Last weekend, I was doing the usual seasonal clutter sort and purge, and I discovered several partially used bags of planting material in the garage and a whole lot of vintage stuff piling up around the house that needed to be redistributed before holiday guests arrived. What better time to design a Winter Solstice container garden to brighten our porch entryway? It was time to clear out all of the gardening tools that had piled up in that corner, anyway!
I visited my local native plant nursery and found some deeply discounted, cold-tolerant native plants with which to deck the halls (or, in my case, the front porch). Wanting to create a layered effect, I searched out examples of ground cover, rushes, sedges, ferns, and small shrubs, going for as much color as this transitional time can offer.
To my delight, I found a small young pussy willow (Salix discolor) with reddish branches, an intriguing Soft Rush “corkscrew” variety (Juncus effusus var.), some Appalachian Barren Strawberry (Waldsteinia fragarioides), Broadleaf Sedge (Carex platyphylla), Coral Bells (Heuchera americana), and abundant berrying Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens). Any number of native plants could be used to achieve a similar effect, depending on what is available locally. Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana), Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea), American Holly (Ilex opaca), Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), and Pretty Sedge (Carex woodii) would all be great Maryland native options.
Some of what I found on clearance were “nativars,” cultivated varieties of native plants, or are endemic to other ecoregions of Maryland, so I may not be inclined to put them all in the ground, but I’m comfortable with using them in a lovely container planting like this. With more advanced planning next year, I’ll pre-order more local, native “straight” species.
My discount plant haul was so large, though, that I needed to upgrade my container from the old terra cotta pot I had on hand to a re-purposed oak whiskey barrel I found at a local hardware store. Its aroma indicated that it was the real deal, no imported factory knock-off! This did require drilling some holes for drainage, though, to protect the barrel against freeze and thaw, and water ponding at the bottom.
I added potting soil with a small amount of leftover 50/50 peat/sand mix over a layer of small rocks to retain soil in the pot while allowing for drainage, then it was time to plant!
Following a vigorous growing season, my new plants were more than a little root-bound, so I trimmed the root ends with garden shears to allow me to ease the plants out of their nursery pots, then gave each root ball a light massage between my palms.
Everything nestled into the container well, and I was able to tuck it all in with some small scraps of moss left over from an earlier project, for insulation and moisture retention. I finished the display off with a green Jarrahdale pumpkin that will eventually become a homemade pie and some vintage decor I had around the house, along with a colorful watering can that reminds me to water.
I was pleased with the final result as a way to celebrate the transition from fall to winter and brighten the entryway of our front porch.
Container gardening is a great way for small-space gardeners to get into growing native plants throughout the seasons, as well.
If you try Winter Solstice container gardening this year, please drop us a note or picture below in the comments!
Photos & Text: Stacy Small-Lorenz, Ph.D. University of Maryland Extension | Statewide Specialist for Residential Landscape Ecology
Read more posts by Stacy.
Very nice! Thanks for the descriptions.
You’re so welcome, I’m glad you enjoyed it! -Stacy