Contrary to popular belief, filling outdoor planters with fresh greens for the holidays is not difficult nor does it have to break the bank. In fact, you probably have most of what you need right in your own backyard. By following these eight simple steps, you can have festive budget-friendly festive planters to welcome guests during the holidays. And you don't need to be a professional flower arranger to do it.

How To Fill Outdoor Planters For The Holidays

Hopefully, you already have large pots or flower urns on hand that you use during the summer months. If not you can purchase relatively inexpensive resin ones at your local home improvement store or garden center. The pedestal urn styles look beautiful for this purpose and are often on clearance during the Fall.

A handy tip for large outdoor planters

This is such a handy tip for filling large planters that can't be taken indoors in the dead of winter when the soil is frozen solid. With this method, you'll be able to fill your planters from the comfort of inside your home while listening to Christmas music and enjoying a cup of hot chocolate.

As you can see from the photo above, my planters are quite large and too heavy to take indoors to thaw the soil. So a trick I use year round is to fill the planters two-thirds with pea gravel or packing peanuts and place a plastic flower pot on top so it rests just under the top of the planters.

In the Spring, it's convenient to take the plastic insert over to my potting bench and fill them with flowers. In the Fall, I remove the wilted flowers and bring the dirt filled inserts indoors, stored in plastic bags, to prevent the soil from freezing. It's a win-win year round!

Freezing natural evergreen tip

You want to make sure the drainage holes in the plastic flower pots are covered so you can freeze in the greens. I use plastic flower pot saucers that fit snuggly over the pea gravel inside the planter.

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Materials List (per pot)

• 1 bundle EACH (approximately 6 branches) of three different types of evergreens per pot. The most common are; pine, spruce, fir, cedar, and juniper branches. If you don't have any of these readily available in your own yard, you can purchase them anywhere between $5 - $8 per bundle.
• A handful of tall natural or painted willow branches 
• 1 set of Outdoor Lighted Branch Stakes 
• 1 large Outdoor Shatterproof Christmas Ornament, grapevine ball, or Large Pine Cones
• 1 pkg of festive red Mesh Ribbon

Eight simple steps to fill outdoor planters for the holidays

Step 1 - Lighted Branches

Position your lighted branches in the center of the flower pot. If your arrangement is against a wall then place them at the back of the pot.

Step 2 - Tall Branches

Cut your tall natural or painted willow branches so they stand slightly taller than the lighted branches. Intersperse them with the lighted branches so the willow branches are illuminated. Make sure you plant your branches deep and firmly into the soil.

Step 3 - Spruce or Pine Branches

Working in a triangle, insert the more firm Spruce or Pine branches in the center around the tall willow branches. This will help support the willow branches too. If the arrangement is against a wall then eliminate placing branches at the very back of the pot.

Tip for avoiding rot

Clip the evergreens so only the branch is inserted into the soil.

Step 4 - Juniper or Fir Branches

Put the Juniper or Fir branches at a slight angle so they are pointing sideways.

Step 5 - Cedar Branches

Put the cedar branches on the most outward part of the pot so they hang downward around the pot.

Step 6 - Large Festive Bow

Make a simple bow with tails using festive red mesh ribbon. Secure the center of the bow with florist wire, leaving enough on the ends to secure the bow to the lighted branches.

Step 7 - Festive or Natural Embellishments

Attach a large shatterproof Christmas ornament, grapevine ball, or large pine cone onto a stick with florist wire or hot glue and insert it into your pot. Repeat this process with any other embellishments.

Step 8 - The most important step to fresh holiday planter greens 

Mist the fresh evergreens with a spray bottle water and thoroughly water the planters to freeze in the fresh greens. If the temperature goes above freezing, mist and water the greens daily.


I went with a minimal amount of fresh greens to keep costs down but you could add twice as many evergreen bundles or varieties for a fuller look. Berry branches or picks are a nice added touch for a pop of festive red.

I hope you found these tips helpful and answered any questions you may have had about how to fill outdoor planters for the holidays with fresh greens. A home with festive planters with lighted branches flanking a front door always looks so inviting. I find it sets a home apart from the others down the street and is such a welcoming touch for greeting guests during the holidays.


If you have any questions about this makeover, please leave them in the comment section below or press the Contact Me button at the top of the blog to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!