Do you love festive planters flanking the front door during the holidays but dislike the idea of having to remember to water them? Then you'll love these maintenance-free festive outdoor Christmas planters with faux greens.  Not only do they not require watering but they'll look fresh well past the holidays! 

Festive Christmas Planters With Faux Greens

Using faux greens is perfect for those who travel during the holidays or live in a freeze/thaw environment like me where it wreaks havoc on greens. Fresh greens, if planted early, can look brown and brittle by December 25th, whereas these can be planted in early November!
Not having to worry about watering them makes the artificial greens worth every penny. And yes, it may be a pretty penny initial investment BUT they'll pay for themselves within two seasons compared to buying fresh greens every year.
But if your preference is fresh greens, then I've got you covered. I also have a tutorial in my How To Fill Outdoor Planters With Fresh Greens post. In that post, I also share a tip on how you can decorate the big heavy planters INDOORS!

What You'll Need To Make Them

Pictured below is everything I used to fill each Christmas Planter. Because good quality and realistic artificial greens can be pricey, my suggestion is to buy them between Christmas and New Years when they go on clearance.


I've included a supply list for your convenience. It includes affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for the festive planters. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Supply List (per pot)

• Plastic Flower Pot Insert with dirt
• Prelit Outdoor LED Willow Branches
• 6 Tall Painted or Natural Curly Willow Branches
• 3 Long 36-Inch Pine Sprays
• 2 Pine 34-Inch Split Sprays with Pinecones
• 4 Cedar/Pine 26-Inch Greens
• 3 Mixed 12-Inch Green Picks
• 2 Artificial Berry Picks
• 1-2 Large 11-Inch Pinecone
• 1 Grapevine Ball
• 3 Tall Red Wooden Decorative Picks
• 2 1/2" Plaid Wired Christmas Ribbon
• Green Florist Wire

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how to make the festive Christmas Planters, all the projects here at Interior Frugalista have step-by-step tutorials so why not get your budget DIY on and subscribe. You can also follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

How To Make Festive Holiday Planters With Artificial Greens

Let's get started, shall we? I'll share the steps for filling each planter in the order in which they are added, starting with the prelit willow branches.

What Elements To Add First

My prelit willow branches came in a package of three short bundles but I wanted them to be the same height as the curly willows that will be added in the center of the pots. To get the height, wire the three bundles together vertically with strong coated wire. But if you want to save yourself the headache, look for tall outdoor prelit branches instead.

Add six tall painted or natural curly willow branches around the stem of the prelit branches, these will also help support the weight of the pre-lit branch. Intertwine the curly willow with the pre-lit, fluffing the pre-lit branches so they look full and illuminate the curly willow.

Starting with the longest 36-inch pine spray, add one on each side and one behind the branches, pointing upwards. They will also provide added support to the branches (as pictured below).

Layering The Faux Greens

Next, add a bushy 34-inch pine split spray with pinecones on each side, also pointing upwards and bending slighting downwards (as pictured below).


Place the 26-inch cedar pine spray next on either side and on the front and back, pointing downwards.


Fill in any gaps on the front with the 12-inch mixed green picks (pictured below).

Christmas Planter Embellishments

These are completely optional but on the left side insert a cluster of three tall red decorative picks (pictured below). I've had these picks for years and used to stick them inside our Christmas Tree branches. Last year I spray painted them red and wired three together at different heights. I call them my Madonna picks - get it?


On either side of the tall branches insert a tall artificial berry pick for a pop of red.


Wire the large pinecone(s) and grapevine ball and place them toward the front.


It's up to you whether you add a big loopy bow to the planters or not with wired Christmas ribbon. I wrapped mine around a small wooden dowel and stuck it in the soil. If your planters are quite full then a smaller bow may be better.

To Make A Loopy Floral Bow

• Roll out a strand of ribbon 6-inches long (first tail).
• Fold the ribbon over.
• Measure a strand of ribbon 8-inches long over the previous strand.
• Fold the ribbon over.
• Measure another strand of ribbon 8-inches long over the previous strand.
• Repeat the last two steps until you have 8 stacked loops.
• Fold the ribbon over.
• Measure a strand of ribbon 2-inches long over the last strand (center loop).
• Fold the ribbon over.
• Measure one last strand 6-inches long (second tail).
• Tie the ribbon with a 16-inch piece of florist wire in the center.
• You should now have eight 4-inch loops on either side.
• Fan open the loops and fluff each loop open.
• Place the 2-inch loop over the florist wire to conceal.
• Separate the two 6-inch tails
• Cut the ends of the tails.
• Long strands of florist wire used to attach the bow to Christmas Planter greens.

Place decorated plastic inserts into your tall planters and set it and forget it until after the holidays!

Now, this sounds counter-intuitive but I watered the faux greens in like you would fresh greens to freeze them in. This step isn't necessary but my planters are out in the open where there is a bit of a wind tunnel so this added reassurance that the smaller embellishments won't take off in the wind.


Here they are illuminated with the prelit branches at night...


Pictured with the holiday planters are our tall lanterns that we built with scrap wood a few years ago. You can see the tutorial for making those in my Large DIY Holiday Lanterns post.

The total cost for making these festive Christmas Planters with artificial greens was approximately $150 per pot. I think I just heard you gasp!  If you compare the cost of using fresh greens every year, these will have paid for themselves within two holiday seasons.

If you order readymade holiday planters this size you could easily spend the same amount per pot EVERY year instead of just once.

If you have any questions about this Outdoor Holiday Planter tutorial, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top. I love hearing from you!


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