Even though holiday decorating is finish for the year , you could still get alfresco and clip greenery for a bird - favorable winter container . wintertime fowl are a lovely addition to the garden and   this container garden not only looks gorgeous to us , but it ’s a celestial treat for our feathered friends ! This design will take your garden decor mightily through to the leaping , and it will also provide food for   winter birds to nosh on .

I happened to come acrossMarie ’s GardenonInstagramand I fell in lovemaking with her originative vacation wreaths and containers . Container design can be easy to do , but a talented graphic designer can create one that makes you stop over and take   notice .   I need Marie if she would like to create a container design for us at Garden Therapy and , to my delight , she agreed ! I ’ll hand it over to Marie now , to show us how to hearten her   wench - favorable winter container .

by Marie Meiklejohn

Winter Container Garden That Feeds the Birds

As shortly as the holidays are over and all the decorations are put away , I very quickly tyre of looking at the mere trees and empty container around my place . My solution is to project a few containers with verdure from my thousand that can be see from my window . It helps to keep my spirits up during the frigid winter calendar month and these container will reckon great until other April in my Pennsylvania garden . By then , I am ready to strip them out and engraft some pansies and other cold weather spring plants .

Some of my preferent materials to reduce are Red Twig Dogwood branches , yellowChamaecyparis , Holly , White Pine , Juniper , Laurel , Japanese Pieris and Blue Spruce . Sometimes I add a few branches of dried Hydrangea flowers or Winterberry for seasonal interest and a pop of color . Do n’t feel adumbrate by a crowd of different verdure , just give it a attempt ! Have a look at what you may use in this article on theBest Garden Greenery for Holiday Decorating ( and Which Ones to void ) .

material

design a container garden that provides food for backyard birds

Make it !

calculate for verdure with dissimilar texture and colour . This will help reach an interesting arrangement . Do n’t forget broad - leaved evergreen such asRhododendron , Osmanthus heterophyllus(Variegated False Holly),Ilex(Holly ) andBuxus(Boxwood ) .

Choose a container   that can ride out outside during the winter and not crack . A hole in the bottom of the container is a must ! If possible , raise the finishing container off the reason using pot “ feet ” .

design a container garden that provides food for backyard birds

If you already have a container filled with soil , verify the land is not frozen as it is impossible to push an evergreen offshoot into frozen soil ! If you need to add up soil , any old soil will do , just meet the gage 3/4 full and pack the land in rather solidly   to help the branches stand up straight .

I get each pattern with marvelous ramification . Decide how tall you would wish the branches to be and give each outgrowth a tonic slice before inserting it into the soil . I like my branches to stand grandiloquent in the center of the container but there really is no wrong way to do this .

After the marvellous subdivision are inserted , add the tallest verdure in the center . This will give you a good sense of the proportion of elevation compare to container size . Before each offset is added , give it a wise cut . take in the center of the container with an compartmentalisation of verdure .

design a container garden that provides food for backyard birds

Decide how wide you need the finished container to be   and add greenery around the edge of the container . Then continue to meet in with more   greenery until you are happy with the shape . The finish is not to be able-bodied to see through the organisation .

Now add colored and contrasting verdure . For this container , I am using Japanese Pieris with pinkish tones and theChamaecypariswith its bright yellow needle . These two plants will add a skillful demarcation to what is already inserted into the container . Sometimes , it is grueling to stop adding verdure . If you ’re not trusted whether you are polish off , stop , walk away and take a good look at it . I finished the container by adding some Winterberry for color , willow balls , and a minor ornamental birdhouse for involvement .

The last step in this container was wiring three pinecones onto long root . I used hydrangea stems from my garden and tied the pinecones to the branch with floral wire . you may will the pinecones as is or add some   suet and nyjer Bronx cheer seed .

design a container garden that provides food for backyard birds

The Winterberry and pinecones with suet and germ will be a big smasher with the chick this wintertime season and see outstanding all the way until the spring bird go far .

Marie Meiklejohnis the owner ofMarie ’s Garden , a seasonal greenhouse located in Pennsylvania . She grows strange yearly for butterfly and hack flower gardens , is unbalanced about growing succulent and specializes in design custom seasonal containers for her client . Workshops are held in the glasshouse throughout the year . Marie has learn horticulture at Temple University , Delaware Valley University , and Longwood Gardens . She has received a Certificate of Merit in Ornamental Horticulture from Longwood Gardens and a Certificate in Horticultural Therapy from Delaware Valley University .

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design a container garden that provides food for backyard birds

design a container garden that provides food for backyard birds

design a container garden that provides food for backyard birds

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