Containers can add colour and texture to a garden while accentuating features like low walls or steps.
Balance refers to the equitable weight distribution within an arrangement or group of containers. For instance, two identical urns flanking an entryway can be balanced perfectly when flanked with plants of equal sizes on either side.
Tiered Displays
Container gardens can create lovely vignettes in any outdoor garden space, perfect for beginner gardeners with limited lawn space and those looking for plants that don’t thrive outdoors, stopping invasive species from spreading and adding visual interest to a backyard landscape. Plus, container gardening adds flair to decks or patios alike!
Grouping containers is an effortless way to design. Arranging three pots in the classic triangular pattern creates an eye-catching composition that quickly becomes the focal point of any area. The tallest plant – such as an eye-catching hibiscus – serves as the apex, while subordinate elements are placed slightly in front and around it.
Mixing flower colours, plant shapes, and textures is crucial in designing an eye-catching container display. Pinks and blues play well together, while whites and silvers complement each other beautifully; yellows and oranges should be approached more cautiously when combined with red hues.
Plants with different leaf textures can also help bring together a container planting. Ornamental grasses provide an example of this. Their lush, textured leaves contrast nicely with the more subtle foliage found elsewhere and add visual weight to an otherwise sparse arrangement.
Use large plants in containers to accentuate vertical features, like walls or stairs. They are planting boxwood or bay hedges at doorways to delineate an entrance. A living fence of laurel troughs adds colour to stairs, while clusters of giant agaves decorate corners of patios.
Containers come in various materials and styles, such as ceramic, terra cotta, metal and glass. You should select one that best complements your home’s architecture and outdoor furnishings; colours should also coordinate with existing plantings in your yard. Terra cotta pots make an excellent accent against warm brick homes, while colonial-style homes may require classic lead (or faux-lead finish) planters; rustic timber-framed cottages may require more rustic pieces like beaten copper or hammered metal planters for better accentuating them against these unique spaces.
Multiple Containers
Container gardens can add dimension and interest to any landscape. Easy to care for and aesthetically pleasing, container gardens make a statement on their own or as part of a larger composition. Container gardens can also be great solutions for people without much outdoor space who still want the tranquillity of a garden; with proper plant selection, soil type, containers and care, you can cultivate gorgeous flowers, foliage plants or even vegetables and herbs!
As part of planting a container garden, it’s essential to remember that every plant has different light and space requirements. Some are shallow-rooted and require smaller containers, while deeper-seated varieties need bigger vessels. When selecting your planter size for each species, consider their requirements; overcrowding could stunt their development or become suffocating for your crops. Allow air circulation within your container garden and channel water through, leaving at least half an inch between its edge and soil levels (known as headspace). This allows air to enter each container and helps channel water from all sides!
Another critical element when selecting plants for your planter garden is considering their colours and textures. Selecting plants of various colours, shapes, and heights will add visual interest, while mixing heights can create more dynamic displays. Furthermore, adding focal points like trellises, statues or garden art pieces will draw the eye away from any symmetry within your arrangement and pull outward from its centre.
Choose your planter according to your tastes – elaborate or straightforward! From traditional clay and terra-cotta pots from your garden centre or online retailer to less conventional vessels found at antique shops and hardware stores, such as vintage rain boots or old tin cans used for creating unique “living walls” of greenery, you have endless options when selecting planters for your space. Repurpose items such as wine barrels, crates or old bathtubs into planters.
Colour Combinations
New gardeners often discover their green thumb through container gardens with colourful blooms and lush foliage, like this Better Homes & Gardens 14-inch Mosswood Resin Planter (14, Walmart). Arranging plants carefully in such an arrangement adds instant colour and beauty to any outdoor space, and just a few simple tips can help create a palette that lasts all season long.
The first step in choosing a colour scheme is considering the planter, flowers, and foliage you plan to include. A darker planter helps create more vibrant hues in light-coloured containers that house plants.
Start by choosing between monochromatic or complementary colour themes for your decor. Monochromatic schemes feature shades that share one hue, such as red and pink or blue and purple; these styles are particularly eye-catching when placed near doors or walkways to attract attention. Complementary colour combinations offer incredible vibrancy but require additional care in maintaining balance among their hues; matching complementary hues on a colour wheel or mixing analogous ones such as red-orange with yellow-green or blue and violet can achieve this balance.
Triads provide another option, using three colours evenly spaced around the colour wheel. Though more difficult to coordinate, triads add a dramatic flair to container gardens.
Though not at the forefront of your mind when considering colour schemes for container gardens, don’t overlook edibles when selecting your colours. Leafy vegetables like kale and lettuce varieties add vibrant hues that tolerate shade better than flowering crops.
This shady corner has been enhanced with two large white planters filled with white flowers and foliage such as Pandora’s Box violas, Diamond Frost Caladiums, Red Threads Alternanthera for colour pop, Obsidian Heucheras ‘Obsidian’ Heucheras Silver Falls Dichondra and Blue Ribbons Lobelia to fill out the area.
Pollinator Plants
Plants that attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds provide food and add visual interest to containers. These nectar and pollen-rich flowers support healthy ecosystems but are under threat – you can help these hardworking creatures by planting a pollinator-friendly garden on your balcony!
Create a vibrant pollinator container garden easily! Start by planning a colour palette and selecting plants that complement one another in height and texture. These plants fall into three categories:
- Thriller (an eye-catching tall plant that attracts attention).
- Filler (medium-sized plants with mounding habits that fill the space between the thriller and the edge of the container).
- Spillers (trailing varieties that cascade over sides to add soft visual appeal).
Native plants make excellent choices for pollinator containers, as they tolerate full sun conditions well and thrive even during the hot days of summer when other food sources are scarce for pollinators. When selecting native clumps for your pollinator containers, select those offering various flower colours, heights and shapes (tubular, flat, etc.). This will provide your bees and other pollinators with optimal sustenance sources.
As an example, Leading Lady Plum (Monthium ultimum) bee balm provides food to an ever-flowing stream of bees and pollinators; other great choices are fragrant drought-tolerant lavender (Lavandula spp.) or butterfly-attracting coreopsis (Coreopsis spp.).
Include some fast-growing shrubs from the mint family (oregano, catmint and sage) and aster family (aster and sunflower). These have proven reliable in drawing hummingbirds to your garden. In addition, fragrant comes (Cleomes spp.) and sweet alyssum (Lycoris aquifolium) adds colour and fragrance.