at the front of the planter to make it really come to life! 

Here are some fun items to use for decorating

• Wild honeysuckle berries
• Pine cones
• Glitter ting ting branches
• Ribbons
• Bows
• Plastic Christmas balls
• Artificial poinsettias

Evergreen Christmas Planter Maintenance

These evergreen porch pots should stay fresh as long as they are exposed to rain or snow. If not, check them weekly to see if they need to be watered. Misting is a great way to keep them fresh and vibrant. With temperatures below freezing there is no need to water the planters. 

Other Christmas Inspiration for You!

For more festive inspiration, check these posts for your reading pleasure!

1. Frugal Christmas Gift Guide
2. How to Make Easy DIY Christmas Trees using Tomato Cages
3. How to Brine a Turkey
4. 10 Tips for Frugal Christmas Decor
5. Decorating Outdoor Spaces

Feeling Inspired? Pin it For Later!