Pots with Pizzazz

by Karen Chapman, CPH

How often have you entered a garden center with the intention of purchasing ‘just a few plants’ to put in a container by your front door? Three hours and several coffees later you stagger out with a cart-load of goodies and your partner muttering something about "I thought you only wanted a few petunias…?" Then when you get home, no matter how many times you move those plants around they just don’t look right and you have no idea why. Creating exciting combinations is easy if you follow these simple tips.

Color repetition
Using too many colors can result in an overwhelming jumble with no sense of structure. Try to limit your palette to three or four different colors and include the color of the container itself in that selection. By considering the colors of buds, branches and leaves as well as the flowers, and repeating these colors two or three times, you will create a strong, unified design.

Texture.
A frequent reason for disappointment can be that either the plant combination lacks focus due to lots of wispy flowers and fine grasses or it can just appear dull because there are too many plain green, mid sized leaves. Successful arrangements have a good balance of bold and fine textured material.

Form, scale and proportion.
Form simply describes whether a plant grows up, down or mounds. In most designs a combination of all three is desirable. Trailing plants at the edge of the pot can help balance the height of the tallest plants. However, if this focal element needs time to achieve maturity the design can initially appear out of proportion. A temporary solution would be to add tall, decorative twigs.

With these insights you are ready to brave the nursery again, but this time you may only need two coffees….