Home + Garden Garden Container Gardens Decorate Your Porch for Winter with These Easy, Sparkling Containers Bring joy to the world (or your porch, at least) with illuminated winter containers that let nature sing. By Midwest Living editors Midwest Living editors Midwest Living's experienced editors create best-in-class travel, lifestyle, food, home and garden content you won't find anywhere else. We're loudly, proudly Midwestern, and we're passionate about helping our audience explore and create through award-winning storytelling. Midwest Living's Editorial Guidelines Published on June 28, 2023 Transform your porch into a festive winter wonderland by adorning it with twinkling lights. Enhance the seasonal charm by arranging decorative containers filled with lush greens and pine cones, adding a touch of natural beauty and fragrance to your outdoor space. This warm and inviting entrance welcomes guests into your home for holiday gatherings—but also can sparkle long into January as well. Adam Albright Front-Door Garland Get the hang of working with fresh (or faux) greens by making a front-door garland. 1. Attach Pinecones Use floral wire to attach pinecones to a string of cafe lights. 2. Connect Greenery and Lighting Attach the greens to the lights with zip ties. 3. Add Containers Add our three containers, and you've got a magical front porch display. Twigonometry (left) and Star Power (right). Adam Albright Twig-Onometry Container Evergreen clippings, twigs, pinecones and twinkly lights add enduring seasonal appeal to a front porch. 1. Add Filler Partially fill a planter with cardboard scraps and bubble wrap. 2. Establish a Base Layer Add a layer of heavy-duty plastic cut about 8 inches wider than the planter, then fill to top with sand. 3. Incorporate Evergreen Clippings We used Western red cedar to cover the sand and drape out of the planter, then tucked in noble fir and silver dollar eucalyptus. 4. Accent Your Display Stick several long twigs and pussy willow branches in the center of the planter. Wrap some branches in battery-powered mini LED string lights (or use prelit faux branches). Accent with pinecones and more twigs. Star Power Container A Moravian star tops our container of birch logs and LED lights. 1. Fill Base of Container Partially fill a planter with cardboard scraps and bubble wrap. 2. Add Logs and Sand Nestle three birch logs in the wrap and cardboard, then fill planter to top with sand. 3. Add Evergreen Clippings We used Western red cedar to cover the sand and drape out of the planter, then tucked in noble fir and variegated boxwood. 4. Wrap Lighting Wrap logs in battery-powered mini LED string lights. 5. Decorate with Ornaments and a Topper Hang mini ball ornaments between the lights and attach a tree topper, such as a Moravian star, with zip ties. Nature-Inspired Christmas Decorations Adam Albright Log Rhythm Container An iron log holder wrapped in LED light sparkles above birch logs and evergreens. 1. Put Filler in Base Partially fill a planter with cardboard scraps and bubble wrap. 2. Add Plastic and Sand Add a layer of heavy-duty plastic cut about 8 inches wider than the planter, then fill to top with sand. 3. Accent with Greens Add evergreen clippings. We used Western red cedar to cover the sand and drape out of the planter, then tucked in noble fir. 4. Wrap with Lights Wrap an iron log holder in battery-powered mini LED string lights and place atop greens. Fill holder with birch logs. Tip: For holiday decor, we like the stiff branches and blue-green needles of noble firs. Cuttings hold their shape well in containers and look fresh for weeks. 14 Cheerful Winter Container Gardens Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit