the art of container gardening

There is more to container gardening than simply plopping flowers into a decorative pot. Everything from the plants you select to where you place them in the container will affect the overall aesthetics of your design. Here are a few tips to help you on your way to creating a colorful, fragrant, and artful container garden.

Plant Placement

Thriller

Place your thrill plant wherever you want the focal point of your plant display to be—typically at the center or the back of the container.

Spiller

The trailing, spiller plants are placed alternatively to the filler plants towards the edge of the container. Similarly, you will want to use two spill plants for small planters and three for larger sized plant containers.

Filler

Place the fillers around your thriller, leaving some open spaces where you will add your trailing 'spill' plants. Use two filler plants for smaller containers and three for larger containers.

plant suggestions

terrific thrillers

Banana Plant

Caladium

Dracenea

Purple Fountaingrass

Salvia

flashy fillers

Aster

Begonia

Coral Bells

Impatiens

Zinnia

striking spillers

Dichondra

Lobelia

Potato Vines

Sedum

Wave Petunias

curb appeal

Planters used for curb appeal should feature vibrant colors that draw the eye. It’s important to determine what look you are going for—formal, modern, whimsical, etc.—as this will help determine which plants you should choose.

deck or patio enhancement

Deck or patio planters can add both beauty and fragrance to your sitting area. Or you can use them to grow fresh herbs for cooking. Lemongrass, rosemary, lavender, and bee balm are all excellent ‘container herbs.’