Splish Splash, we’re having a blast!
Splashes of color,
a dash of green,
plenty of “spikies,”
and foliage with sheen.
Trailing and lovely,
billowing and white,
large leaf or curly leaf
All a delight!
Yes, we’re talking about floral and foliage beauty in patio or deck containers. Anything goes; don’t hold back. Don’t be afraid to plant with annuals, perennials, grasses, vegetables, herbs or succulents. Your plant choices will seem endless.
Container gardening offers something for everyone. Think of it as a work of art and yourself as the artist. You might want simplicity-a single plant, the same color as the chosen pot. Or you may want to find foliage plants (no flowers, please!) of many different sizes, textures and colors to create an arrangement that reminds one of a modern art painting.
Can you envision this: Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’, a fountain grass, in the center; various coleus in contrasting colors of burgundy and chartreuse surrounding the grass; a couple of begonia ‘Escargot’ tucked in for color contrast and foliage texture; and finally, black Ipomoea (Potato Vine) and Lysimachia (Creeping Jenny) ‘Goldilocks’ trailing over the sides!
An impressionist look can also be accomplished by blending flowering annuals and perennials, all close in both color and flower size. Or, try a mixture of complementary colored flowers. Imagine this: In the center of the pot towers Queen Anne’s Lace, surrounded by white, pink, and purple nemesia. Draping off the sides of the pot, sweet alyssum in white, pink, and purple. All soft colors, sweet fragrances and delicate blooms!
Try mixing ornamental grasses together. Combine soft green stipa or a rich golden brown carex with short tufts of silvery blue Festuca glauca. What a wonderful color combination. Stipa is a wispy grass and will give you “motion in the garden.” Don’t be afraid to mix your favorite ornamental grass with complementary perennials or annuals.
Rather go with vegetables and herbs? You will not sacrifice beauty; you will explode with it! Purple sage and ‘Bergarrten’ culinary sage (Salvia Officinalis), basil (many varieties), chives, lettuce (red leaf would be fun), sweet peppers with tiny bright red orange fruits, and French tarragon (it has a bright yellow flower) all surrounding rosemary. Clipping herbs or lettuce for the evening cookout is just a step onto your patio. This combination might be so beautiful you’ll hate to snip off any foliage. But don’t worry about that; these herbs and veggies will just keep on growing!
Don’t forget our planting advice. We encourage you to select a high quality potting mix and to mix in a controlled release fertilizer. Also, remember that moisture retention is frequently a problem with containers, so mix in a soil polymer that will hold on to the moisture between watering.
Just a few further tips as you plant your own piece of living art:
- Consider grouping containers together, varying the heights of plants and containers
- Make one container the main focal point
- Create some coherence to each grouping in color scheme and plant forms
- If the background is “busy” and colorful, choose like colors and lots of foliage
- If the background is light, rich flower and foliage colors will look fabulous
Summertime is the time for outdoor living! Now is the best time to decorate your outdoor living spaces with floral and foliage works of art. We look forward to watching you create your masterpieces. Hurry in. We’ll meet you in the gardens.