After the summer plants are gone, the water fountain drained and put away, all the colorful decor tucked safely away for the foreboding winter snows soon to be upon us, the porch doesn’t need to just be barren, (or in this case… the courtyard patio). It’s still nice to have something pretty out on the courtyard to look at til the promise of Spring arrives next year. Here’s the easy DIY winter porch arrangement I put together this week. And I’ll give you a great tip on where you can find some free greenery!
The courtyard at our 100 year old house was a forgotten little spot and looked to be used as a dumping ground in our backyard when we first bought this house a couple years ago. But once we put the large patio door in the breakfast room, what could be hidden away previously, now was the main southern view from inside. (you can read more about the courtyard transformation here)
Since it is a main view from inside, it’s nice to have something to ‘view’, right?
Here’s what I did this year:
As I don’t want to have to change it after Christmas, I created this DIY winter porch arrangement so that it will last the winter through.
I already had everything to make this, all I needed to do was gather it together, repurposing it for this creation, and then add some fresh greenery.
Here’s the tip for getting fresh greenery… (a friend of mine shared it with me, so I’ll pass it on to you)
Check out your local compost site. In our town, we have a place the ‘city folks’ can take their yard waste, like leaves, branches and even trees. It’s a great place to get lots of mixed greenery and twigs… but you need to go before they run it through the ‘chipper’! I went with my yard gloves and pruners and snipped here and there, and wound up with a wonderful selection of greenery, totally free.
White pine branches, red pine boughs with the pinecones still attached, blue spruce branches and even some lovely cedar boughs. (The red twigs came from a pruning job of my own)
I simply laid some mixed greens on the two tiers of the stand.
Then, with a pot that can take the freezing weather, and half filled with dirt, I started the DIY winter porch arrangement. Using the dirt to hold the pieces in, I shoved in the twigs and branches, then finished with some large pinecones that have wooden dowels glued on the bottom of them, along with 3 little birdhouses that have dowels on them too. (The dirt isn’t frozen yet, but when the temp drops it will freeze solid. That’s why this pot has to be able to withstand the cold without cracking.)
Oh and something else I spied at the compost when I was gathering greenery, was this branch covered with this moss. I thought it was so pretty it got placed in the center of the arrangement.
Here’s another tip:
Mix fresh and faux greenery. I have several faux greenery boughs in this pot. (I ordered some from Hobby Lobby a few years ago, and they still looks great!) You can’t tell by looking what’s real and what’s faux, but the faux does two things…
It holds it green color longer than the real, which will start to fade or turn yellowish by mid January, so the faux helps the arrangement look good longer.
The faux also is on stiff metal wire stakes, so it helps hold the arrangement together. Although this spot is pretty protected from the strong wind, being outside it still has to hold up to the elements.
Well, it’s going to happen…
The courtyard along with the rest of the yard is going to get blanketed with snow! But when it does, it’ll only look even prettier. (When you live in the Midwest, you have to have a good attitude about winter or you’ll be kind of depressed over the reality of it. I love it! It keeps the poisonous snakes, spiders and scorpions in the south!) 😉
Here are some more Christmas decorating ideas:
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JaneEllen Jones says
We’ve lived in MT, KY and now western CO where we get our share of snow so know what it’s like. Have lived in AZ and southern CA also. Great tip about compost place. Will have to find out where ours is. Tree places charge for branches lying around anymore so thought this year would get faux tree out to use branches for some greenery. not as nice or smell as good as real but will make do. Don’t use faux tree anyway, (just year I bought it), so figured might as well make use of it besides taking up room in shed.
Have to get Fall decorations packed up, put away first, clean up house then in week or so start doing little holiday decorating.
Last year had right shoulder replaced on 12/7 so whatever had gotten done before was it, found liked it simpler, not too much. It’s packing it all up after holidays that gets to me at this point in life, (am 76), so time to part with many years of too many decorations haven’t used in years. Have bought few things from $tree and Michaels but that’s it for me. Our daughter got new bigger tree so she was asking if we have any extras. Umm yeah.
Hope you had wonderful Thanksgiving
Liz says
Thank you JaneEllen. Nice to give Christmas decorations to our kids… special for them and easier for us, right?
Donnamae says
That’s a very attractive arrangement! Happy Thanksgiving to you! 😉
Liz says
Thanks Donnamae! Many blessings to you too.
Shirley says
Dittos on the blessings of northern winter. I won’t have a chance to create any winter embellishments but we just moved to a home in the middle of a winter wonderland!!
Great tip on getting greenery at the compost place!! And just love the little bird houses : )
Liz says
Thanks Shirley!