Chances are, if its December and you live in the northern hemisphere, you aren't doing much in your garden. The daylight is short, the weather is miserable and the pull of a cosy fire and Christmas preparations tend to keep us all indoors. However I do like to plant up a Christmasy looking container to enjoy by the front door, so I thought it would be fun to list my favourite festive plants for containers, and where to replant them in your garden once the spring arrives.

Gaultheria procumbens - Checkerberry

This plant really gets me in the Christmas mood, with its reddened leaves and glossy crimson berries. It's actually a shrub, however it stays low and compact, making it an excellent container plant. I think it works best at the edge of a pot so that its berries can spill over the side. When it comes to planting it out in the landscape, it requires full to partial shade, so it could work as ground cover, planted under deciduous trees or kept in a pot for those shady, damp spots of the garden where nothing else seems to grow. In the summer it produces really cute white flowers, which develop into the berries by early autumn and persist throughout the winter.

Helleborus niger - Christmas Rose

Hellebores are usually grown because they flower in late winter, when fewer plants are doing anything particularly interesting. The blooms are also beautiful and keep going throughout the spring. Helleborus niger, or the Christmas Rose, as its commonly known, flowers from early winter, just in time for the holiday season. I wanted to include it in my Christmas planter for its blooms, which are such a pure white they really sparkle, and to add a bit of floral contrast to the foliage heavy selection. I actually intend to keep this Hellebore in this pot, but if you are planning to plant it out in your garden, go for a partly shaded spot that doesn't get too dry in the summer.

Skimmia japonica

I have actually selected a Skimmia because I like the contrast between its evergreen leaves and the dainty red pops of colour of its flowers. Its not an in-your-face kind of plant, but the red and green makes it look very festive. Skimmias are smallish evergreen shrubs and again, make useful plants for a border to provide year round structure, especially as it grows in shade. I would position it towards the front of a shrub border, and surround it with early-spring flowering plants, such as Hellebores and snowdrops.

Senecio cineraria - Dusty Miller

This perennial is usually grown as an annual, possibly because it's not as hardy as the other plants mentioned here. I find it to be quite invasive in the ground, but I do like it in a Christmas pot because the silver leaves and fern-like texture make it look so wintry and it contrasts against the reds and greens of the other plants. If you do intend to replant it in your garden, it will benefit from full sun, and it has yellow daisy-like flowers which appear in the summer. The silver foliage really pops against most colour schemes, especially purples, pinks and blues.

Pinus pinea 'Silver Crest' - Stone Pine

I thought a conifer would make the ultimate festive centrepiece. It provides height at the back of the planter, and yet another contrasting texture and colour. How cute would it look decorated with LED fairylights? I picked up this particular cultivar as it is meant to remain small and compact and is suitable for containers. Growing in a pot also allows you to move it to a more sheltered position if needs be, as this particular species isn't hardy in severe winters. Where ever its final planting spot, in the ground or in a pot, try to ensure it gets plenty of sun and keep plants grown in containers well watered in the summer.

Below is my finished pot, with an added deer decoration for extra Christmas vibes. I love the contrast between the colours and textures of the different plants used.

I hope you have been inspired to have a go at planting your own festive container, or perhaps a Christmas hanging basket? Thank you for reading. Have a great day.