How to plant winter pots, window boxes and container gardens

[@MrsBullfinch]

Thank you for another wonderful video. This has inspired me to take a trip to the garden centre today. You are wasted on you tube. You need to have your own TV programme. 🙂

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you so much!

[@suetulloch2138]

Great advice as always. The window boxes look wonderful and so good that the plants are perennial too.

[@DownButNotOutYet]

Hi Alexander, so glad I am watching this video. I have a few grasses, now when I saw the tray with grey grasses, I thought, if you wish something fresh in your home, get a lovely plastic pot, not as heavy as terracotta or cement ideal for indoor use, plant it up with some really lovely grasses, when complete, get a strip of battery lights, those real tiny ones and weave them through the grasses, it will give a magnificent show, depends on your home style, space etc. There are many ideas evolving from your talks. it really gives a boost to your imagination. Kind regards till next time, Elize :)

[@adrabruzzese7610]

Thank you Ladies, never thought of doing winter pots. They look beautiful!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@meredith3588]

Those window boxes were beautiful! Thank you.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you like them!

[@linguaphile42]

Jane is wonderful! Such practical info, not fussy, and a beautiful result!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you so much!

[@regulschuf]

Brilliant ideas on selecting plants for a winter box that is stunning in the dormant season and good for the garden next year as well. I appreciate the interview questions and Jane's demonstrations, practical pointers, and extra details. Thank you for this video!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thanks so much 😊

[@suzeburtenshaw9581]

I’m so glad winter-flowering pansies were mentioned - I’ve never yet seen them convincingly flower in winter apart from the odd spindly bloom. And then, come Spring, off they go, just in time to be hoiked out and replaced! Thankyou for so many helpful hints. 😊

[@mollypitcher9380]

True. Every fall , including this one, I spend $ and proudly display them them for all to see. They promptly wither an die from the cold

[@nativesedibles2454]

Always great videos! Mahonia repen Mahonia sweet caress with yellow twig dogwood could be fun! I wish cyclamen growers would specify hardy or florist cyclamen apart Love your videos questions and friends/experts you gather! Osmanthus goshiki maybe too Thanks for the inspiration loved the combo⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐😄

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you so much. I love Mahonia Soft Caress, it's a plant I've been meaning to get.

[@lorraineclark7455]

Refreshing ideas for my haysacks.

[@kerryjean2223]

Wonderful combination of plants used. Love the colour of the brick home as well x💙

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you like it!

[@anitahadley2871]

I just love the silvery leaves of the hellebores. I wish I could find smaller plants like those to tuck into planters. I usually just come across large plants which are really pricey around here.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I thought those hellebores were so pretty too.

[@mollypitcher9380]

Very good point! For flower pots and the garden, I would prefer these “mini” plants.

[@anndaley4001]

Slightly off the point but this project has given me an excellent idea for winter plantings on family graves. Thank you Ann in Wirrl UK

[@catherineperry9513]

What a brilliant idea to plant next year’s perennials in this winter’s window boxes! Thanks Alexandra and Jane. 🙌🙌

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Our pleasure!

[@BeautifulOaks]

Lovely plant combination and texture contrast.

[@donaldauguston9740]

Thank you for posting this Alexandra. I really enjoyed it. DA

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@melissamybubbles6139]

I'm in Colorado zone 5b. I have two self-seeded violas blooming in the ground at almost the new year. I don't think that's supposed to happen, but I love it. They bloomed in the summer, one with no irrigation, when the summer brought 90-100 degrees F with no rain for two months. I'm amazed. There's some sort of moss growing spontaneously too, some with no irrigation. It's so pretty I think I'll water it next year.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I love moss, it adds so much to a garden.

[@mollypitcher9380]

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

[@oliviaglass3843]

I always learn something new :) watching your videos. greetings from Fuquay-Varina NC

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@TheUltimateGardener]

Amazing Video!! Keep up the great work!!💚

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@barbarahenn-pander5872]

Lovely to see these winter combinations! I shall try my hand on my newly finished deck. Thx for the ideas and advice!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@vivekchowdhury2443]

Very nice video which has given me some ideas. I in fact bought a cornus recently which I was going to plant in the garden so its in a pot . I could add some heathers that I bought as well and put them in a pot together till planting season.

[@yvonnehall544]

Thanks for fresh ideas. As always you never disapoints

[@jcrane45585]

Beautiful! And just what I need because I am redoing my window boxes

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@garybrinker4522]

My Dusty Miller plants,and Sage still looking OK in Nebraska in December. ..

[@lorimiller623]

I've had good results with dwarf Alberta spruce, winterberries Berry Poppins and Mr. Poppins, and an eastern red cedar year round in large pots. I'm in Indianapolis (zone 6; lots of winter rain). The only plant that suffered was in a pot that ended up under the eave and didn't get rained on. I've also tried sedges, grasses and boxwood in pots, but they died over the winter.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Interesting - we've found boxwood does well in pots over here, but it is now very vulnerable to the box tree moth caterpillar. I've also found grasses fine in pots but they were in the open air, not close to the house, which may have made a difference.

