Happy 2020 to everyone and may all your gardens grow even better! To quote Vita Sackville West: “No gardener would be a gardener if he did not live in hope”. And we need hope…we just came out of the strangest and extreme weather here in southern Ontario: record breaking rainfall, severe freezing rain in some areas and heavy snow farther north. What happened to the old days of steady snow cover and cold temperatures? On the flip side my Hamamelis virginia is still blooming after a month. Everyone should have one of these lovely shrubs in their garden 🙂

Here is a snapshot of my custom Christmas planters from this past Christmas. Creating custom containers is one of my favorite activities. From going out to the woods to cut fresh greenery in the snow to scouting out deals and one of a kind items in antique markets to the local dollar store, each client gets a unique work designed to their wishes. This year I branched out into some interior decorating as well…what fun! My clients were varied in their wants and I got to create naturalistic containers and wonderful, over the top sparkly creations.

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My vet always likes a more natural rustic looking container for Christmas and this year was a green red and white theme with prelit fairy branches, rose hips, cones and fresh greenery. Once the ribbons are removed, the containers will look more wintery.

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Here is a pair of gold and silver urns with prelit glitter branches, pine cone and lotus picks. Again removing the bow and gold ball will change it into a winter display. Remember when using battery operated lights in an exposed area, make sure the battery box is listed as weather proof and has a rubber seal.

Gingerbread cookie ornaments dress up this planter for a cookie exchange welcome.

An old milk can found in an antiques market with a creamy lantern complement the soft colours of this front porch.

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This client wanted all out gold and silver sparkle with lots of Christmas glamour. Removing the bows will lessen the “Christmas” look but the silver and gold picks will brighten up the dull winter days.

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My foray into interior holiday designing and wreath making. I plan to have a greenhouse built in my backyard this year to hold classes in custom containers arrangements, wreaths and outdoor decorations 🙂

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I found these ornate bird feeders for a song on a clearance table and turned them into outdoor/indoor decorations with fresh greenery, red and white clip birds and wrapped them with micro LED light strings.

This planter held petunias in the summer and is now dressed for winter.

Now is the time to curl up with a steaming mug of chocolate, coffee or a glass of wine/bubbly and peruse the new plant catalogues…or in our modern day the plant websites and dream of what we can create this year

Happy Gardening! 🙂