Planters in Winter

It was finally time to turn my attention to the planters this past weekend.  The remains of summer greenery needed to be cleared, pots needed to be cleaned and stored, and those pots which remain outside year-round needed their seasonal greenery.

In seasons past I would run around to several nurseries to find just what I wanted, and I would usually do it slightly earlier in the season, while there was still a larger selection, although after the end of season sales had begun.  

This year I was late and short of time so only went to one nursery, where I contented myself with what was available.  Usually I am looking for height in the tall clay planters by the front door, but the options were limited.  Surprisingly, I found some very nice dwarf hinoki cypresses which I thought would work in combination with winterberry branches. I hoped to put two cypress in each pot, but they were too large, so one will have to do.  The pots feel a little sparse, but I do think they will be lovely when the snow falls.

More hinoki cypress and some arborvitae have taken up residence down by the garage in the large zinc planters.  These had been pulled out decoratively for the summerl, but of course in the winter they are dangerously close to the driveway where they could be crushed by the plows, so they have been pushed back against the safety of the wall.  

All of these planters have deep gouges and crush marks where they have met with plows past and this winter may be their last, as the bottoms are falling out of two planters now.

Luckily I also found some fabulous, very architectural looking, black planters made of a durable polyester resin that I believe will be fabulous with the house and landscaping.  Perusing the sizes and shapes available already has my mind spinning with ideas for the next season.