Inspiring Container Gardens Seen on Houzz
9 Tips for Creating an Artful Container Garden Photo 9 of 10 8. Experiment with height and scale. “I think if more gardeners planted with scale in mind, they would have better results,” says Partridge. Using a few large containers will create more impact than a grouping of tiny ones, particularly in medium-size and large spaces.
9 Tips for Creating an Artful Container Garden Photo 8 of 10 7. Use foliage to add texture. Whether you’re creating a grouping of single-plant containers or planting multiple species in one pot, mixing foliage types will help add interest through texture. Partridge suggests mingling plants with broad leaves and finer-leaved plants for contrast.
9 Tips for Creating an Artful Container Garden Photo 6 of 10 If you do choose to use multiple plants in one container, Partridge advises to pack them in. “As long as you have a good-sized container — 22 to 36 inches — and fertilize weekly, they will be happy,” she says. And while you should definitely consider the three components of a container plant grouping (thriller, filler and spiller), you also shouldn’t be afraid to veer from an exact formula. “You might just have one large plant in the container with trailing spiller plants,” says Partridge.
9 Tips for Creating an Artful Container Garden Photo 4 of 10 4. Build your color scheme around one specific plant. Glenna Partridge of Glenna Partridge Garden Design suggests starting with a plant you love when choosing plantings. “I specifically use the foliage or flower color as my jumping-off point,” she says.
9 Tips for Creating an Artful Container Garden Photo 3 of 10 3. Think of pottery as sculpture. Pottery comes in a startling array of shapes, sizes, glazes and colors, and can be employed to add an artistic element to your garden. “When selecting glaze and color, I also consider the garden setting,” says Treherne. “For instance, I might be tempted to use a chartreuse glaze in a shaded garden with monochromatic greens or a copper red in a warm and sunny garden. I may also consider hardscape — for instance, in this garden the pottery echoes the surrounding stone.” Some pots can be left empty as sculptural elements. “For pots that I know I will not plant, I usually look for ones that are smaller at the top/opening than the middle,” she says. “A more open top begs to be planted.”
Grow a Beautiful Fall Garden in a Pot Photo 9 of 10 Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’) Purple fountain grass has exceptional dark purple foliage with fluffy, bottlebrush-like spikes. Its overall shape is reminiscent of a fountain, which is how it gets its common name. Although an annual in colder zones, it will continue to look striking throughout fall. USDA zones: 8 to 10 (grow as an annual elsewhere) Water requirement: Medium moisture; well-drained soil Light requirement: Full sun to light shade Mature size: 3 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide
Grow a Beautiful Fall Garden in a Pot Photo 1 of 10 So what makes a plant appropriate for fall? Typically you’re looking for rich, warm colors and the ability to tolerate cool nights. Mums and pansies are quintessential fall plants, but there are many noteworthy foliage-focused plants whose colors evoke fall. Here are seven great options for your fall containers.
7 Container Plantings to Bring Winter Gardens to Life Photo 7 of 7 Black mondo grass contrasts with ornamental twigs. The dark stain of the fence on this site provided an opportunity for interesting color combinations in this featured container. The dark tones of mondo grass and coral bells complement the surrounding color palette, while bright yellow and red ornamental twigs and an acid-green cypress add vibrant intensity to the arrangement. This container consists of: Red and yellow ornamental twigs Dwarf golden cypress Coral bells Leatherleaf sedge Black mondo grass
7 Container Plantings to Bring Winter Gardens to Life Photo 6 of 7 Moss and Phormium. A container planted with Phormium is a great focal point year-round, but the fronds can often get weighted down with snow in the colder climates. We've combatted this by introducing moss-covered twigs to add some support. We then finished off the base by covering up a mass of hens-and-chicks with a light carpet of loose moss. This container now provides interest throughout the winter and can easily be converted to a spring planter. This container consists of: Phormium Mossy twigs Sphagnum moss Hens-and-chicks
7 Container Plantings to Bring Winter Gardens to Life Photo 5 of 7 Year-round bamboo poles. A simple combination of evergreen plants acts as a foundation to timber bamboo poles in this container arrangement. The bamboo poles are a permanent fixture that effectively complement seasonal plantings year-round. This container consists of: Timber bamboo poles Skimmia Mountain pepper Coral bells 'Obsidian'
7 Container Plantings to Bring Winter Gardens to Life Photo 4 of 7 Textural contrast with black mondo grass. Texture abounds in this container. The muted tones of black mondo grass and pinecones set off a backdrop of skimmia and dogwood twigs. This is a perfect low-maintenance addition to a small patio that can be enjoyed from the comfort of indoors. This container consists of: Dogwood twigs Skimmia Black mondo grass Pinecones
