Creative Container Combinations

Simple Steps For Summer Magic

From Your Friends At Schriemer's

Planted containers are the perfect accent for the summer home landscape. They bring flowers and colour to parts of the yard where it may otherwise be difficult to plant a garden, such as along a patio, on the deck or on the front steps. They can be moved around as your heart desires, and the containers themselves can be decorative elements in your outdoor creation.

However, gardeners sometimes find that planting a container can be a challenge. Often times they don't really develop to their expectations, or one plant will dominate over the rest. You may have many questions about containers; "What plants go well together in a container? How do I get it looking full and vibrant? How can I keep it blooming over the summer?"

Luckily, containers aren't as tricky to put together as one may think. First of all, remember that the recommended spacing on the plant tags is irrelevant in a container garden. The key to great billowing containers full of colour and beauty through the summer is to really pack the plants in, and then water and fertilize them religiously throughout the summer.

Another thing that people often forget is to provide for adequate drainage in the bottom of the container. If the container does not have holes, you may need to drill some before adding the soil. With expensive ornamental clay or glass containers, this may be difficult or even impractical as they could shatter from the vibration of a drill, so the best advice is to purchase containers with pre-existing drainage holes.

In addition to the drainage holes, place a shallow layer of clean stone at the base of the container and then cover it with a piece of landscape fabric cut to fit so that the soil doesn't mix with the drainage layer. For larger heavy pots, you may substitute the drainage rock with styrofoam packing or crumpled empty annual containers to allow for drainage and movement of air, while reducing the overall weight of the planter. Fill the container to about 3/4 full with good quality planting soil, and you are ready to place your plants.

When selecting the plants for your container, keep in mind how the planter is to be viewed. Long narrow planters or window boxes are usually viewed from one main direction, while planters on patios and decks or along walkways may be seen from many directions. Keep the smaller or shorter plant material towards the front of the planter, with taller plants in the back for unidirectional planters and in the middle for containers that will be seen from different vantage points.

There are basically three types of plants to use in a container;

• Focal Plants - usually taller plants or ones with the most eye-catching colours
• Trailers - used primarily in the front or around the edges of the container to spill over like a waterfall
• Fillers - nondescript plants which fill the voids between the other two plant types

Focal Plants

Some great focal plants include ornamental grasses like purple fountain grass, Purple Majesty millet, or even a variegated zebra grass. These not only add texture and colour, but they also introduce movement to the container as they sway in the wind. Green and purple-leaf dracaena (spikes) have a distinctive form that towers above the rest of the plants. Tall flowering summer bulbs like cannas and dahlias which are pre-potted for a fast display of summer colour make great focal plants as well. For more traditional plants, consider using one or two of the countless varieties of zonal geraniums as they are generally larger and more vibrant in colour than their seeded cousins. Tall marigolds, celosia, salvia and mallow work equally as well.

Trailers

Many new trailers are now available including lotus vine (parrot's beak) with its delicately flowing silvery leaves, Helichrysum (licorice plant) with its silvery trailing leaves, and Ipomoea (potato vine) with its black, glowing chartreuse or variegated leaves which give a flowing effect to the containers. Remember that trailers should only support the flow of the containers and not detract from the focal plants or from the beauty of the container itself. If using flowering plants like petunias, lobelia or ivy geraniums, ensure that the focal plants have a more vibrant colouring than the trailer itself.

Fillers

Fillers can be just about anything, as the need dictates. For example, they can be used to soften the container if the focal and training plants are particularly intense in colour; consider a pastel flower or a leafy plant that does not detract. If the container is to be planted in shade, annual baby's breath is a great filler, as are fibrous begonias and pastel impatiens. If the focal and trailing plants are subtle in colour, consider darker leafed or coloured plants like coleus, blue ageratum or even a single variety of marigold. Marigolds are also effective at deterring mosquitoes and thus make great companion plants when the container is situated near a door.

Lately there has been a trend to use decorative shrubs as accents in containers; because they are only used for the season and don't have to survive our hard winters, the hardiness of the plant is not an issue. Use variegated or brightly coloured dwarfs like My Monet weigela, Tiger Eyes sumac or Black Beauty elder for season-long colour. Long-blooming flowery shrubs make wonderful accents in a larger container; try any of the bigleaf hydrangeas like Endless Summer, All Summer Beauty and the exciting brand new introduction Twist 'n Shout which is sure to turn heads!