Covering Outdoor Planters with Burlap

December 13, 2024

The season's burlap project at my Bedford, New York farm continues in front of and around my Winter House.

It's a race to get all the "burlapping" done around the boxwood and the ornamental urns - winter officially begins in a little more than a week and the days and nights are getting much colder. I've been covering the shrubs and hedges with burlap for many years to protect the branches from splaying and even breaking from the snow and ice. I also feel it is important to protect the planters that are out in the elements all season long. A winter freeze, alternating with thaws, could crack or crumble any kind of stone or cement, especially if it is antique. My outdoor grounds crew is working hard to get everything well-wrapped.

Enjoy these photos.

: Most of the ornamental urns around my home are left in their respected locations and enveloped in burlap for the cold season. First, the planter is carefully covered in plastic.

: Fernando cuts the burlap pieces to fit the containers. When we can, we reuse burlap from seasons past; however, it is also available in giant rolls of 40-inches or 60-inches wide. Also called hessian, burlap is made in Pakistan, Bangladesh and India from jute, a tall, grass-like plant grown for its strong fibrous stalks.

: To complete all the burlap projects, the tools are simple – we use five-inch and eight-inch long craft needles specifically made for working with jute. These needles have large eyes and bent tips. Every member of my outdoor grounds crew has a needle.

: We also use jute twine. It is all natural and the same color as the burlap.

: The burlap is wrapped around the entire piece. Burlap is so useful for many gardening projects – it is inexpensive, biodegradable, and the color and texture of burlap is so pretty to use.

: And then Pete sews the edge closed. The burlap should be sewn tightly, but with some space for air circulation. Because the burlap is exposed to the elements for several months, Pete does this task very carefully.

: Lastly, Pete sews the top closed, tucking the excess burlap in and pulling taut.

: Because stone, cement, and clay-based materials can crack from exposure to the winter elements, it’s important to protect them. Here are the two planters in my kitchen courtyard all wrapped and protected.

: Pete and Fernando also wrapped the big stone birdbath in the same courtyard.

: This is my terrace parterre. I have pairs of stone urns flanking each entrance to the area. These containers are covered in black plastic garbage bags.

: This piece of burlap is being reused from last year. Our burlap covers can be used for two to three seasons depending on the weather.

: Pete wraps each urn with burlap and starts with small stitches and knots at the top and the bottom just to keep the fabric in place.

: Then he sews the burlap along the open edge at the top.

: The burlap is pulled taut and all the opening is closed.

: Here is the planter covered. It will stay here for the duration of the season until it is in uncovered and planted again in spring.

: And here they are all covered. Depending on the size of the vessel, it takes about 20-minutes to cover one of these ornamental containers.

: This is one of two magnificent Kenneth Lynch and Sons pots I purchased years ago at an auction when Kenneth was still in operation in Wilton, Connecticut. The urns are cast concrete, a formula which no one has figured out. For winter, the first thing we do is cover the large opening with a piece of plywood. The crew cuts any spare plywood into rounds to fit over various pieces.

: Then the urn is covered in plastic sheeting. Doing this always lengthens the process, but it’s worth it. These planters are in great condition and are planted with tender perennials every spring. with

: Pete knots this piece at the bottom to keep it in place.

: A second piece is used to wrap the lower half of the planter.

: There is a lot of tucking involved, and a lot of stitching and knotting, but my crew has been covering these containers with burlap every year for quite some time – they are all excellent burlap sewers.