DIY Winter Barrel Garden For Your Porch

*Today’s post was made possible by CrossCountry Mortgage. All opinions are my own.

Just because it’s chilly out doesn’t mean that you have to forgo festive foliage at your front door! To prove that fact, I created a video tutorial for the team at CrossCountry Mortgage that demonstrates how to make your own DIY winter barrel garden. This project makes the most of clearance end-of-season plants, like pansies and flowering kale, and ultimately comes together to create a focal point for your porch that welcomes your visitors as they arrive for the holidays. Keep scrolling to find out how to make it, and click here to watch the project come to life in video format (editor’s note: the video link will be added when it goes live in another week!).

Start by purchasing a large barrel planter (the one you see pictured here measures 13 inches tall and 20 inches wide—this similar option is available at Walmart), and fill it with an all-purpose potting mix. Next, head to your local nursery to gather plants. I chose a mix of winter-hardy varieties that can stand up to cold temperatures, including a Green Giant Arborvitae, pansies, and flowering kale. I love the thought of transplanting the larger evergreen somewhere permanent on our lawn when it outgrows the barrel, which it inevitably will since these trees can grow as tall as 40 feet (or more!).

Situate your barrel planter where you want it next to your front door (it may be too heavy to move once all the plants have been added to the dirt), and plant your tallest foliage at the back center of your pot—in this case, it was the arborvitae. Next, plant the medium-sized kale on either side of your evergreen tree, and finish with the pansies in front. This sequence will create a tallest-to-shortest arrangement that’s most appealing to the eye, and it will help show off your plants so each can be viewed in full.

Sweep away the loose dirt, and water as needed when the soil looks and feels dry. Just a quick note before you dive in head-first: while these plants can tolerate cold weather, keep in mind that they may be susceptible to frost, so make sure you protect them with some kind of winter plant cover fabric on extra chilly nights.

Isn’t the final container garden so charming? I really love the height and color that it adds to our porch, and the rustic barrel is a nice contrast to our other modern entry accents. Speaking of, the light fixtures came from Walmart, and the checkered door mat and wreath are both from Target. If you try this gardening project out this winter for your own home, please send photos so I can admire your take on the trend!

*This post contains affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission when you purchase products that I recommend at no additional cost to you. This allows me to provide free creative content for you to read, save, and share. Rest assured that I never recommend products we wouldn’t use or don’t already love ourselves.