Discover a super easy way to decorate outdoor Christmas planters to create a winter wonderland right at your doorstep.
I’ve been leaning even more into easy, low-effort Christmas decorating — and these planters are still one of my favorite things on our porch. They’re simple, festive, and take less than ten minutes to pull together once you’ve prepped your pots for winter.
I do not consider myself a crafty person by any means, but I am really proud of how these outdoor Christmas planters came together! I looked at Pinterest for inspiration but most of the ideas I saw were either in whiskey barrels that really aren’t my style, or they required some serious artistry that I just do not have the time nor skill for. A quick trip to Hobby Lobby provided all the inspo I needed to put together some simple Christmas decor pieces to add the perfect festive touch to our front porch.
Winter Porch Planters (Easy Outdoor Christmas Ideas)
My style is classic coastal, and I wanted my front porch to reflect that aesthetic. But I also want to keep things simple without having to fully strip down my front porch decor every season. I found these gorgeous planters at Home Depot that are incredibly versatile. They come in several different colors and sizes, so you can choose the ones that fit best with your home design. For our front porch, I used one 32-inch planter and two 16-inch planters to anchor the porch and make everything feel balanced. They are super durable and are made to look like wood (even though they’re waterproof polyethylene).
I bought them in the spring and planted flowers in them and then transitioned them into winter planters in the late Fall. Look for planters that are versatile enough to work for every season and it will make decorating so much easier!
How to Prep Your Outdoor Planters for Christmas
Since I use these planters for flowers half the year, they are filled with dirt. I did not want to have to completely empty them to decorate for Christmas.
Step 1.
Remove your dead (or dying) flowers. Our flowers start to die around the end of October when temps start to drop into freezing temps.
Step 2.
Fill in the top layer with fresh mulch. Mulch can literally make ANYTHING look better: flower beds, pots, planters – you name it! We mulch our yard twice a year and I use it in these planters as well.
Step 3.
Clean off the outside of your planters. Removing the dead flowers and mulching will make a mess. We simply hose them off and they’re pristine clean (another reason I love these planters!).
Outdoor Christmas Planter Decorations (Step-by-Step)
Michaels and Hobby Lobby are my go-to’s for seasonal decor. I had a vague idea of how I wanted these planters to come together but seeing all the options in person gave me all the inspiration I needed. While I wanted these planters to be festive, I also knew I was working with a relatively small space. I chose 3 different decor pieces:
1. Flocked Pinecones & Pine Picks
These serve as the primary focus of the planters, and I was pleasantly surprised at how realistic they look! They look like pine tree branches with snow on them (and include pinecones on the branches). They’re a good size, so three per planter was plenty.
2. Holly Berries Picks
Nothing says Christmas like holly berries, so I knew I wanted to include them. They also add a nice festive pop of color to your planters. If you can only find the berry stems with leaves, just remove the leaves. It takes two seconds and the cleaner look feels more coastal. Mine didn’t have them (which I prefer). You can probably pull the leaves off (or swing by the store to get the plain ones). I added 3 berry picks to each planter.
3. Loose Pinecones
Loose pinecones help finish off the look and provide as ground cover for the planters. I did a combination of flocked and natural pinecones for variety and visual interest. Simply fill in around the pine tree and holly berry picks. These mixed in with the mulch really well for a more natural look!
Where to Buy Outdoor Christmas Planter Supplies
I usually stick to Hobby Lobby and Michaels because they always have seasonal picks in every style, but you can find similar pine picks, berry stems, and pinecones at Target, Amazon, JoAnn, and even Home Depot. The key is choosing pieces that feel natural and hold up to cold weather.
Even though these are technically Christmas planter decorations, I keep them up until spring. Remove the holly berries if you want to keep it more neutral for winter but I think they look just fine! I hope you got some great holiday planter ideas for your front porch decor. Thanks for stopping by!
Outdoor Christmas Planter FAQs
Use heavy mulch or soil as your base and push the picks several inches into the planter. If you live in a windy area, add a few rocks or landscape staples for extra weight.
Mine last from late November through early spring. If you remove the holly berries after Christmas, the pine picks look perfectly wintery through February.
You can mix in birch logs, twigs, large pinecones, or even battery-operated lights. Anything weatherproof works as long as it’s anchored into the mulch.
This post is about how to decorate outdoor Christmas planters.
