A good client whom I really like from Ypsilanti drove up this afternoon with his Mom. He was after materials for both of their winter pots. In the course of our conversation he told me he not only liked reading Dirt Simple, he was surprised and appreciative that I explain how I do things. No doubt how I do things is based on many years of experience with what does not work so well, interspersed now and then with a few good ideas. My thought process, my construction process-I have no reason not to share that. Should anyone decide to take on assembling their own winter pots based on my advice-this makes me feel like a useful human being. Most people share and teach at one time or another in their lives-their kids, their friends, their family-doing this means something. It means something to me too, and it feels great. Gardening is a messy, dirty, exhausting business; should you be game, I am more than happy to coach.
I like selecting a palette of materials with a client. We have a discussion-a relationship. A little bit of me, and a lot of them makes for a good cocktail. Whatever I have inside that prompts me to suggest putting this with that-I am happy to share that. Having a shop full of possibilities makes the process fun.
The reality of beautifully constructed winter containers can be daunting. To follow are the facts. I construct everything in my studio-garage; putting an arrangement together on site in freezing temperatures and late fall winds is tough to do promptly, and impossible to clean. The mess of the green discards is enormous. We have giant surfaces set up for the season to hold all the materials; the concrete floor obligingly holds no end of trash-it can be knee deep by the end of the day.
We whittle down every evergreen stem. This takes lots of time and effort. The big idea here? The above ground representation is vastly more showy than the below ground anchoring. How we anchor, and prepare a winter pot to last the six months until April requires what I would call work. For a tight fit, we sharpen the stems.
Everyone on my crews has a job. Forms, centerpiece construction, the stuffing of the greens-my two crews are 8 people. They produce work astonishingly fast. They spend a lot of time planting shrubs; this knowledge furnishes their construction with cut greens with a finished product that looks natural and believable.
This mixed evergreen winter blanket destined to warm a large round pot-It is beautiful, is it not? Should you have a mind to do it yourself, we observe these gweneral rules. We buy greens that are boughs, not the short pieces that are great for holiday floral arrangements. We aim for a low and wide overall shape-the greens are anywhere from 8-16 wider than the container all the way around. We green the edges of the form first, and work towards the center.
Materials chosen for a centerpiece-our process is to collect materials, and tag them with a name. The amounts needed for each element is based not only on the size, but the location of the container.
The actual construction involves the numbers of bunches, the placement of picks, the overall shape. Relevant to the construction- great evergreen material, concrete wire, bamboo stakes, big zip ties, mini zip ties, foam forms. A conterpiece of this size has a stout bamboo stake which goes deep into the container. Additional anchoring with bamboo or steel is done during the installation.
These boxwood sculptures have a lush look. Once they are dropped into their winter pots, there will be not hint of all the mess and hard work-just a graceful reminder of the garden that will be handsome to look at during the winter months.