Sprucing up Our Front Porch: Evergreen Winter Containers

I’m finally saying goodbye to the Christmas decorations, and I’m sprucing up our front porch by planting two evergreen winter containers.
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Plants used in today’s video:
Pinpoint® Blue & Gold false cypress
Ice N’ Roses Red hellebore
Carex Evercolor® ‘Everillo’

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Hey friends welcome to Gardening with Creekside  today I am finally going to get rid of some of   the Christmas decorations on my front porch yes I  know it is mid January there’s Grace in gardening   and Christmas decorations my friend and we are  going to plant up pot up create um Evergreen  

Containers on the front porch so let me show you  exactly what we’re going to do and the space that   we are in CU I know that you sweet people do enjoy  getting all of the details obviously front porch  

Right and yes one of our Christmas tree stands  is still sitting out that’s all right yes we   still have Christmas pillows sitting on the  front porch I mean there’re snowflakes it’s   winter right didn’t necessarily say Christmas  so it’s all good on our last unique stone Order  

Jerry and I decided and Jerry really was the  one that really kind of pushed this idea is   he wanted to get two ears that would be matching  on either side of of our front door and then two  

Smaller containers here on um the lower part of  like the steps right these are a little bit too   big to fit on the steps so they’re going to sit  right here these will stay here permanently and  

We’ll just switch out the annuals now currently  what is in here are some pansies and some emesia   so this is what I tell you is when my front  porch like the winter sun and Summer Sun are  

Very very different these are looking a little  sad it is cool today I think the high’s like   in the lower 40s but um right now these are  looking a little sad once the gets more sun  

As the season progresses they’ll perk up and be  pretty you know it is what it is for right now   on the front porch we got two of the norol ears  from unique stone and I honestly don’t remember  

If this was light Walnut or dark dark walnut  but we love the height and the shape of these   because this is a a one piece they kind of looks  like they’re on a pedestal but they’re not it’s  

Just all of One Piece they’re slightly smaller  than the Spanish ear the Spanish urn was just   going to be too big here so we have two norol ears  and these yes were Christmas decorations so what  

I did is I went down to the nursery and grabbed  two of these I think these are the needle point   Hol and uh they’re not planted they’re actually  still in their containers um I think you can see  

It better on this one so let me pan for you over  here I I stuffed the bottom of the ear with the   unique stone burlap bags this is sitting on top  of it this one got a little wind blown so she’s  

A little crooked but the the container is still  in there then I got just a grap vine wreath from   Hobby Lobby put it on there and then some faux  berries because we don’t get beautiful winter   berries here in North Carolina so it looked great  and of course the Christmas light left them on  

You know for the whole time and at night and they  were gorgeous so what we’re going to do is we are   going to take these ears apart and we are going  to actually plant them with soil and compost and  

Real life plants I have a combination that in my  head is going to look great so what we’re going to   do is I’m going to take you along for the ride  and we’re going to go get all of our supplies  

All the plants and everything uh from various  parts of the nursery so let’s go for a ride here we are up at production and I have a  collection of plants here that were plants   that our sweet friends at Proven Winners sent  me uh basically last year uh different parts  

Of the year and I have two uh Evergreens that  are currently in I believe that’s a 3 gallon   2 gallon I can’t remember I think it’s a three  gallon um so these nice two upright Evergreens  

Right here so what these are let me show you the  tag here this is the pinpoint blue and gold this   is a false Cyprus now um this is going to be  a very large tree ultimately it can get up to  

15 to 20 ft uh tall and four to five wide it  is going to be obviously nice and narrow and   nice and tall notice though the hardiness zones  are 5 to 7 and it’s sun to part shade I am uh  

A newly uh 8A Garden remember they adjusted the  plant hardiness zones a couple of months ago so   we’re going to go ahead and use these we’re going  to plant them up in the containers and then with   all of these plants that we’re going to put  in the containers come spring when I switch  

Out these containers for my summer plantings  then I will take these plants and plant them   in the garden these are most most likely not  for sure but most likely going to go somewhere   up in the chicken coop Gardens because I think  they would be really fun there either that or  

