Things you will need:

Medium-size pot (10 to 12 inches in diameter)

Potting soil

5 spruce tips

Other evergreen boughs as preferred:

• Spruce branches

• Hemlock

• Cedar

• White pine

• Juniper

Magnolia leaves

Variegated oregonia/boxwood

Possible accessories:

• Birch poles

• Pine cones of different sizes

• Winterberry stems

• Natural botanical pods

• Decorative picks

• Winterberry stems

• Ribbons

Directions:

Start with a medium-size outdoor pot of your choosing, and fill with potting soil.

You will need about 5 spruce tips as the base for your holiday pot. Larger pots up to 14 inches in size could use as many as 10 spruce tips. Trim the small branches from the bottom of each tip. Find the tallest tip and press into the center. Fill out the remainder of the pot with other tips of varying sizes.

Use other evergreen boughs to fill in from there. For height, add white pine, and to soften the edges of the pot use cedar, spruce and juniper.

Once all the greenery is in place, add things such as magnolia leaves or variegated oregonia for additional texture and depth.

Finally, use your own creativity to give character to your pot by choosing accessories that will add color and fun. Some accessories that could be added include birch poles, pine cones, botanical pods, winterberry stems and decorative picks.

An optional finish is to add ribbon for additional color.

Let your creativity show, and have fun with it, too.

Once your pot is complete and everything is in place, water it well so the dirt will freeze solid. This will hold the greens in place over the winter. You won’t need to water it again unless it would get unusually warm and above freezing for several days. If you want to keep the moisture in the greens longer, spray your pot once finished with Wilt Stop.

— Supplies and tips from Garden Diva Design Studio LLC