7 Container Plantings to Bring Winter Gardens to Life Photo 3 of 7 Moss and dogwood. Bright green moss contrasts nicely with the vibrant color of redtwig dogwood in this entryway container. This simple but effective combination of color and texture comes to life with the addition of pinecones. As spring rolls around, the dogwood can be moved from the container to a more permanent location in a garden bed, where it can grow to its full potential. This container consists of: Redtwig dogwood Sphagnum moss Pinecones
7 Container Plantings to Bring Winter Gardens to Life Photo 2 of 7 Purple kale and coral bells. A container next to the front door draws the eye to the house and can often deflect attention from a front garden that lies dormant through the colder months. This container bursts with color and texture, and the individual plants can be repurposed in future containers or moved to new homes in the garden once they outgrow the container. This container consists of: Fire twig dogwood Corokia Purple ornamental kale Coral bells 'Creme Brulee' Spurge 'Black Bird' Gold carex Scotch moss
7 Container Plantings to Bring Winter Gardens to Life Photo 1 of 7 Twigs, hellebore and dwarf cypress. This container's small size didn't allow for a dogwood plant, but the same effect is achieved by using dogwood twigs. (Ornamental twigs are usually available at nurseries over the winter months.) The chartreuse green of the miniature cypress makes for a bold statement, and the container is finished off with a hellebore, which will flower all through the winter. This is an easy, low-maintenance combination of textures and colors that really complements this modern residence. This container consists of: Dogwood twigs Dwarf golden cypress Hellebore
Diamond Frost This frothy white blooming annual is not nearly as delicate as it appears. It's proven to be heat tolerant and drought tolerant, it has a nicely mounded habit, and it doesn’t need deadheading, so this pretty annual is firmly on my favorites list. Expect Diamond Frost to grow to 12 inches tall and up to 18 inches across. It could be placed in the middle or at the edge of a container, where it will mound daintily over the edge. Botanical name: Euphorbia graminea Water requirement: Average to low Light requirement: Full sun
Kim GamelSave to IdeabookEmail Photo I love the different tints in this all-green container garden, and the variety in texture keeps the arrangement from being boring. The plants include bright green Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macro 'Aureola', zones 5 to 9), autumn moor grass (Sesleria autumnalis, zones 5 to 8, in back), coneflower (Echinacea 'Green Jewel', zones 3 to 8) and a variegated Carex in front. Tip: To give this arrangement added height, add natural or painted branches.
Kim GamelSave to IdeabookEmail Photo The wispy brown Carex adds an edginess to the palette of pinks and purples offered by mums and kale here. Ornamental kale, a great option in autumn, will keep its color through several rounds of freezing temperatures.
Kim GamelSave to IdeabookEmail Photo Greenscape Gardens in St. Louis, Missouri, always has lovely seasonal containers to inspire gardeners. Here's a large fern surrounded by coral bells and spiderwort (Tradescantia spp). Tip: Plant perennials — such as the coral bells used here — in the ground when you're ready to change out the display for winter.
This ghostly container could help greet trick-or-treaters on the big night. Architectural cardoon (Cynara cardunculus, zones 7 to 9), in back, acts as the thriller in this grouping. Other plants include coral bells (Heuchera americana, zones 4 to 9), silver falls Dichondra (Dichondra argentea 'Silver Falls', zones 10 to 12), dusty miller (Senecio cineraria, zones 7 to 10) and purple kale (Brassica oleracea 'Redbor', zones 2 to 11). Cardoon, a cousin of the artichoke, has edible stalks that taste delicious when blanched.
Kim GamelSave to IdeabookEmail Photo I love the variegated lime green of the pleomele (Dracaena reflexa 'Variegata', USDA zones 11 to 12) in the back. The gourd on the right mimics the color variation. And the pansies (Viola, zones 7 to 11), fall container stalwarts, are a deep burgundy instead of the more common purple or yellow. I love the ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea, zones 2 to 11) in this container, too. The muted creamy green of the squash adds to the overall color arrangement.
After all is in place, water thoroughly so that all the soil in the driftwood gets wet. You can use diluted organic fertilizer, but it’s not necessary. The succulents won’t need additional adhesives if they are tightly secured. Once the plants have taken root in their new soil, you can even hang your arrangement vertically.
There will be some loose spaces between the succulents and the soil. Tear small pieces of wet sphagnum moss and place it in the loose spaces with a chopstick. Continue filling in until the succulents are snug and secure. Trim around the hanging sphagnum moss or press it back into the cavities so it doesn't show — or just leave it if you prefer a more natural moss look.