They’re going to end up in the signature Garden  in the surrounding beds somewhere so grab these   two and then we’re going to grab uh some land  and sea compost all right let’s go for a ride

All right so here we are at the pines and I am  going to grab uh some hbor some Linton roses   I adore hbor Linton roses they are going to be  one of um your toughest lowest maintenance more   on the shade side shade garden uh naturally deer  rabbit resistant because they have tough texture  

They don’t like to chew on them um and they’re  called Linton roses because they will typically   bloom um this time of year right or and or going  into the season of Lent they are one of the rare  

Things other than I would say like Chamas for us  here in the South that bloom in the winter time   so we have got some beautiful ones and I I think  I know which ones I want but I’m not sure so let  

Me show you here we are of course um we have not  come over here and really kind of cleaned up after   the storms so you can see like we need to come in  here we’ve got that’s the bath not living under  

Pine trees you get sticks that fall with wind  so we need to come in here and clean them up   we have a great selection on this table we’ve got  more but different ones um this is let’s see the  

Ice and Roses Rose so you can see it right here  so there is one that’s already opened next door   this is a rose as well and look at all of those  buds in there is that not beautiful how however  

What I think I’m going to do is the ice and roses  red which is right here I love this plant I love   this hore um I have one planted just a couple  of feet away from me in the garden here at the  

Nursery and it is just stunning I love it so  we’re going to go with the ice and roses red   and this is a very well-developed plant like look  at that isn’t that beautiful um so uh we’ll talk  

More about the plant itself but just look how  much even Brena enjoys it look how many blooms   are on that thing love it all right so I’m going  to find another one uh because I think I spy with  

My little eye one right there I’m going grab that  one all right got those loaded up now I need one   more type of plant and I am either going to do  a carax grass type grass-like plant uh I would  

Love to do Feather Falls but I don’t think I have  enough I need two and Feather Falls has been so   stinking popular rightly so I only have uh one and  she’s kind of puny looking so I can either do the  

Um let say this is everillo which would be a great  option uh it is a beautiful shart Tru color um you   can see the one Little Feather Falls that is left  here we have the uh yes the everillo so you can  

See nice bright bright green and this will get to  be a nice size so the nice sh Truse color so that   most definitely could be an option or I could come  over here and pick out a ukara so this could be um  

Like for example look how pretty the uh this is  ball gown I want to say yes this is the dressed   up ball gown from Proven Winners and um just  a really really nice nice looking plant I want  

To do something that’s nice and bright green that  will contrast really nicely um against the foliage   of the both the tree and the hellbore so I’m going  to have to do some thinking here for a second all  

Right I’m all for about testing things out so what  I’m going to do is I’m going to grab one of each   and we’re going to come back down here to Johnny  and we’re going to put we’re going to mock up the  

Container right here and we’re going to see which  one I like the colors I think both would work I   kind of like I don’t know what I like y’all I  like the color of the other REO I also like the  

Fact that it’s going to be a little more um drapey  trailing if that makes I know drapey is not a word   I like to make up my own words um so let’s see  here let’s do this all right give me a second all  

Right so here we go all right we got the pinpoint  blue and gold now I know this the height is going   to be a little off because um of they’re not going  to be at the the pots not to be at the same level  

So let’s take let’s take this guy right there  okay and move this one back cuz it’s a little   bit smaller we’re going to kind of mock this up  I’m going to clean up this hore when we get over  

There so all right there you go so nice is tight  and upright not going to have really any kind of   trailing effect on that and then let’s switch out  the ukra for the grass now obviously the grass is  

Going to be more up like higher up and so will  the um hore when we get them in the pot I don’t   think you could go wrong I don’t think there’s  a wrong answer here and probably what I’m going  

To do is cuz I can’t make a decision right now  I’m probably going to take uh both of them I’m   going to take two ukuras I’m going to take two  grasses when we get it there we start planting  

It’s going to be a game time decision sometimes  that’s just how it works so go grab those other   two and a couple bags of proving winterers potting  soil and we’ll be good to go let’s go for a ride

So I have gathered all of my materials I  emptied out the Nori ears got rid of that   put some whatever needs to go in the house goes  back in the house uh the the trees will just go  

