Outdoor Christmas Lantern Planter Idea for your Porch
In this post: Easy, DIY Outdoor Christmas Lantern Planter Idea for your Porch. Festive and fun way to welcome your friends and family! Uses a LED candle and fresh greenery.
Whenever a new season rolls around, the first thing I do is refresh the decor on our front porch. It’s my favorite place to start and it always sets the tone for the rest of the house. As promised when I shared the first look, I’m here to show you exactly how I put the outdoor Christmas lantern planters together. After that, there are a few pics of the door wreath and sitting area.
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DIY Outdoor Christmas Lantern Planter Directions:
- What you need: planter or pot, tall lantern (mine is about 22 in. tall,) potting soil, fresh greenery.
- The planter can be round or square but needs to be big enough so the lantern fits in the middle with at least 2-4 inches of dirt surrounding it. Fill the planter with dirt almost to the rim.
- Important: water the dirt well.
- The packing material in the lantern boxes included a few pieces of square styrofoam that I used as a base for the lanterns on top of the dirt. This is an extra step and not really needed. When I set the lanterns directly on top of the dirt, they worked fine. I used the styrofoam to raise the lanterns up just a little more.
- Now let’s talk about the candles. After the greenery is inserted in the dirt, the lantern door won’t open…which means you can’t get the candle out to turn it on. The solution to this problem is a LED candle with a remote. My favorites are from Pier 1 but you can find them at any craft or discount store.
- Place fresh batteries in your LED candle and place it in the lantern.
- Now it’s time to add the greenery…my favorite step!
- I used three different kinds of greenery: Cedar, pine with short needles, and pine with long needles. I had to buy my greenery because I don’t have bushes or trees I could cut. If you do, this step would be free. I purchased three bundles of greens for about $10 each.
- Give the end of each pine piece a fresh snip and push it into the dirt.
- Use the tallest and most sturdy pieces for behind the lantern. Place the cedar along the front of the pot so it drapes down. Fill in with the long-needled pine and any leftover pieces.
- Stand back occasionally so you can see if the greenery is balanced. It certainly shouldn’t be perfect, but make sure you have the same amount of greenery all around the lantern.
- If you are making two lantern planters, put them together at the same time. That way they will look balanced as a set.
- Add pine cones, red berries or even a bow.
- The final step is watering in the greenery. Make sure it’s watered in well. To keep the greenery fresh, water once a week. (If your temps fall below freezing, the watered dirt will freeze as well. No need to add more water if this is the case.)
The lanterns I used in this project are no longer available. Here are some other options.
Red Lantern #1
Red Lantern #2
Red Lantern #3
Get the black square planters {HERE.}
Get the doormat {HERE.}
Sometimes I can see projects like this in my mind, but when I try to make them happen, things don’t go as planned! This time I got lucky and these outdoor Christmas lantern planters turned out just like I imagined. I have to admit, I love it when that happens.
Now let’s talk about the rest of the porch. The wreath is old…I’ve lost track of actually how old. I bought it at a time in my life when I didn’t have any extra money for decor and I remember putting it (and the matching garland) on my credit card because I didn’t have enough cash in my checking account. I worried about the cost and felt guilty about spending money I didn’t have. It was worth it though because I love both pieces as much today as the day I bought them. (And I did finally pay off my credit card!)
I used this same wreath last year so to switch things up a little, I added a garland of faux cranberries. Along with the juniper, the cranberries add a pop of color and a festive touch.
The sitting area got some Christmas cheer with plaid throws and pillows I used in our guest room last year. I found them at TJMaxx so I don’t have an exact source. I have found a few similar throws and included them in the shopping widget at the end of the post. I looked, but couldn’t find anything even close to these pillows. I stopped at my TJMaxx a few days ago and again this year, their selection of Christmas pillows is amazing. Definitely worth the trip if you have a store close-by.
I used some leftover pine pieces in the galvanized metal watering can and my grain sack Christmas trees to dress up the wicker table. This end of the porch went together in just a few minutes. Of course, Kelly was right there the whole time.
I love the way the porch turned out this year and I came in under budget which is always a good thing! The only new additions were the lanterns, doormat (which I love) and greenery.
Front Door Color: click {here.}