Continue filling in the cavities with succulents.
Dipping them into rooting hormone or cinnamon powder is not necessary, but you can do so if you want to speed up the rooting process.
Carefully remove succulents from the nursery pots and place them in the cavities. If you are using succulent cuttings, make sure to have about 2 inches of stem in each cutting, so it’s tall enough to place.
Place the potting mix or coconut husk in the bottom of each drilled hole.
Once you are satisfied with the arrangement, trace the bottom of the nursery pot containers on to the driftwood with a pencil as a guide for where to drill. Drill slowly into the driftwood, about 2 inches deep, making sure not to drill all the way through the bottom. Continue drilling until all the cavities are formed.
Arrange a few different types of succulents, still in their pots, on the driftwood before you drill, taking into account the driftwood size and shape. Try to use existing cavities to create as natural a look as possible.
Tools and safety gear: Electric drill Drill bits of varying diameters, preferably 2 inches (to match the succulent container size) Wooden or plastic chopstick Mask Gloves Bucket Wear gloves throughout the process, especially when handling sphagnum moss, and wear a mask if you are allergic to mold and dust. Before you start, soak dried sphagnum moss in a bucket of water for five to 10 minutes. Ring out the excess water.
Materials: Driftwood pieces (natural, well-dried driftwood is lighter than average lumber, and you won’t need to worry about pest problems). Look for pieces that will sit well on a flat surface. Succulents (sedum, Echeveria, Crasssula). I used 2-inch pots (the smallest succulent container size available at a retail nursery); if you are using succulent cuttings, make sure the stems are at least 2 inches long. Tillandsias (optional) Succulent and palm potting mix or natural compressed coconut husk (just add water to expand the block) Sphagnum moss
Make a Beautiful and Long-Lasting Driftwood Centerpiece
A stunning monochromatic garden in Lotusland. Two giant ice-blue succulents mark the entrance into this garden whose color theme is enhanced by blue grasses and a striking blue container. Design credit; http://www.lotusland.org/ Photo credit; Personal Garden Coach
Glass artist; Barbara Sanderson, Glass Gardens NW, http://www.glassgardensnw.com/ Design and photo credit; Personal Garden Coach
Echeveria 'Blue Waves' underplanted with burro's tail (Sedum morganianum)
The iridescent colors of the gazing ball pick up on the tones in the surrounding foliage. Design by Alyson Ross Markley Photo credit; Le jardinet
Glass artist; Jesse Kelly www.jessekellyglass.com Containers; Le Beau Design and photo credit; Le jardinet
Purple millet grass adds height, depth and drama, supported by the colorful foliage of Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' and Helichrysum 'Limelight'. Warm sunset shades of rose and russet bring a touch of fall to the container (Echinacea 'Sombrero' and chrysanthemum). Design and photo Le jardinet
Purple millet grass adds height, depth and drama, supported by the colorful foliage of Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow'. Warm sunset shades of rose and russet bring a touch of fall to the container (Echinacea 'Sombrero' and chrysanthemum). Design and photo Le jardinet
The warm tones of the flowers enhance the subtle rose shade in the Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' Design and photo Le Jardinet
Purple millet grass adds height, depth and drama, supported by the colorful foliage of Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' and Helichrysum 'Limelight'. Warm sunset shades of rose and russet bring a touch of fall to the container (Echinacea 'Sombrero' and chrysanthemum). Design and photo Le Jardinet
For a unified look select spring bulbs which continue the color theme of your landscape. Glass sculpture by Seattle artist Jesse Kelly Design and photo credit; Le jardinet
A winter garden needs to have good 'bones' - interesting structures and plants that stand out from the snowy blanket. Design and photo credit; le jardinet
A blanket of snow reveals the bones of a garden. Evergreen trees, and interesting branching silhouettes are key while bold splashes of color are provided by the containers, sculpture and Adirondack chairs Design and photo credit; Le jardinet
9 Tips for Creating an Artful Container Garden Photo 10 of 10 9. Place pots in existing beds. This is a great way to use pots as a sculptural element, but choosing which plants to place inside each vessel can be tricky. Treherne takes a location- and climate-specific approach. “For instance, if it’s an area where the pottery is making a statement, I might use a more unusual plant to catch the eye,” she says. “In general, though, I am thinking about performance over time. There are some plants that just do well in pots.” As a general rule of thumb, Treherne suggests avoiding plants with high water needs and using varieties suited for your climate.
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