Back on to the nursery lot that is the perk of  owning a nursery I can go borrow plants whenever   I want to um what I have brought all the plants  up here I have the proven winter potting soil I  

Have the Landy compost and I grabbed a bag of  biotone whenever I plant my containers doesn’t   matter if it’s a hanging basket if it’s a hay  rack if if it’s a pot any type of container I  

Learned this trick a few years ago and has made  all the difference in my container gardening is   that I will start with my land and SE compost take  your compost and whatever the size container is   you’re going to fill the bottom one3 with that  compost now unique stone every time I plant a  

Unique stone people ask does it have a drain  hole yes if unique stone has designated it as   a planter it will have a Rin hle so kudos to  them they they know how to make containers all  

Right so take my land and sea bottom 1/3 now I  also this is a bit of a soap box of mine please   don’t fill your container with um in the bottom  with filler plastic bottles pine cones here in  

The South uh packing peanuts whatever I am not  going to have to replace this soil for my summer   container right because these plants are going to  be in here for just a little bit of time they’re  

Not going to have massive root growth I’ll be  able to easily pull them out and have lots of   beautiful delicious soil in here I want as much  soil in my containers as I possibly can have so  

That it holds more water it holds more food for  the plants and the plants have um their Roots have   more room to grow if you only put a little bit  of soil in here compared to the container your  

Plants are not going to thrive as they could  is if you had filled it completely with soil   also for me my Summers incredible amounts of heat  and humidity if I don’t fill this completely up   with soil then I’m going to be out here watering  literally multiple times a day I ain’t got time  

For that right and I want my plants to be big and  beautiful so personal soap box and there’s always   somebody that goes well I do that and it works  great well good for you but I am not going to  

Teach you to do that so then take my pris winners  potting soil and I am not right now I’m not going   to fill it up all the way because I’ve got plants  to put in there so um get a nice amount in there  

I find it’s easier to add soil than take soil away  and because this is a brand new planting I want to   come in there and kind of compact it because when  we water it that soil is going to naturally um go  

Ahead and settle some so let’s just go ahead and  help the process out and um compact acted now my   two uh I always forget the name of this thing  my two pinpoint blues and Golds I don’t know  

If you can see but there is a height difference  in these two I only have two now optimally in a   perfect world they would be the same size same  shape same everything but life is not perfect so  

We’re going to go with what we have because um  this one is taller I’m going to put it on this   container because on the other side I have  my sign and my light so I’m going to put the  

Shorter one over there y’all and the grand scheme  of things nobody’s going to notice that these are   two different heights it’s okay right got to got  to go with it so what I’m going to do first is  

Just to see if my soil level is Right which it  really is because my pot the soil level of the   container is just below the lip of my um unique  stone container so what I’m going to do is just  

Slide this out and it’s got beautiful growth you  want a pot there you go my girl does love a good   pot and it’s got good growth and all I’m going  to do is just kind of coax coax The Roots just a  

Little bit so that they don’t get um too circled  up they it is not a root bound pot we’re just   going to help them and we’re going to put this in  and we’re going to we’ll be able to move it more  

When we get the soil in so basically it’s in the  center and I’m going to leave it now at this point   I’m go ahead and put my bioone in even though if  you’ve used the tone products before I am sure  

That you uh have found that Critters whether it be  your dog your cat mice raccoons whatever they find   this stuff irresistible and I keep our containers  up on um up on the Shelf but somebody obviously  

Climbed up and there is can y’all see that big  old hole somebody had a delicious uh supper and   chewed into that so some Little Critter got into  that so that’s why we’re doing it sideways just  

Going to do that down a little bit we’re going to  coax our plant because we have got to put in our Hort beautiful nice nice gorgeous plant what we’re  going to do is we’re going to go ahead and clean  

This up a little bit let me show you how to do  it so what I have right I’ve got the gorgeous   Linton Rose and I have got my felco clippers here  this is the number two what we’re going to do is  

This is getting to be the time of the year even  if you have Lenton roses hbor in your garden in   the landscape we’re getting to the point of that  season where it’s time to go ahead and trim up so  

