Happy Monday everyone!
It’s finally winter here in Toronto and with the end of the One of a Kind Show, you know that there’s only 19 more days until Christmas. Eeek! So my list is out and the first thing I need to do is decorate my house. I asked Nicola to help me out and here is a DIY for one of her amazing winter urns. Cheers!
Now is the time to create a beautiful outdoor urn or pot, this way you will get to enjoy it before and after Christmas. Remember, to create this look you will need to put quite a few elements in, otherwise once that first heavy snowfall comes it will just droop from the weight and fall apart.
If your pot is sitting outside and is already frozen, you could try putting it in a heated garage for a couple of days or if it isn’t too heavy bring it inside to thaw out.
What you will need:
Container
Soil
2 bunches of dogwood
2 bunches of pine
1 bunch of variegated oregonia
1 bunch of magnolia
3 large pine cones
2 bunches of birch stars
Garden clippers
Wire
Here are a few simple steps to follow.
- First fill your urn with soil, tightly packed.
- Lay all your elements out so that you can see exactly what you have to play with.
- Start with your sticks if this is going to be your focal point, and place them at an angle that pleases you.
- Secondly cut your pine as this is going to act as your trailing element, and place it around the edge of the urn.
- Don’t waste any pieces as they can all go into your urn to use as your stabilizer – they won’t be seen once everything else goes in.
- Next add your variegated oregonia – this will be placed in an upright position as your next layered level.
- Next are the magnolia branches which I have left nice and long so they sit above the oregonia.
- Make sure as you are placing each of the elements that you are pushing them into the soil firmly so that they stay in position.
- After that you can place your birch stars in a nice group to one side and your wired pine cones on the other side.
- To wire your cones so they are secure, wrap gardeners wire around the thicker end of the cone, and anchor it to one of the branches.
With all my leftover pieces I was able to create a small piece that hangs by my front door. There are so many lovely elements that you can use, but if you are doing this for the first time, try to keep it simple and have a plan before you start or it might seem a little overwhelming. Or start with a nice basket that hangs on your fence, you can fill it with winter greens, moss and faux berries.
Drop by East of Eliza for all of the pieces you’ll need. We have a whole garden full of Christmas greens, outdoor decorations and wreaths and we can help guide you with everything you need to know on how to make one of these urns yourself.
Nicola Bishop
bishop4086@rogers.com
flohaus 