[@laura2842]

Thank you. I just watered some pots, including boxwoods since it has beans dry and not too cold yet. Very timely advise. Cheers

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@BA-ef4pr]

Thank you for more great tips! In winter zone 9 i like to plant a variety of sizes of succulents in pots outside. For inside i plant rosemary (shaped like christmas trees) and small hedging plants and then transplant out in the garden in spring.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That sounds lovely.

[@MargaretUK]

After a couple of years trying pansies that always succumbed to fungus, this year I have three hanging baskets with a solarnum, blue festuca and hedera helix in each. So far they are all doing well 😀

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

they sound very pretty.

[@suzetteccc]

Excellent video. Enjoyed it immensely . I know we should plant in odd numbers, but if my planter is slightly shorter, would 2 boxwoods be a huge no-no?

[@andrewharald88]

Hi 👋

[@laurenb6451]

Thank you for this lovely video. It is very difficult in NYS to find such small specimens in such small pots and affordable prices. Ah well. I think I heard your guest say that the Festuca ovina glauca is a sedge but I’ve planted seeds of this and I believe it is a grass. (But I could be wrong!🤡). Merry Christmas

[@GrandmaSandy]

I love this video today

[@daniilorourke3998]

Very helpful. Thank you!

[@kevinjamesparr552]

Here in Northern Europe no winter boxes as snow is a blanket so thick and deep for many months it is not an option . Summers warm and dry can get on garden building. Decided to add a holiday cabin in last garden for bit of income and joy of meeting other garden lovers.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I hope that goes well, what an interesting project.

[@dianeparker5993]

Happy Christmas ..

[@annashiegl]

Fabulous ideas, I'm inspired to have a go ☺

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Great!

[@kathrynmettelka7216]

Sensational video. The window boxes are outstanding with brilliant and unusual plants. I too was seduced by and immediately researched the cornus alba Siberia. I haven't seen that variety of hellebore, with the silvery foliage, that goes so well with the blue-green sedges. I will look for them too. Please tell Jane I was gobsmacked with her creativity.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you so much, I will.

[@lulajohns1883]

Great ideas for winter interest.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you like them!

[@lenaolivetti9366]

Thank you

[@sallyb2729]

Useful practical advice. Thank you.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad it was helpful!

[@elaineshropshire5549]

Excellent video thank you. For the information,

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@tubssamterracegardeningvlo1251]

Very beautiful and informative video

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@deedeedoes818]

Thank you for the inspiration x

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

You are so welcome!

[@MyGreatAuntFanny]

I cheat, and just put some coloured cut stems from cornus into the compost. They keep their colour until I change everything in the spring. It saves money and uses the more attractive ends of the stems, rather than cut ones.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That's a good idea.

[@JLee-pc2vc]

In America, we usually have window boxes attached to the house. I'm very interested in the shelf she had attached to the house with the planters on it. Is the shelf painted wood or some other material? If wood, what type of wood should be used? Does it rot from the water that collects on it from watering the planters? It's a great look and I would like to try to do something similar on my home.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

The 'shelves' were the house's Victorian window sills. Many Victorian and Edwardian houses in the UK have very deep or prominent window sills, just an architectural feature I think, rather than added with window boxes in mind. Some are made of stone and others are wood. If you do use wood, hardwood is much less likely to rot, and you're right that water running into the wood could rot it. But you can get planters and window boxes designed to cope with overflow (ie a little well at the bottom where water can sit but not rot the roots) So if you over-water, it runs into that.

[@annbaldwin5097]

I’ve seen lots of beautiful large containers in my garden centre but they have no drainage holes. In many cases it would be difficult to drill them. Does this matter?

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

You can plant in plastic containers with drainage holes in them, then drop them into the beautiful large containers. But be careful to avoid water puddling in the bottom and rotting the roots. Basically plants need drainage, but it may be worth discussing it with the garden centre and seeing what they recommend.

[@emkn1479]

Window boxes always look like fun, but they just wouldn’t work for my home. Maybe I’ll try a couple of pots, but even at that in zone 6 USA they probably wouldn’t look like much, and it would have to be something that deer definitely won’t eat, since they get bold when they’re desperate…I guess I can’t ever find a plant that fits the bill, so I don’t bother 🤷‍♀️ I’d love anyone’s suggestions!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Oh, yes, deer are quite a challenge, I can see that. Both of the suggestions I had are too tender for your Zone 6 (hellebores and skimmia, both considered deer resistant). I believe some conifers are very cold-hardy and deer resistant, and there are some pretty shapes and shades of conifer.

[@emkn1479]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden Thank you! I considered hellebores (I have them in-ground) but the deer have a way of sniffing out the tender new growth (which of course includes the flowers!) and demolishing them. They’ve also nibbled on every evergreen I have here, even those that are said to be resistant. The only things they seem to reliably avoid are either poisonous, highly scented, or very textural/fuzzy. We must have particularly hungry deer with a wide palate 🤷‍♀️ We live among wooded areas and game lands and don’t have dogs or fences so it comes with the territory I’m afraid. Hmm…maybe a Christmas fern or something similar would work…

[@irairod5160]

"I was totally seduced." That's me, going to any tree and shrub nursery. :-) :-) :-)

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Have a good trip there!

[@RoseMary-vs3io]

👌👍✨