What we’re going to do is trim out the old foliage  and for me now this foliage the old foliage does   not look bad but it’s large and it’s hiding my  flowers and I want to go ahead and get rid of  

That they’re naturally going to be pushing out  new foliage with those new flowers and the old   foliage is going to start to lay down and die  so since I’m putting them in containers I’m   just going to go ahead and be a little bit more  uh preventative and forward thinking and get rid  

Of it so we have this massive Branch right here  and y’all all you do is you just trace it down   to where it is in the plant and you’re just going  to Simply snip it off it is as simple as that and  

Then you can start to see where those beautiful  flowers are starting to shine through so over   here we’ve got another nice big one right here  come down to the base come down here to the base  

And snip there we go and we’ve got a couple  of more we’re going to go ahead and clean up all right so now we have a beautiful nice  trimmed up hore that the flowers are just  

Going to shine there are a bunch of blossoms  down there that are going to come up and be   beautiful so this is the perfect plant to put  in your winter container so we and get this one

In all right let me show you now this is what I  would call a root bound plant we definitely want   to break this up so can you see the extensive  amount of roots right here and y’all this thing  

When I say it’s solid it is solid so there we go  we want to go ahead and get it broken up so if   you have your Hy Cory this is a great time to do  it um I’m just going to go ahead and admit I’ll  

Confess right here I don’t have my tool belt with  me I just grabbed a couple of things should have   grabbed my tool belt I had my Hy Hy in there uh  so I’m gonna do is I’m gonna close my Felco so I’m  

Not going to damage my blade and I’m just going  to break it up a little bit do what you got to do people went ahead and added some more soil in  there because I had a three gallon tree compared  

To two one gallon containers so I needed to make  up a little bit of a height difference there um   so that’s what I did and I’m just compacting it  down now I want I’m going to be selfish here I  

Want the helbor closest to me when I come in  and out of the door so I’m going to put the   hore on this side and then we’re going to put the  grass or the heuchera on the other side all right  

So it’s in it’s not buried for right now we’re  going to do that in a second now let’s decide   hore you I mean not hore we got hore ukara or  the Carex all right I really don’t think you  

Can go wrong here but I’m going to go ahead with  the Carex now the Carex is not looking optimal   right now because it is mid January however I’m  thinking beyond that and it has a brighter star  

Truse color right now than the ball gown does  and it’s going to have that little bit of a   wispier different texture to it which I like  so we’re going to go with the everello carex all right so we got one of the  urns is planted and what we’re  

Going to do is I’m just going to pop  over to the other one and basically   do the exact same thing um at the next  one so let’s get that one done as well both of the ears are planted and y’all couple  things one I am a messy container Gardener so  

I just throw things everywhere and make a hot  mess so Jenny has got uh some cleaning up to   do I’m going to do it in just a minute also very  happy with how they turned out I did decide last  

Minute didn’t show you I thought they’re looking  a little bare a little something extra so I went   back and grabbed those grap Vine we waths that I  used for Christmas and just uh shimmy them down  

And snuggled them in I like how it gives just a  little bit of uh just a little different texture   just gives gives it a little something extra  to it right and then I started looking at I was  

Like okay does it look like a bird nest maybe  maybe so I don’t know regardless I enjoy them   I like them uh now is this like in my opinion  like massive like magazine worthy for a winter  

Display uh probably not do do I care uh absolutely  not because uh this is my home this is my garden   right we have talked about this before it is  your garden if you enjoy it great go for it I  

Love it plus I do know that there we’re going to  see lots of growth on these three plants maybe   not quite so much on the tree but the hore  and the everillo we’re definitely going to   see some nice growth between now and then when  I plant them for my spring/summer annuals which  

Probably could easily be um like mid April so  we’re talking a good uh What February March a   three months so we’re going to have good three  month growth on these and they will um do just  

Fine and be beautiful like I said before what  I will do at that time is take all of them out   and then I will go plant them in the gardens in  various locations so what we’re going to do is  

