6 simple ideas
| Many homeowners simply use potted plants and containers on their deck or patio to add a bit of color and joy, but did you know that containers filled with healthy plants could be used as problem-solvers! Let’s look at six examples . . . |
| | To start with, regardless of where and how you’re using them, for maximum impact, garden containers of mixed plants are most appealing when they include a “Thriller” (usually a tall plant), a “Filler” (something bushy to fill empty spaces) and a “Spiller” (something that gracefully spills over the pot). Good examples are the containers created by award-winning designer Todd Holloway. These containers include the three key elements for mixed containers, with Tropicanna canna as the thriller, mixed coleus as the filler, and sweet potato vine and calibrachoa as the spillers. |  | | However, some plants—like dramatic Festival™ Burgundy cordyline (below), Tropicanna canna with its colorful foliage, and Blue Storm Agapanthus with its lush blue blooms—can all stand alone in a container and still make a great statement, which makes life even simpler! |  | | Once you’ve created your containers, you’ll find plenty of ways to use them to solve an array of garden, deck or landscape problems. Here are six simple ideas: | 1. Brighten dull spots
Colorful container gardens can be used to fill dull or colorless spots in the garden. For instance, this single-color filled container of Flower Carpet Yellow, Lady’s Mantle and carex is the only flowering plant within this otherwise solid green landscape. |  | | A color-filled container like this one below with canna Tropicanna, French marigolds and calibrachoa is easy to move around the garden when perennial blooms begin to fade. A container filled with Flower Carpet Coral adds a bit of color to a semi-shaded pocket garden. |  |  | 2. The great disguiser!
Color- and texture-filled containers can be used to cover or take attention away from an unattractive wall or bare spot around a deck or porch. Hide an overdue-to be painted porch corner with a simple container of Blue Storm agapanthus. |  | | Or use a rustic container filled with Flower Carpet Red roses or multiple containers to conceal rotting wood, unsightly siding or cement block wall. |  |  |
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3. Groupings are great!
By grouping several containers together, you can create a sense of fullness in an otherwise dull spot and essentially create an entire garden without a bit of digging! Below, a series of containers filled with Flower Carpet Yellow, Tropicanna and mixed annuals greet visitors along a garden pathway. |  | | This multi-level deck is a garden complete with color and texture—and no digging! Bonfire begonias spill over tabletops and stairs while strappy Festival Burgundy shines even in an old terra-cotta container and pots filled with geraniums brighten the back wall. |  | 4. An easy way to mark tricky transitions
Containers can be used to mark or bring attention to transitions in deck levels, patios, stairs or even walkways. A gorgeous cobalt-blue pot filled with Flower Carpet Pink roses quickly reminds visitors to step carefully while a simple terra-cotta planter filled with Festival Burgundy alerts guests to a step down from one deck level to the next and Pacific™ Coprosma Sunrise and Sunset shrubs mark entrance stairs. |  |  |  | 5. Add a tropical touch to your water feature!
Containers filled with cannas and other water-loving plants can be used in water gardens to add color, texture and interest. It’s easy to grow Tropicanna cannas in pots for placement in a water feature, even a small deck-side one. |  | 6. Tight on space? Create an edible ornamental container!
By selecting ornamentals that don’t require chemicals to keep them thriving (like Flower Carpet Pink Supreme roses below), you can combine the beauty of flowers with the brawn of healthy herbs and vegetables. Today’s seed catalogs and nurseries are filled with vegetables bred especially for small spaces and containers. |  | |
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