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25 Easy Ideas for Beautiful Outdoor Christmas Planters
It’s amazing what you can do with just a little greenery!
When it comes to decorating your home’s exterior for the holidays, there’s a lot of fanfare around the wreaths, garlands, and lights, but those porch planters—the same ones that happily housed geraniums in the summer and mums in the fall—tend to go overlooked this time of year. They don’t have to! Despite the colder temps, there are plenty of ways to twirl up an empty container or window box for the holiday season, from tree-shaped rosemary shrubs to boxwood orbs to lush and loose arrangements of items foraged from your surroundings.
You don’t even have to do any planting, necessarily. From freshly clipped tree branches and faux greenery to clusters of pinecones, you can embrace a mix of materials and textures to create an impactful and aesthetically pleasing display befitting any cottage, farmhouse, or cabin.
How to Arrange Outdoor Christmas Planters
Generally speaking, the classic “thriller, filler, spiller” rule is a good frame of reference to create any container. Start with your “thriller,” which is your focal plant or element (it could be a mini Christmas tree, for example). Next, layer in your “filler,” which is a material to round out your container. Finally, your “spiller” is any material that drapes or trails dramatically over the edges of the pot, such as large boughs of fir or trailing ivy. Below are 23 beautiful planters to give you inspiration.
How to Care for Outdoor Christmas Planters
As the season progresses, you can remove the more Christmas-y parts of your display, such as ribbons or ornaments, and your planter will look appropriate all winter long. Just snip out any pieces of greenery that begin to turn brown. If inserting real evergreen stems into soil in warmer climates, water the planter regularly. This will help the cuttings stay supple. In colder climates, don’t worry about it: Most mixed-evergreen containers will last for months, especially if they’re not in direct sunlight.
Find more inspiring seasonal décor, flower arrangements, and holiday content:
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Greenery-Filled Crock Planter
Collect extra branches of greenery and put them upright in a stoneware crock for an easy outdoor planter. Adjust the height as desired by the length of your branches. You can even add a little water to the crock to help prolong the greenery’s freshness.
RELATED: 50+ DIY Christmas Wreaths to Give Your Guests the Prettiest Welcome
Woven Basket Christmas Tree Planter
It’s no secret that we’re big proponents of a porch tree. Whether you deck it out or leave it untrimmed, a woven basket makes for the perfect “skirt.”
RELATED: Tour the Inside of This 1830s Log Cabin That Perfects the “Old-Fashioned Christmas” Look.
Natural Topiary Christmas Planter
Dried flowers, live vines, and evergreen garland twined around a conical topiary make a lovely display.
Pine Branches in a Stoneware Jug
For a twist on a traditional planter, place freshly clipped branches in a narrow-mouthed vessel, like a woven demijohn or stoneware jug.
RELATED: Tour This Rhode Island Saltbox All Decked Out for Christmas with Fresh Greenery
Vintage Bucket Planters
Every farmhouse has at least one or two galvanized or enamel buckets around. So, put them to good use come Christmas as planters for small evergreen shrubs. Leave the trees bare or decorate with pine cones and even lights for extra glow.
Antique Wheelbarrow Planter
Whether you fill it with soil and plantings or simply add a medley of containers, an old wheelbarrow is a great way to lend classically country charm to seasonal blooms.
Galvanized Tub Planter
Dainty hellebores and paperwhites look quite pretty when paired with worn and weathered metal containers. (Champagne buckets could work too.)
Greenery-Filled Urn Planters
The most instant-gratification way to flank a front door: Tuck fresh sprigs or big branches of greenery in large planters, such as these stone urns. The branches may not last into February, but they will at least sit pretty for your holiday party.
RELATED: Tour Inside This Postcard-Perfect Farmhouse in the Catskills
Red Wagon Tree Display
Remember how we said we love a good porch tree? Here, a smaller four-footer—decked only with a scarf—sits atop a red wagon filled with presents.
RELATED: Tour Inside This Charming Tennessee Cabin That is Rustic Revelry at its Finest
Wooden Crate Planter
Whether used indoors or out, a wooden crate is a useful vessel for an arrangement of amaryllis and freshly clipped greenery.
RELATED: How to Care for an Amaryllis Plant
Antique Watering Can Planter
Dress up a rusty old watering can with an assortment of seasonal clippings.
Potted Boxwood Planter
You can never go wrong with simple boxwoods, real or faux. For extra embellishment during the holiday season, tuck in a few bows.
Wreaths Around Dog Statues
As an alternative to a traditional planter, consider placing wreaths around statues that flank the front door. Here, dog statues look extra festive at a Mississippi hunting lodge designed by Richard Keith Langham.
Potted Trio Planters
Round out your standard wreath-garland combo with a mini sled and assortment of potted plants and trees.
RELATED: Tour the Inside of This Utah Home All Decked Out for the Holidays
Woven Basket Bevy
Matching wicker baskets hep unify this handsome wintry display of live trees and berried stems and grasses.
Boxwood and Birch Window Box
A combination of boxwood clippings and upright river birch branches make this a handsome window box arrangement. A light peppering of berries and a pretty poinsettia-themed bow add the finishing touches.
Lush and Lively Planters
Filled with various types of greens and a collection of faux fruit and green stems, these eye-catching planters prove that more is more when it comes to holiday decor.
RELATED: Learn All About Tudor-Style Houses
Country-Style Window Box
This pretty window box is overflowing with greens, red twig dogwood sticks, and rattan balls. A plaid bow ups the country charm.
Flocked Branches Planter
Enjoy a white Christmas, regardless of geography. Here, white pine is dressed up with flocking powder to simulate a snow-dusted arrangement. Branches of berries add some color and contrast.
RELATED: A Step-by-Step Guide to Christmas Tree Flocking
Gold and Gilt Planter
A tall planter with simple lines is accented with gold ornaments and a gold star. Curly willow and berried branches add height and drama.
Arricca Elin SanSone is a freelance writer, editor, and digital content developer. She specializes in lifestyle and interior design content with a focus on gardening. Arricca earned dual bachelor’s degrees summa cum laude in English and classics from Hiram College, as well as an MBA cum laude from Georgia Southern University. Before writing full-time, Arricca studied in Rome, traveled in Europe, and taught school in Asia. With over a decade of experience, Arricca has pitched, researched, and crafted fresh story ideas and content to appeal to national audiences. She has written thousands of articles for print and digital publications such as Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Prevention, House Beautiful, and more. She’s passionate about gardening, baking, reading, and spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
Janece Maze is Associate Editor at Country Living, where she covers DIY projects, gardening, and travel. When she’s not in the kitchen creating a new recipe with farm fresh ingredients, you can find her on the road heading to a music festival or browsing a local consignment shop.
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