Container gardens make it possible for you to surround your home with flowers and plants and express your creativity at the same time. And you don’t even need a green thumb. You can grow flowers, herbs, even vegetables in containers with just a little bit of effort. To create a pleasing look it is a good idea to layer your plants to vary the texture, color and size.
Spillers
Spillers will be the plants and greenery that cascade out of the potting soil and over the edges of your planter. Some good choices for “spillers” are sedum, amaranthus, ivy and creeping thyme. These plants not only soften the edges of your container, they add an interesting shape and color to your overall “garden”.
Thrillers
The thrilling part of your container garden is usually the centerpiece plant. This is the largest plant in the container and sets the “theme” of your garden. Choose spiky succulents and waxy cactus for a southwestern look or you just want an easy to care for garden. For an exotic touch, add lavender, orchids or peter pan agapanthus as your “thriller” plant. These will stand tall in the container and look regal when surrounded by other greenery.
Fillers
Your filler plants will sit in between the star of your garden (the thriller) and the spiller plants and they should be chosen to coordinate with the colors of the other plants. Some good filler choices are fuchsia, lantana and coleus. All of these plants are interesting with or without blooms and will fill up that bare space in your container.
Containers
You can’t have a container garden without a container. Some things to remember when choosing a container:
• Proper drainage is a must. If your container is sitting on the ground, raise it up with bricks to allow water to fully drain.
• Choose a container with a wide opening to accommodate all your plants.
• Be sure the container is deep enough for the roots to grow properly.
• All container materials have pros and cons. For example, wood rots over time but comes in many different sizes; terra cotta is inexpensive but absorbs the plant’s moisture and the clay may dry out; plastic is affordable but can break down quickly from the elements and ceramic is durable but often needs additional drainage holes.
Have fun with your container garden. Create some personality with the different seasons and remember, children love to create and grow gardens so make it a family affair.
