Bling!

I enjoy creating winter container "gardens" for my front porch, but I'm not much for baubles and bows. This year I tried a new idea and added just a bit of glam to my landscape cuttings with glitter glue. This product makes it pretty easy to apply some bling  right where you want it without the mess of spray paint or loose glitter (which will end up everywhere, despite your best efforts to corral it).

I worked outdoors on a covered patio table, but this would be a fun indoor project on a cold day. Warmer working conditions will get your glue dry more quickly, too. I used Elmer's brand* glitter glue right out of the bottle, as I just wanted to dab the glitter here and there, not completely cover the branches.

 cuttings from a compact burning bush

Keep in mind the the glue carrier dries clear, the blue coloring indicates the predominant color of the glitter in the mix and allows you to place the glue more accurately. If I wanted more coverage, I would use a cheap, throwaway brush to apply the glue over a large area more quickly.

While my glittery branches were drying, I started assembling my pots with other cuttings from the garden. Unfortunately, I have two, strongly contrasting colors of brick to contend with, so I try to incorporate both dark and light foliage/bark etc. into the arrangements, adjusting the scale of the materials to the size of the container:

red stem dogwood for height, Oregon grape holly for fill

next, light green Sarcoxie euonymus and silvery dwarf butterfly bush

 a hint of glitter from the burning bush branches

Finally, I dabbed more glitter glue here and there on additional branches, buds, and seed heads on the finished arrangements.

Could my "branch bouquet" have more bling? Of course! This is more my style though, and it will last as a colorful, natural porch decoration all winter long, not just during the holidays.

Tell me about your winter container gardens...what's your style?

*this is not a paid endorsement