Just really quickly uh because like I said I  tend to be quite a messy Gardener and I just   throw things everywhere so I’m going to get  the blower I’m going to fill up two watering   cans and get these containers watered and then I  will meet you back here in just a [Music] minute

All righty my friends today’s project is done and  it is all CLE complete and cleaned it’s lunchtime   Jenny needs a little nutrition all right so  let’s just go over really quickly what we did  

Final recap the teacher and me you got to recap  the lesson just to make sure we hit home on all   those points okay the earns nice completely filled  up with all sorts of delicious soil and compost  

Each one has that pinpoint blue and gold uh false  cypress in it we will transfer transplant all of   these plants into the garden this spring we have  that beautiful everillo CarX it is a gorgeous  

Chartreuse color and y’all remember I told you it  didn’t look so hot like it you know wear and tear   right just the ends are a little burnt already  though in here New Growth new growth is popping  

Out now that it’s in that nice yummy uh soil it  will take off everybody of course got bioone ice   and roses red y’all I’m telling you if you see  this hore out and about grab it you will not  

Be disappointed it is a beautiful and for a hore  a nice vigorous grower just stunning both of the   containers the bottom oneir is filled with land  and sea compost then we went with proven winners   hiding soil yes it has slow release fertilizer in  there but slow release fertilizer is released by  

Temperature it’s cold there’s no fertilizer going  to be released right now but as the temperatures   warm up that will happen all of these little buds  are just going to open up and be gorgeous in color   went ahead and put that grap vine wreath around  it just for a little extra something something  

Um there uh don’t be like Jenny and when you  water I went a little too fast and soil came   out of the pot and then my nice clean porch  has soil all over it again so I will come  

Back and once everything is dry and I will um go  ahead and blow it again y’all I know this is not   specifically Christmas you know Valentine’s is  right around the corner it is winter we’re we in  

North Carolina are praying for at least one good  snow so I’m just going to leave out my snowflake   pillows and I mean my gosh we always need joy in  our lives right so let’s just leave out the joy  

Pillows as well uh it’ll bring a pop of color to  this whole space as well now as far as watering   because I know people are going to ask about like  watering maintenance fertilizer on these guys um   these are not on irrigation because they’re on  my front porch I don’t have the irrigation while  

I have it to my hanging baskets above me on the  front I don’t have it on here um this area even   in the summertime it only receives um maybe 1 to 2  hours of sunlight in the late afternoon other than  

That it is in complete and total sh shade winter  time 100% shade um those watering cans were two   gallon watering cans water them in nice and well  um because it is winter there the evaporation   process is not going to be happening very much  I’ve got all that great soil in there it’s going  

To retain that moisture um I may come out here I  don’t know y’all um every 10 days something like   that is that’s trying to tell you exactly how  to water is really hard because it depends on  

Temperature and the dup point and the humidity  and where you are and blah blah blah blah blah   blah blah you want it moist not soaking wet and  not bone dry there you go so I’ll just give them  

Some water um it has the biotone in there talked  about the slow release fertilizers in The Proven   Winter’s potting soil so fertilizer none it’s  just we’re going to leave it and leave it alone  

And Springtime take them out go put them in the  garden and we’ll take care of that um as as well   I think I think that’s it I think that is all  of the information that I needed to give you  

But again very happy with how they turn out gives  me some good height gives me some structure gives   me some pop of color and then as those hellor and  cars depend uh continue to grow and be very happy  

They will bring even more color here so even if  you are uh in the Dead Winter like we are here   mid January depending on where you are because  I know that massive amounts of the country are   getting pounded with tons of snow and extremely  cold temperatures I don’t envy you people I’ve  

Had multiple people in Nebraska talk about their  temperatures I don’t envy that one bit now a good   snow us Southerners in case you didn’t know we  love at least one good snow a year right when I  

Say a good snow like six Ines would be a good  snow six inches or more would be great um we   want everything to be covered but it can only last  for like two to three days and then it needs to be  

Gone because then we’re done we’ve got the snow  out of our system we’re done we’re great we’re   ready for spring so I mean you know that’s just  the way it is folks so as always we hope you found  

This fun informative and inspirational youall  have a great day see you the next video bye my friends