Garden Talk: Winter Interest In The Garden

Air Date:
Heard On The Larry Meiller Show

Tune in to find out what plants will provide visual interest in the garden all year. Plus, proper pruning techniques, and fun and decorative ways to use the pruning leftovers.

Featured in this Show

  • Gardening Expert: Use Pruned Materials For Winter Decoration

    Winter is a good time to prune many ornamentals because they are dormant, and there is less chance of introducing disease or insect problems. Instead of taking the pruned materials to the curb, though, one gardening expert recommends using them to decorate the yard and garden all winter long.

    Epping, the director of horticulture at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, said that while there is some pruning that can be done in the spring, he waits until the fall because there are good uses for that plant material.

    “If you have boxwood, juniper, dogwood or pine,” Epping said, “you have great base materials to make a winter container.”

    The process of making a winter container using pruned material is relatively straightforward: Find a container, put some wire mesh inside of it, and then insert the pruned material and other decorations.

    Epping said it’s important to choose a container that can withstand a Wisconsin winter. So while terra cotta is not a good choice, concrete or plastic can withstand the freezing and thawing cycle well.

    If there is any soil in the container, Epping said to dump that our and replace it with the chicken wire.

    “We just take a roll of chicken wire and kind of bundle it together,” he said.

    A brick or stone can also be added if the pot needs some weight to stay upright.

    The chicken wire is bunched up so that it provides many possibilities for putting stems and branches through multiple holes. So, when one adds a branch, he explained, “that holds it right in place.”

    Epping recommends using material from evergreens to hide the chicken wire. Then he adds colorful and interesting branches and twigs, like those from dogwood and willow. He also likes boxelder because of the purple hue of the stems.

    Another nice addition is fruiting plants, like crab apple, or seedheads from plants like the purple coneflower. Those are not only a nice visual addition, but will also feed wildlife.

    Epping said not to worry if the needed materials don’t grow in your own garden: “I’m not above picking up other people’s materials curbside,” he said. “I’m recycling!”

    The beauty of these decorations, Epping said, is that they don’t need watering, and they’ll last through the winter, until new growth starts to provide interest in the garden.

    Beyond the outdoor containers, Epping said that pruned materials can be used to create wreaths. They can also be used to replace garden stakes and borders that are more commonly purchased.

    Epping provided many photos of ways to use pruned materials, which people can see in the slideshow above.

Episode Credits

  • Judith Siers-Poisson Host
  • Judith Siers-Poisson Producer
  • Jeff Epping Guest