Awesome Recyclable Holiday Container Planters For A Balcony Garden

Winter strikes hard in Chicagoland most years. My front lawn vegetable garden keels over within a few days of the first frost and I am left with a brown, barren, desert-ish winter view out that front window which makes me yearn for broccoli and compost and greener days. My design idea this season is to find creative ways to decorate for the holidays which might bring some color to my view. Utilizing containers that focus on green concepts – like recyclable containers or natural decorations made from renewable plants – seems a smart move this holiday season. Below are a few design ideas for you to make your ho-ho-ho a little more interesting.

One such planter is Greenbo – each container has the 5 PP recycling symbol on the bottom of the container, which means when you no longer want to use these containers, you can recycle them. They are made of Polypropylene which means it can stand up to both hot and cold tough weather conditions. The containers are not food grade, so I would not eat off of them. However, they are fine to fill with your favorite winter decorations and best yet, they are a “rail” container, meaning they can stand on their own or sit on a balcony rail.

My favorite design idea with these planters is to put two wreaths together; one on either side of an extra large planter. You can see in the top photo how adorable they look combined in a red balcony garden container. Also above is a very simple design with only two ingredients – Fir Tree branches and Winterberries combined in a simple white container. Super easy to do and the natural cut stems are from a renewable resource and can be composted after the winter season.

One of the coolest features of the Greenbo planter, is the rail “space” is topped by a plastic support in middle of the planter. This is the perfect place to put large items. For example, place greenery in the planter, then place a feature container on the support piece as you see in the purple planter (below). Or feature items or  a small holiday tree in a red container (bottom photo). Simply place the live tree in the planter, decorate it, then surround it with some extra greenery and bows for a special statement on your balcony this holiday season.

Look out for more design ideas as the holiday season progresses. Leave a comment below and give me a few of your green, sustainable, and renewable ideas too – how do you decorate “green” for the winter season?

Special Note – Because the FTC requires it, I am letting you know that the containers were supplied by Greenbo Planter Company at no cost so I could build these cool designs. Absolutely all of my wacky opinions are my own!