Container gardening is the perfect way to add color and create focal points around the yard. Because they're portable, you can place containers anywhere in your garden that could use some brightening up. Choose a variety of container sizes and shapes, and get creative with the actual plants.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't need a vertical accent right in the middle of a round container. Try planting two different spikes together at one end of the pot. Or choose a tall plant with completely different attributes, like striking purple or fern-like foliage. Grassy-leaved plants are great for containers, and give the added bonus of seed heads in late summer or fall that gently wave in the breeze. Add one or two vining plants such as sweet potato vine or creeping Jenny that will tumble softly over the edge of the pot.
An attractive container will combine a variety of flower colors, plant shapes, and foliage color and texture. These don't have to match one another – the most exciting containers have a harmony of variety. Think orange and magenta clash? Well, yes, they do, but you'll be amazed at how fabulous a plain terra cotta or concrete container can look filled with a tall orange-leafed coleus surrounded by magenta impatiens and chartreuse creeping jenny. Wow in a pot.
The containers you choose are just as important as the plants for maximum impact. Choose a collection of different-sized pots that look good on their own, but also complement each other. A group of different-shaped pots is fun to look at. Combine the tall and slim with the round and fat or short and squat. Arrange the pots at different heights to produce a layered effect that shows each plant to its advantage. Place pots of plants, whether alone or in combinations, among the flowers or shrubs in a bed for a touch of zing. A blue pot can help cool off hot color combos like orange, yellow and red. Green pots look great with delicate pink flowers.
You can combine textures with some broad sculptural leaves, variegated foliage, and deeply lobed leaf shapes. Using varying forms will help your plants stand out instead of blending together in an indistinguishable mass.
Note if your container will spend the day in sunlight, partial shade, or mostly shade. Make sure plants that will be in the same container have similar sunlight and water requirements. Read the plant tags as you make your choices. Shady container plants can be just as colorful as sunny ones by selecting shade-loving flowers and colorful foliage.
Potted plants need good drainage and nutrients to thrive. Good quality organic potting mix is critical for the health of plants that will be sitting in the container for months. Try an organic potting mix with added fertilizer to give container plants a consistent boost so they can bloom all season long.
When planting in containers, first plant the central upright plant, the tallest one. It doesn't have to be in the center – try it in the back or towards one side of the pot. Position low trailers and cascading plants around the edge. Then tuck in mid-level plants, sweeping around and rising to greet the tallest plant, the vertical accent. Water thoroughly, avoiding flowers and leaves. Add more soil after it has settled, then water again.
Commit to watering your containers once a day, maybe even twice during the heat of the summer. When the soil surface is dry but before the plants begin to wilt, water slowly and thoroughly, until water runs out of the bottom of the pot. Water in the early morning or late afternoon, so the foliage will be dry during the night. This will help prevent diseases and water-spotted leaves. It will also give your plants the vigor they need to stand up to the mid-day heat.
Get some beautiful containers this summer. Choose flowers in colors you've never used before. Choose plants with variegated or unique colored foliage. Try huge, bold leaves, tiny round leaves, or thin, hair-like leaves. Look for interesting plants that are attractive on their own, then combine them in a pot and watch them take on a new dimension.
Lori Rose, the Midnight Gardener, is a Temple University Certified Master Home Gardener and member of the GWA: The Association for Garden Communicators. She has gardened since childhood, and has been writing about gardening for more than 15 years.